JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Credit Union Commission continues to deal with rounds of appeals filed by the Missouri Bankers Association and local banks challenging approvals by the Director of the Division of Credit Unions to credit unions to expand their fields of membership. Most recently, at its regular quarterly meeting on Aug. 8, the Commission voted to dismiss an appeal filed by the MBA of Director John Smith's approval of City Utilities Credit Union's application to expand its field-of-membership to serve community residents and workers in Greene and Christian counties. The $34 million, Springfield,Mo. credit union's application was published in the June 1, 2001 Missouri Register. Smith approved the application and his decision was published in the Aug. 1, 2001 Missouri Register. On Aug. 14, 2001, the MBA along with a local bank located in CUCU's FOM appealed the director's decision to the Credit Union Commission. Bankers have also asked for an order of mandamus in the field-of-membership expansion case concerning Educational Employees CU, now called Vantage Credit Union. The order would require the Credit Union Commission to proceed with a hearing on the bankers' appeal of EECU's field-of-membership expansion that was approved by Director Smith for the CU to serve St. Louis, St. Charles, Jerfferson, Cape Girardeau and Franklin counties. In March 2001, the MBA and two local banks appealed Smith's decision. In March 2002, the Commission dismissed the appeal due to lack of standing. Banks had until Aug. 14 to file a reply brief in the TelComm Credit union (formerly know as Springfield Telephone Employees CU) field-of-membership expansion appeal with the Western District Appeals Court in Kansas City. The $41 million CU received approval from Director Smith in 2000 to expand its FOM to include those residents in the 417-area code (the CU had applied for the 417 and 573 area codes.) The MBA and Century Bank of the Ozark filed an appeal of the director's decision to the Credit Union Commission, and in May 2001 the Commission upheld the director's decision. In Sept. 2002, the MBA and CBO filed a petition for administrative review in Cole County Circuit Court. In January 2002, the court ruled the plaintiffs lacked standing, and subsequently in March the NBA and CBO filed an appeal of the decision in Western Appellate Court of Appeals. The Missouri Credit Union System said a date has not yet been set for oral arguments and the court schedule is filling fast, so it's expected that arguments won't be scheduled until October or November.