keeping my money in the community
Went to a bank down the street today. Turns out they have all the same services as the one I have been using but are totally local! So, I decided to get out of the big bank and into a local one!
This new bank has a credit card program that looks at how much you spend and donate one percent of that (from the bank!) to local non-profits in the community. Albina Bank also appears to have a sound approach to making loans (no home loans, but home equity, and small business and short term personal loans). While I would have liked to go with a credit union, this one offers all the services and a fairly convenient location for me...so I think it is a good fit.
Also, talking with the personal banker, got the feel the tellers are eager to help and are not too bogged down in bureaucracy to do the right thing for their customers.
So I have started the process to transfer everything with them and away from Chase (which still calls itself Washington Mutual... but not for long). I want to get out of WAMU/Chase before March when Chase starts taking over various services WAMU used to do (and apparently the new services are more limited). By March 1, I will have moved all my assets to Albina and using the Albina credit card (if they approve me, which I would think they would).
This process is exciting and empowering. I get to connect with my community and also not support big banking at the same time without losing anything important.
Oh, all I really lose is an ATM a block away. Now I have to walk six blocks instead. So I get more exercise and simultaneously soak in what is going down in my 'hood...maybe that is not a loss after all!
This new bank has a credit card program that looks at how much you spend and donate one percent of that (from the bank!) to local non-profits in the community. Albina Bank also appears to have a sound approach to making loans (no home loans, but home equity, and small business and short term personal loans). While I would have liked to go with a credit union, this one offers all the services and a fairly convenient location for me...so I think it is a good fit.
Also, talking with the personal banker, got the feel the tellers are eager to help and are not too bogged down in bureaucracy to do the right thing for their customers.
So I have started the process to transfer everything with them and away from Chase (which still calls itself Washington Mutual... but not for long). I want to get out of WAMU/Chase before March when Chase starts taking over various services WAMU used to do (and apparently the new services are more limited). By March 1, I will have moved all my assets to Albina and using the Albina credit card (if they approve me, which I would think they would).
This process is exciting and empowering. I get to connect with my community and also not support big banking at the same time without losing anything important.
Oh, all I really lose is an ATM a block away. Now I have to walk six blocks instead. So I get more exercise and simultaneously soak in what is going down in my 'hood...maybe that is not a loss after all!