The reputation of banks as stoic and sturdy institutions charged with the safe keeping of our money has been tarnished during the past couple of years. So why not embrace that tarnish and throw in some rusty hubcaps, gun racks, and mullets?
Enter The Redneck Bank. At first glance at the bank’s Website you assume it has to be some sort of joke. The bank’s motto, “Where bankin’s funner” lets you know right away that this place is just a little different. You log in to your account by clicking on an outhouse icon and the bank’s mascot, a neighing horse complete with big buck teeth, declares, “yessiree…member FDIC!”
Redneck Bank is in fact the Internet banking division of Bank of the Wichitas — a small institution with a hand full of branches in (wait for it) Oklahoma.
The company launched Redneck Bank in 2007 and just figured, “let’s inject a little fun into the seriousness of the banking business.” But the bank has received new attention in light of all of the drama within the banking biz. Redneck Bank is just an example of several financial institutions that are trying to reinvent themselves in order to draw in customers who are looking for a little something different these days.
Many of these “new” banks boast their small size, customer service, or unconventional name or policies (yep, there is even Tightwad Bank). Redneck Bank touts “good old-fashioned service” and offers run-of-the-mill services like online bill pay, checks and even a special Redneck VISA check card, which I’m sure can be used to impress your friends out at the NASCAR track.
When I decided to give Redneck Bank a holler the other day a very friendly “non-redneck” sounding fellow named Scott answered my call on the second ring. He informed me that it would only take a deposit of $1 to start an account. And when I asked him if they had been receiving a lot of phone calls about starting new accounts he said, “we always get lots of calls.”
Maybe in order to run a successful bank these days you don’t need fancy commercials, a gazillion branches and ATMs on every corner. You just need a solid, simple idea … maybe a little too simple.
Heee-larious post, Laura! I guess whatever works, right?
The whole bailout is so stupid on so many levels. Paying workers not to work, paying workers to quit, giving Chrysler to a company along with billions of dollars. This FAKE bankruptcy is a fraud by our US Treasury, among others. Anyhow, get ready to print some more money. This GMAC did not ever qualify as a bank. it was switcharoo and the Treasury has funded it completely. They have raise sqwaut funding except from our GOVEREMENT, otherwise nothing. Changing the name, FRAUD, magic trick, still same POS. All this trickery is making me ill.