A rant about the banks…well, I have got a POV! A lot has been said about punishing bankers, Banks, regulatory bodies,  etc.  I have taken direct action, & taken all my money away from them!

I was using my local Credit Union [http://castleandminster.co.uk/index.php] for savings, & have now opened a Current Account with them. It costs a Pound a week to run, with very low charges compared to the rest.

They don’t do a Credit card, so you can’t spend what you haven’t  got, & they don’t put their money in the stock market, it goes to local residents in the shape of small loans.

The big plus for me, & why I opened the  A/C, is that I can use it in my Post Office to manage my bills.

The Coop Bank [http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/] is very sound for investment policy and stability, I don’t think they play the stock-markets or mad investment instruments that no-one understands ,  and they do a Credit card.

If  I had a large balance, I would transfer it to The Triodos Bank  [http://www.triodos.co.uk/] for a long time. It looks like a stable, long-term investment choice.

Also, they are the only bank who tell you, on their website, who they invest in:-)

As a further tactic, I have transferred my Phone & Broadband to The Phone Coop [http://www.thephone.coop/]which is a bit cheaper than BT, and who pay a dividend of 1.5% on my bill, which is paid into my share account, which pays 6% per annum.

As for the bankers, well, if they have no customers, they won’t have any banks to ruin!  Stuff them, & all the other thieves!