Banks vs. Credit Unions

My Dad has worked his whole life in the banking industry and he naturally loves banks. He believes they can do no wrong and that it is actually us, as customers that do all the wrong. He hates Credit Unions because they are a non-profit organization and do not pay taxes. All of his children belong to credit unions, which he is none too pleased with and has written us out of the will because of it. This is not a major issue, as he's planning on spending everything before he dies.

I went into my bank today to exchange some foreign currency that I had left over from my trip to Europe. They were very quick to tell me that they don't do that any more, which left me scratching my head. I asked them if they don't deal with ANY currency, or just foreign currency and what the bank branch offices were for if they deal with money. I was saddened and even a little melancholy. I called my Dad for an explanation and he explained how helping customers isn't always profitable for banks.

I then called my credit union who said to just bring it in and they would swap it out. What service! I will gladly supplement the credit unions with my tax dollars as long as they continue to give me stellar service like this. I'm not for big government like Will is, but maybe it's issues like this that started him down the path of wanting the government to be involved and fund every aspect of our existences. One more things the banks have done wrong - and this time it's personal.

Hopefully, my Dad is taking all of these things to heart and sharing them with his fellow bankers in the hopes that banks can catch up to the level of customer service provided by credit unions.