WASHINGTON — Credit unions should not question the safety of bank deposits in an effort to gain more members, NCUA Chairman Michael E. Fryzel wrote in a letter to the leaders of federal credit unions.

He sent the letter yesterday in the wake of complaints from the American Bankers Association about advertisements of two Texas credit unions that implied that bank deposits are somehow less secure than those at credit unions.

"NCUA has asked the credit unions to discontinue the advertising and refrain from making such remarks. This type of activity is, in my experience, uncharacteristic of credit unions.. Credit unions do not need to criticize another financial institution regardless of its charter. Your performance is all that matters," he wrote.