Megabanks vs. Local Banks

In a crisis, it’s no contest:

Banks Gave Richest Clients ‘Concierge Treatment’ for Pandemic Aid. Most megabanks mean well, they're just too big to cater to all their customers. (One megabank may not have meant well, according to this USA Today report.)

How a family-owned Nebraska bank became a leader on coronavirus loans. Working from home, The Washington Post reports, employees hustled to process small-business applications under the Paycheck Protection Program.

Union Bank and Trust is nowhere near the top of the banking leagues. Last year the family-owned institution, with 900 employees, was the nation’s 202nd largest bank by assets, according to the Federal Reserve. Yet 72 hours into the emergency lending program, it ranked second in the nation for number of loans approved, according to the Small Business Administration.

One of our daughters recently switched from a big, multinational bank to a local bank. She says she couldn’t be happier. I begin to see why.