Thank you for your comment. I've learned a LOT from my wife about what it means to be a powerful person. We all have the same power, but some of us are really good at giving it away to other people.

My wife isn't one of those people.

Thanks for reading!

I've worked in banking for 25 years. Now I'm taking the bravery pills, digging my way out via copywriting. (And yes, I've just bought your 'Business of Copywriting' book, thanks.)

I've got a friend whose vision is to offer a new-paradigm bank. One that supports its customers. Treats them as members. And empowers their business loans with support to make their business idea work.

We'll see if he gets it off the ground. If he doesn't, I think there are small, home-grown examples that can point the way. They go by different names, but I'd back community-based banks that embody what happens in the micro-lending world.

Those organisations, like The Hunger Project (http://www.thp.org) and Kiva.org are showing how people can be powerfully empowered with a bit of well-placed finance and some wise, but non-intrusive support.

Thought I'd offer this in case it's of use…

All their staff members are empowered to make decisions in the customer's best interest.

Example: I was overseas and needed some bank statements as proof of identity. I phoned the callcentre at about 2am my country time and asked them if they could print off my most recent bank statement, stamp it as authentic, and fax it to the number of the office I was in on the other side of the world.

No transfers around the callcentre because nobody is brave enough to make a decision.

No checking with management.

The operator never had that request before, and there was certainly no process or manual for it. But they went ahead and did it anyway.

Time and time again the call centre has done stuff like this for me.

The same with the people in the branches. They all seem to be instructed to do what it takes to make the customer happy.

It seems the principles there is that the manuals and processes are *guides*, not *rules*.

And they have a loyal customer advocate in return. Any time someone whines about their bank, I basically push them through the door to mine.

Thanks for your comment! Hey, I think the backlash was a sign you were probably on to something real.

Those are 5 points that just about any business could learn from.

Good luck!