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Choosing a bank or credit union for a distributed worker-owned collective

I love small banks. However, just as i had to take the Fund for Authentic Journalism to Middlesex Savings Bank (a member-owned mutual bank) when Natick Federal Savings Bank (a single-branch bank) advised me to go there for international wire transfers, so i think my current business needs for the re-forming Agaric require a bank that is significantly more savvy in its online operations than Middlesex is.

Big, predatory, bailed-out banks are not a consideration for strong ethical and practical reasons.

Credit unions, by contrast, are an excellent option.

One credit union which has a local branch and which it looks like i could join is Digital Federal Credit Union. I've always heard good things about them, their origin is a story of workers winning control from management at Digital Equipment Corp. (and the credit union living on long after the once-storied corporation has been bought and merged into oblivion), and Afam and i used their notary public services for free when i sponsored his right to stay in this country as an immigrant.

(The trick with credit unions is being eligible to join, but i had a geographical in with DCU, albeit not as direct as i expected.)

I do like the highly local Middlesex Savings Bank - http://middlesexbank.com - and Natick Federal Savings Bank (one single branch) but the electronic banking of the former has proven quite antiquated. My e-mails to ebranch at middlesexbank.com asking for a full year export went unanswered (over the phone, told no) and asking for a way to see purchases attributed to specific debit card also went unanswered.

In addition to those two things, we could use branches (or partner banks / credit unions in a network) in at least New York City and San Francisco as well as Boston area and/or the ability to accept checks by mail or electronically (the military credit union my younger brother is in is downright fantastic this way).

I know a couple people in the non-evil banking space that ought to be able to give a recommendation but almost certainly won't, but i can ask (Catherine Austin Fitts of Solari and Mike Leung of the proposed "Worker Cooperative Federal Credit Union" (Unchartered).

My only recommendation to investigate is Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU).

Bank of America and probably any large bank is not a consideration for both ethical and practical grounds.

My last offer to stay with Middlesex for business banking:

Dear Middlesex Savings Bank,

Long-time customer, have not been receiving a reply for a bit.

I need to open a new business account, but i need a couple things:
- electronic statements that indicate which debit card was used for which purposes
- ideally, a way to scan in checks from anywhere or mail them to a service you provide for processing

Thank you and i look forward to your response.

Searched words: 
bank FCU federal credit union banking

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