Small Initiatives

I've said all along that debit card cash rebate programs are the way to go. During my tenure as a regional market manager for Teachers Credit Union I was part of the creative team behind its Debit Card Rebate program. Now at seven years old, the program has continued to grow in popularity.

I confess to high service standards and expectations for any industry. For those service managers who believe mediocrity is the best one can expect, I clearly state my position. There's something about a little process called payment for services I believe entitles me to expect something in return. This removes all doubts related to shared comments about service failure experiences, also known as the "every unhappy customer tells at least 10 others" rule. Today I'm an unhappy customer. Let me explain.

As banks and credit unions seek alternative income sources, their focus shifts significantly to business services. Fee income sources from consumer banking appear to be limited
to courtesy pay privilege or overdraft privilege fees, ATM charges and
NSF charges (others may deserve mention but let's simplify for now).

Financial industry leaders talk about competition with an emphasis on differentiation. Add to the conversation the many threats to survival of small financial institutions, and in that context we hear rhetoric that has bombarded the industry since the mid-1990s merger boom and upsurge in start-up community banks.