Social media and other websites continue to show surges ininterest about credit unions on Tuesday as Bank Transfer Dayapproaches.

The anti-bank ferment sparked by the Bank of America debit feeannouncement two weeks ago also has prompted CUNA leadership tospeak up in an attempt to tamp down possible fears about bank runsthe nascent movement might trigger.

Bank Transfer Day is a movement sparked by a Facebook posting bya Los Angeles art dealer that quickly went viral.

Hard numbers of how many accounts have actually shifted frombanks to CUs were hard to come by, but inquiries at state leagues and trade groups continued to soar and individualcredit unions were looking for ways to make the most of it,launching “ditch-your-bank” promotions, for instance.

Meanwhile, caution also was in the air, too, specifically aboutthe impact sudden large amounts of deposits would have on balancesheets at credit unions, particularly mid-sized organizationsworried about their capital ratios.

There was also concern the account switch, as some analysts havesuggested, might draw less-than-profitable accounts into CUs,in effect allowing big banks like BofA and Wells Fargo andregional banks to dump bad business on CUs.

“We're happy about the 25% increase in new account openingswe've seen and we continue with our marketing promotions aboutjoining our credit union, but we are of the school that there isboth good and cautious news here,” said Paul Stull, senior vicepresident of the $1.3 billion Arizona State CU in Phoenix.

Meanwhile, CUNA said it has received favorable reviews from thepublic and CEOs to an interview conducted Monday by Bill Cheney,president/CEO, who told CNBC anchors that a run caused by BankTransfer Day is unlikely.

Rather, the message from CUNA is that big bank customers wouldlikely “find a better value” at their local CU, Cheney said.

Based on the increase in new account openings and a doubling oftraffic on its www.asmarterchoice.orgwebsite, it seems consumers are not waiting until Nov. 5 to maketheir move, he said. CUNA said it's now seeing the same traffic perweek as it had been seeing per month.

NAFCU also said its www.culookup.com website has seenmore than three times its usual traffic in recent days.

“That is wonderful news,” spokeswoman Patty Briotta said,adding that the trade group is helping its members “capitalize onthe opportunities with marketing materials, daily inserts andtalking points. But each credit union ultimately must determinewhat kind of strategy fits its needs.”