Remember when you could walk into your bank and the manager would say hello? Staff knew you by name and you knew their names. The tellers were kind and gave lollipops to the kids. Loans were approved on little more than a handshake and everyone made you feel special.

Well, maybe I am idealizing the experience just a little. But there is no doubt that things have changed.

When you walk into a bank today you rarely see the same gang as you did the previous year. Most of the employees are very young and inexperienced. For one reason or another they keep changing and it seems you must keep telling your story over and over again.

This is most problematic where investments are concerned as this department is often poorly run and has the highest turnover of any department in the bank. I hear this story all too often from dissatisfied bank customers who no longer want to be referred to as Mr. and Mrs. uh… Jones?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to travel through time whenever you do your banking? Wouldn’t it be swell if you could bring an old style bank forward to 2008? Actually there is a way you can have the same experience without pretending you are in a “Back to the Future” movie. You only need to go into your local credit union.

Now, I should begin by stating that not all credit unions are created equal. Some of them come up short, too, but a few are really top notch.

I took my children to one such credit union on the North Shore. I don’t want to name this credit union but I can say that I was originally a member in the early 1970s and reinstated my account less than 10 years ago.

I wanted the children to have the best experience possible when opening their first accounts. As I expected, the experience was a very pleasant one. We were offered hot chocolate as soon as we walked through the front door. While we waited the children were directed to a television and some toys in an area made just for them.

I explained to the banking consultant that I was teaching the children about money and the banking process. When the kids sat down he went a little overboard with detailed explanations of the legal ramifications of opening an account. My six year old has never looked so uninterested in his life.

But the point here is that the man actually took the time to explain things to my children. He spent time with them and treated them like real customers. I felt as though I had been transported back to 1974.

Although I still feel you should seek investment advice from the brokerage channel (such as Dundee Private Investors Inc.) I feel your banking is best served by a good credit union. That is, if you want to be treated like a human being.

This article was prepared by Joe Bowen who is a Mutual Fund Advisor with Dundee Private Investors Inc., a Dundee Wealth Inc. Company. This is not an official publication of Dundee Private Investors Inc. The views (including any recommendations) expressed in this article are those of the author alone, and they have not been approved by, and are not necessary those of Dundee Private Investors Inc.