Members of the First National Building Society who are eligible to vote on the conversion to a public company, but are unable to attend the a.g.m. on May 18th next, should remember that their proxy form must be received before May 10th.

The conversion must be approved by a majority of the society's members at that meeting. If approved, some 220,000 members stand to benefit from free shares, while a further 100,000 will get a one-off cash payment.

The society is operating a 24-hour conversion helpline for members to deal with queries. It can be reached at 1850 81 81 81.