Many people are worried about what the Co-operative Bank will become now the hedge funds appear to have grabbed a majority share. Especially those who bank with the Co-op because of who it is and what it stands for. Many will have looked at the alternatives – Nationwide, Triodos. If customers quietly leave the hedge funds will plough on regardless. But if we speak as one, just the threat of many people leaving at once will focus minds.

That’s what this campaign is about. Step one is to get ourselves together in one place. This site aims to act as a rallying point.

Over the next few days we’ll be spreading the word using social media. You can help by signing up to join our mailing list and liking us on Facebook.

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Comments

Glyn Jones (not verified)

Sat, 2013-11-02 20:45

Working together we can put pressure to save a really worthwhile orgsanisation

Margaret Sinnott (not verified)

Sun, 2013-11-03 10:50

So glad to read about the site and plans to mobilise customers. My heart sank when I heard about the US Hedge fund take-over. My choice of the Co-op bank over 40 years ago was for ethical reasons and I never had cause to regret it, even when branches became thin on the ground. Of course with the use of on-line banking this is no longer a problem, unfortunately now a much larger problem emerges!

Good luck with the campaign.

Miranda Ward (not verified)

Mon, 2013-11-04 20:41

Until all options are tried.  I am right behind this campaign to save our bank!  None of the others are trustworthy and the very idea of a connection with the 1% crowd of money-centric Wall Street people makes me feel ill.

Miriam Yagud (not verified)

Tue, 2013-11-05 00:27

Thanks for getting this started. I want to walk away in disgust. We have the Coventry locally. But with this set up I am prepared to wait and help organise with others to try and get the bank back on track and better, lets try and prevent this happening again.

Jenni Stuart-An... (not verified)

Tue, 2013-11-05 08:14

My heart sank when I heard about the hedge funds. I thought I had escaped all that by transferring my bank account and the whole co-op movement has an honourable ethos. I already feel disenfranchised by our current system where people vote strategically to try for the election result they want (and look where that has got us!)

Toni Massari (not verified)

Tue, 2013-11-05 14:53

I am delighted to have found this!

How much does the bank need?

Can we lend it to them and make a smaller return, still bigger than simply leaving our money to devalue in deposit accounts that pay 0.50% ?

Can we open negotiations with the Co-op's Senior Management Team?

I hope so, 'cos this is OUR bank, not the Yanks'!

moderator

Wed, 2013-11-06 10:59

Take a look at:

www.symbid.com

This is a crowd funding site that uses a co-operative model.

Please complete our survey where there's a question on funding a buyback.

Andrew T (not verified)

Sat, 2013-11-16 20:57

How much does the bank need? 1.5bn - that's £1,500,000,000.00. A huge amount of money. And this is capital - you can't take it back and its on the line to cover any losses. A world away from FSCS protected deposits. 

If you're serious, it doesn't need a lot of organization - just ring up a stockbroker after they're listed and buy some shares.

But please don't put all your lifetime savings in and then complain when you retire if they've lost value.

Peter Henshaw (not verified)

Tue, 2013-11-05 20:08

I'm with all of you. The worst thing we could do now would be to throw up our hands and leave. I'm sticking with the Co-op Bank - its best chance of surviving as a mutual is that we continue to support it.

eileen webber (not verified)

Sun, 2013-11-17 20:55

Will have to stay  and reassess , need to keep a foothold in the bank to influence any decisions.

David Lucas (not verified)

Fri, 2013-11-22 12:08

I want to stay with the Coop as an ethically-based bank. But as retired people, our savings are vital to my wife and myself. Whilst there is in the worst case a government guarantee for deposits, I am concerned about my investments through the CIS, if the management team become demoralised and/or leave.

I am also concerned about ultra-capitalist hedge funds getting control of the Coop Bank.

More broadly, we must get the truth about what has been going on. Was the Coop Bank misled about the state of Britannia? Was there a proper due-diligence review before the merger, or perhaps those on the Board did not know what they were doing eg Paul Flowers? If Britannia was found to be in a mess, why has therenot decisive action?

Stevie M (not verified)

Mon, 2013-11-25 03:31

I agree that the Co-op should not be fed to the hedgefunds but realistically what are the choices?  It seems that the 'ethical' code didn't go so far as being honest with customers about the shambles at the top - Rev Flowers; paying for flawed advice from JP Morgan, KPMG et al.  Is there anything else we should be told about?  

Jennifer Pearce (not verified)

Tue, 2013-11-26 11:42

I love my Smile accounts and they have worked seamlessing and easily over several years.  We are all devastated by what has happened to our bank but need to hold on if we can.  Some people (apart from Paul Flowers) need to be held to account for much of the disaster.  Why did George Osborne go to such lengths to support a takeover that had no credibility?  The thought of US hedge bankers taking over is not what we looked for when we signed up to a mutual - but where else to go is the big question.

I will hang on in there for a while to see how it goes.  Crowdfunding sounds like an option but needs a large number of people willing to take the risk on investing.  Like the ethical statement but will the hedge fund folk take any notice.  Anything we can do to be heard by acting in solidarity is fine by me.