[GPSCC-chat] YOUR EXPERIENCE with Credit Unions? --> for anti-bank brochure; text: Tu, Nov. 30; fold @ pot luck, Th., Dec. 2

[jamboi]

Another Credit Union to add:  Keypoint (formerly known as AEA (American
Electronics Association).  I've done business with them for years and
they're excellent.  The have a number of locations in this county,
including Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Milpitas, as well as some near
Sacramento and in Southern California.

Green is EcoWisdom!

Drew
JamBoi at Greens.org
> Hello:  Below (and attached) please find a partial draft of a tri-fold
> with a tentative title of 'Just Say "No!" to Abusive Banks'.  This
> currently occupies just over one side of a single 8.5 x 11 inch page.
> This means we can increase the volume by between 50 and 70 percent.  We
> should all contact information for us, including a Green Party logo, I
> think, plus preferable more information on each of the 8 alternatives.
> I think I want to delete at least one, because their web site advertised
> 90 days without payments on a new loan -- as if consumers don't pay
> extra for that.  This should probably mention the Dec. 7 Worldwide bank
> protest day;  it currently doesn't.
>
>
> 	  Comments?
> 	  Best Wishes,
> 	  Spencer
> p.s.  I need all comments by, e.g., next Tuesday.  If we can't reach a
> consensus by then, we likely won't be able to do anything before the
> Dec. 7 worldwide bank protest day.
>
>
> ##################################
>
> Did senior banking executives earned their multimillion dollar bonuses
> this year?
> If you think so, we'd like to see your evidence.
> Unhappy with your bank?  What about a credit union?  Many have the same
> insurance and comparable ATM services as major banks, are member owned
> and invest locally, not trying to make the rich richer at the expense of
> the poor and middle class.
> If you are looking for a loan, especially a new mortgage, shop around.
> Do NOT let a mortgage broker to do that for you, as you will
> (eventually) pay the broker's fee.
>
> The financial industry in the US (banks, securities, insurance) "earned"
> 34% of total US domestic corporate profits over the past decade, up from
> 16% for 1934-1999 (see below).
> For the free market to work properly, consumers must have reasonable
> access to quality information about available alternatives.  Some of the
> increase in profits in the financial sector come because consumers have
> no effective means of protecting their interests in this sector.
> Consequently, instead of innovating to provide better service to
> consumers, banks have innovated to maximize their profits at the expense
> of consumers, including colluding in setting credit card rates to harm
> consumers.1  This should be an antitrust violation, but most politicians
> are elected with massive contributions from big business, especially the
> major banks, and the commercial media would lose advertising revenue and
> therefore profitability if they exposed it.2
>
> Process for changing a bank
>
> 1. Select an alternative (see below).
> 2. Open a new account.  Ask for forms to facilitate the transfer.
> 3. Get checks, credit, debit, ATM cards for the new account.
> 4. Change direct deposits to go to the new account.
> 5. Submit a "Close and Transfer Letter" to close your old account and
> transfer remaining funds to the new account.
>
> Credit Unions in San Jose
>
>
>
> San Jose Credit Union (www.sjcu.org)
>
>
> Valley Credit Union (www.valleycu.org)
>
>
> Star One Credit Union (www.starone.org)
>
>
> Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union (www.sccfcu.org)
>
>
> Meriwest Credit Union (www.meriwest.com)
>
>
> Alliance Federal Credit Union (www.alliancecreditunion.org)
>
>
> Technology Credit Union (www.techcu.com)
>
>
> Commonwealth Central Credit Union (www.wealthcu.org)
>
>
>
> Finance as a Percent of US Domestic Corporate Profit 3
>
>
>
> ###############################
> Hello:
>
>
>        I'm drafting a tri-fold brochure to distributed around the Dec. 7
> international bank rebellion day, and I could use help.  A quick
> response would be appreciated so we can complete the text by next
> Tuesday, Nov. 30.
>
>
>        1.  Where should people go to if they want to leave an abusive
> bank like Wells Fargo?
>
>
>        2.  For people who want to change, what is a sensible process for
> selecting an alternative and then moving?
>
>
>        3.  Where do you bank, i.e., have a checking account, etc., and
> what do you think about that organization?  My wife and I have banked
> with Wells Fargo for almost 30 years.  We decided almost a year ago we
> wanted to leave but haven't because we do not yet have an acceptable
> answer to questions 1 and 2 above.  So far, I've tentatively decided to
> limit consideration to 10 credit unions with operations in and near San
> Jose.  I'm focusing on credit unions, as they reportedly are
> cooperatives, officially owned by their members, presumably invest the
> money locally and do not engage in the kinds of speculative practiced
> that have manufactured the current "Great Recession", now now
> threatening the economic stability of Ireland and possibly, Portugal,
> Spain, Italy, and perhaps the entire Euro zone.  However, I don't know
> how true any of this is.
>
>
> *** There are 8 credit unions in or near San Jose listed with
> "http://local.yahoo.com/CA/San+Jose/Legal+Financial+Services/Credit+Unions";
>   listed below.  Some of these have customer reviews.  However, there
> are so few reviews that I hesitate to give them too much weight.
>
>
> San Jose Credit Union (www.sjcu.org)
>
>
> Valley Credit Union (www.valleycu.org)
>
>
> Star One Credit Union (www.starone.org)
>
>
> Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union (www.sccfcu.org)
>
>
> Meriwest Credit Union (www.meriwest.com)
>
>
> Alliance Federal Credit Union (www.alliancecreditunion.org)
>
>
> Technology Credit Union (www.techcu.com)
>
>
> Commonwealth Central Credit Union (www.wealthcu.org)
>
>
>        Thanks.  More soon.
>        Spencer
>
>
> ###############################
> subj:  Re: [GPSCC-chat] Holiday Pot Luck -- we need to announce to San
> Mateo!
>
> On 11/26/2010 2:51 PM, jamboi wrote:
>> Yes, and as a matter of fact, we talked to a San Mateo Green at Junior
>> States who hadn't heard of the event yet, so we need to post the info
>> and
>> get it out to San Mateo and everyone else.
>>
>> Green is Connection!
>>
>> Drew
>>
>>> What time is the pot luck, Thursday, Dec. 2?  I've only seen a date and
>>> "Fred's Clubhouse", but not a street address, etc.
>>>
>>>
>>> Spencer
>>>
>>>
>>> On 11/26/2010 7:00 AM, Caroline Yacoub wrote:
>>>> Sounds good to me. If we could get them printed by Thursday, we could
>>>> maybe
>>>> spend some time at the  potluck at Fred's folding them, and people who
>>>> wanted to
>>>> stand outside banks and pass them out could get some.
>>>> Caroline
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ________________________________
>>>> From: spencerg<spencer.graves at prodsyse.com>
>>>> To: Jim Doyle<j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net>
>>>> Cc: sosfbay discussion group<sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org>; Betsy
>>>> Wolf-Graves
>>>> <betsy237 at prodsyse.com>
>>>> Sent: Thu, November 25, 2010 8:43:36 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [GPSCC-chat] suggestions
>>>>
>>>> Happy Thanksgiving (Día de Acción de Gracias, in Spanish)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> What do you think about a tri-fold using the "No on 14" template,
>>>> something like
>>>> the following:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *** NOTE:  If we are going to have an impact by Dec. 7, we need to
>>>> move
>>>> very
>>>> fast with this.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> HEADLINE:  Dec. 7:  International "Move Your Bank" Day(1)
>>>>
>>>> (1) ->   footnote referencing something discussing bank protests in
>>>> Europe and
>>>> elsewhere planned for Dec. 7.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> INTRODUCTORY NARRATIVE:  If you don't like your money being used to
>>>> destabilize
>>>> the international economy to make the rich richer and the rest of us
>>>> poorer,
>>>> consider moving your money to purely local credit unions, savings and
>>>> loans or
>>>> banks.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *** Then follow this with a table of local institutions, names,
>>>> addresses, web
>>>> sites, phone numbers AND some symbols that summarize their investment
>>>> policies
>>>> and some assurance that they have NOT been involved in "liar's loans"
>>>> and
>>>> similar abusive practices.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *** OR refer people to a web site that contains such a list.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *** NEEDED:  I need help compiling this list and checking to make sure
>>>> that the
>>>> financial institutions listed are actually clean, i.e., have NOT been
>>>> involved
>>>> in the most egregious, abusive practices.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ADDITIONAL CONTENT:  Then we could say something about the repeal of
>>>> Glass-Stiegel and the Republican promise to make further gifts at
>>>> taxpayer
>>>> expense to the financial industry.  This should include, I think, the
>>>> plot I
>>>> previously distributed showing the profits in the financial sector as
>>>> a
>>>> percent
>>>> of total US domestic corporate profits jumping from 15 percent
>>>> historically to
>>>> between 30 and 40 percent over the past decade since the repeal of
>>>> Glass-Stiegel.  We should include, I think, a reference to bais in the
>>>> media,
>>>> e.g., stating that the popular perception of a liberal bias to the
>>>> media
>>>> is
>>>> equivalent to saying that the media routinely bites the hand that
>>>> feeds
>>>> them.
>>>> Then note that commercial media is a business and lose money when
>>>> advertisers
>>>> decrease their advertising.  The only way the media can survive doing
>>>> that is by
>>>> getting a substantially larger audience, which rarely happens when the
>>>> public
>>>> believes the media have a liberal bias.  Then briefly describe the
>>>> Herman and
>>>> Chomsky worth and unworthy subjects model and reference Wikipedia
>>>> articles on
>>>> media bias.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>         Comments?
>>>>         Best Wishes,
>>>>         Spencer
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> #######################################
>>>>
>>>> On 11/24/2010 8:38 PM, Jim Doyle wrote:
>>>>> Spencer named the topic - abusive banks.
>>>>> Caroline named the places: outside of banks.
>>>>> And abusive banks triggered "state bank" in my mind.
>>>>>
>>>>> I have not received a response from the high school senior
>>>>> from presentation high school as yet.  Her last email - on Monday -
>>>>> was she would talk it over with her friends.
>>>>>
>>>>> And Andrea has reported that "the printer" is working - the one
>>>>> that was given to us and is now in her garage.
>>>>>
>>>>> Are there any other ideas we could use in the future?
>>>>>
>>>>> Jim Doyle