Today the Co-operative Group reported a surge in profits.  It has increased the number of current accounts by 140,000 and has doubled its share of the current account market to 4%.  Alongside that, it as increased dividends to members by 16%.
I am one of those current account holders and it has been a completely stress free experience.  The Co-op have a team who manage the transfer of all direct debits and standing orders and allow a period of interest free overdraft in case anything goes wrong.   The mainstream financial services have made it clear that they prefer to stick to their old ways and prefer not to take advantage of the potential of using capital in a sustainable and positive way.
I think this is great news for a sector that has, to date, seen itself as niche.  It reminds me of the Chief Executive of a FTSE 100, market leading company I worked for announcing in the 1990s that the internet was just a fad.  That company has now been taken over by a company that, at the time, was tiny.
So let's not think of ourselves as niche anymore and seize the opportunity to offer an alternative financing model to the growing number of people who think enough is enough.