Bank of Dave: How I Took On the Banks

The global financial system is in crisis, bankers are in disrepute, and Britain is on the brink of a double-dip recession. Now one man, fed up with neverending tales of greed and corruption, sets out to prove that there is a different way of doing things—by opening his own bank to help inject much-needed life into local businesses. Dave Fishwick is a self-made, straight-talking man from Burnley who hates the banks. Published to tie in with a Channel 4 series of the same name, this is the story of his attempt to set up a simple, no-nonsense bank that actually cares about its customers. Dave plans to put hundreds of thousands of pounds of his own money into the enterprise; he will offer his customers a far better rate of interest than they get on the high street; he will lend to struggling local businesses that the banks don't want to know about; and he aims to bring the Bank of Dave into profit within 180 days. If he succeeds, he'll give whatever he makes to charity. If he fails, he'll make a terrible loss and ruin his hard-earned reputation as a successful businessman. Can one man really take on the banking giants and make a real difference to local businesses and his community? Dave Fishwick certainly hopes so.