Bank of Dave!

[Ruby]

Just watching this on Channel 4 - what a breath of fresh air!!!!! Going back to basics. Well worth watching.

[enaid]

Re: Bank of Dave!

Bank Of Dave was enough to perk up our interest rates

TV review: Bank Of Dave saw a bloke from Burnley attempt to take on the financial fat cats by setting up his own bank - and the results were much less bland than your average recession-themed programme.


Bank Of Dave sees one man try to take on the big guys (Picture: Channel 4)

Burnley minibus mogul Dave Fishwick is a glass half-full kind of guy. No matter how many financial experts lined up to tell him that on no account could he open his own bank, he was determined to do it anyway.

Why? Echoing the sentiments of the nation, Fishwick told it straight from the start: ‘The banks are s***.’

That perked my interest rate up and no mistake. In Bank Of Dave (C4), what we got was a one-man crusade to achieve the seemingly impossible – to create a bank that was, in Fishwick’s words, ‘a force for good in the community’.

Driven by despair at seeing local businesses failing all around him for want of a quick loan, Fishwick was intent on taking money matters into his own hands.

What became clear pretty quickly was what a carve-up the banking industry is. Blocked at every turn by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) – a fat cat lot of good that’s been to anybody – a lesser man than Fishwick would have thrown his hands up and gone back to his minibuses.

But he was not for turning. ‘Why is everybody frightened,’ asked Fishwick, temporarily deflated. ‘Are they frightened I might just do it?’

There was quite a lot that, as a TV show, Bank Of Dave didn’t really dig in to, such as the nuts and bolts of the elusive licences that Fishwick needed for his bank. The FSA was conspicuous by its absence.

But Bank Of Dave wasn’t about balance, it was about a cheery revolution where people came first. Wriggling around the rules, he set up Burnley Savings and Loans – its slogan ‘Bank On Dave’ – making sure the money went where it was most needed.

Fishwick for chancellor of the exchequer? I’d vote for him.
http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/reviews/90...interest-rates






Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/reviews/90...#ixzz20URMzb6n

[bluebottle]

Re: Bank of Dave!

Mutuals, like building societies and credit unions, which are owned by their members, are doing a lot better than the banks. And their interest rates are a lot better and more competitive. The high street banks are, effectively, a cartel and should be broken up, whether their shareholders like it or not. Also, shareholders of banks should be held responsible for the conduct of bank employees and not just take dividends and say nothing. Only now is the UK government giving shareholders the power to curb the boardroom abuses and excesses that have contributed to the financial mess we are now in. Words like "stable door", "horse" and "bolted" come to mind.

[Guest]

Re: Bank of Dave!

The man has so much energy, made me tired just watching him. Such a positive attitude you couldn't help but admire his single mindedness and drive.
The problem with credit unions is that generally you have to save before you can borrow, which is no use for a struggling businesses for instance.

I hope the exposure he gets after this program gives more power to his elbow and also gives more people in a similar position the encouragement to follow his lead.

We seem to have convinced ourselves that bankers are a special breed apart that they deserve the sky high wages and bonuses that if we don't pay them, and that if they go elsewhere we are going to in some way suffer.
Dave proves that this is all BS.
Best thing i have seen on the box for ages.

D

[bluebottle]

Re: Bank of Dave!

What we need, Davy, are more mutuals, that encourage people to save, and banks that are geared to supporting businesses and helping them grow. That, in turn, creates more tax revenue from those who are taken on by growing business and, as a side-benefit, potential savings which can then be invested in the mutuals which can then be lent and, consequentially, create more jobs as demand slowly starts to recover.

[enaid]

Re: Bank of Dave!

We had a lot more choice before the likes of Santander bought up A&L and Abbey, we moan about the BIG 5 banks and yet they are encouraged to be the only ones we can deal with by the powers that be.

[Ruby]

Re: Bank of Dave!

What really caught my attention in the programme was how Dave went personally to visit the business wanting more money to expand and get a proper 'feel' for the business and the owners and their credibility.

Picture that with one of the 5 banks - no chance. You go into a small cubical speak to someone who knows you from Adam and looks on his/her screen at the credit reference file and says yes/no. There should be a notice on the door of each of these cubicals saying 'Leave personality outside before entering the room'.

[Guest]

Re: Bank of Dave!

What really caught my attention in the programme was how Dave went personally to visit the business wanting more money to expand and get a proper 'feel' for the business and the owners and their credibility.

Picture that with one of the 5 banks - no chance. You go into a small cubical speak to someone who knows you from Adam and looks on his/her screen at the credit reference file and says yes/no. There should be a notice on the door of each of these cubicals saying 'Leave personality outside before entering the room'.

Believe it or not i am old enough(just) to remember when bank managers used to do just that.

No more the last time i went to see the bank manager for a business loan they debited my account by £75 for five minutes of his time and the privilege of telling me to go jump. That must be 10 years ago so god knows what it is like now.

D