I was listening to POTUS during drive time this afternoon. The host invited his father to call in, and he did. It seems that Dad runs a real estate business, and has for many years. Dad said that he only worked with credit unions because they look out for their customers in a way that banks haven’t for many decades. Dad is almost 70; he has a lot of experience. He had some very unflattering things to say about bankers. You may read that as big business, which is the way he framed it. IMO, many businessmen have lost, or never found, their ethics. Not all businessmen, but many more than there used to be.
There are still a lot of small banks that are run like credit unions. Not too many.
I belong to a Credit Union. Have for over 25 years. DCU…Use to be associated with Digital Equipment Co. But they are no longer around. So they then opened up to everyone. My first week working for Digital…I joined the credit union. The big banks…have fees for everything.
I belong to a credit union and use them, and also a local bank, and also a national bank. Really, you just need to be your own best friend. The credit union by far has the best loan rates but they have never provided any advice on anything. The bank used to drive me nuts because no matter how much you made or how little you borrowed, they’d always ask if you could afford it or not. Of course for the last 40 years car loans were 11% so maybe they should have asked. In this crazy market though car rates are anywhere from zero on up with the normal in the 1-3% range. Houses in the 3-4% range and of course CD rates in the 1% range no matter where you go.
lately though the credit unions are going after the bank’s business like crazy and the banks are howling like mad at the competition. You just have to figure when a credit union is non-profit and a bank is able to make many large community contributions, you are likely to get a better deal at a credit union. I just don’t treat them as my trusted friends looking out for me.
I see nothing wrong with franchises and chains. We too had a rooter do the rooting (~10 yrs ago,) They made it known that there is no guarantee. Happily paid for the service and got the video tape too. Declined their service to repair the line-no money, and I didn’t like their solution-backhoe the entire line. Eventually the line again backed up, where upon I eventually found a company that bursed the composition line , and pulled a flex polyplastic pipe to the main. A backhoe was used but only at the line break and at the main.
Franchises specialize and are experts in their field. It does not mean that there are other companies and methods.