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October 9th, 2008
 | 10:45 am - Taking action
Prodded by a newsletter from Co-op America, I'm applying for a VISA card through ShoreBank Pacific to replace an existing credit card. I'm already sparing with my use of credit cards relative to my peers, prefering that my money stay with the merchants, not go to VISA corporation as transaction fees.
The newsletter pointed out that late fees, annual fees, some of the merchant fees -- all provide profit for the issuing institution, not just VISA. In my case, that's Bank of America, whose values are, shall we say, not necessarily in line with my own. Funding Massey Energy, for instance, routine despoiler of rivers and razer of mountains to get at coal which McCain will then tout as "clean".
The Co-op America site also had links to ilovemountains.org, which made it easy to fire off email to my congressthing re the Clean Water Protection Act, HR 2169, which would have a big impact on mountaintop removal mining. They had draft emails to thank sponsors or to nudge non-sponsors, and an easy way to look up which one I needed.
It's something.
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Comments:
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/37705030/790179) | | From: | ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) hhw |
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| Date: | October 9th, 2008 06:24 pm (UTC) |
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I'm going to look into this, thanks. My cc is Working Assets (now called Credo)-affiliated, but the overlords are BoA; I have no idea how the donations made by WA compare to the fees collected that go elsewhere.
Yes, the Co-op America newsletter did mention the push-pull between Working Assets and BofA each having a stake in this one.
The application form for the Salmon Nation card says "TCM" where I expected to see "ShoreBank Pacific". Some research shows that TCM is a company that does outsourced, back-office administration of smaller credit cards like this one. They in turn are owned by the Independent Community Bankers of America--so I'm OK with that.
ShoreBank? That used to be South Shore Bank in Chicago? The only bank I've ever heard of that reverse redlines, and goes out of their way to lend in the neighborhoods that really need it.
It would be nice to know they'd gone national.
Yes: more by accident than design, my credit card is with the UK's Co-operative Bank, which every now and then asks its card-holders to vote on what worthy partner to donate 1p-in-each-£1 on transactions. Handily, I have a no-annual-fee deal with them -- a powerful motivation to stick with that card. |
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