You do not need to join Occupy London to take a stand against corporate greediness. Many people are jaded when it comes to conventional banks and are doing something about it.
By bypassing High Street banks, they are taking a direct stand and disassociating themselves from the mainstream. Doing this does not require squirreling money in a mattress or using expensive financing like cash advances.
By having an account at a High Street bank, consumers are providing inexpensive funding for some risky bank activities. Banking with a socially responsible institution instead is a smart move.
For example, Co-operative Bank shies away from lending to businesses with an uncertain social or environmental record. Some building societies focus on member interests, keeping things local, rather than catering to external shareholders.
Consumers who have cash to spare can spend it on ethical funds that avoid investing in bad things. Some of these funds even deliberately invest in companies with a positive impact on the environment and society.
Activist funds represent a small minority, owning companies for the purpose of watching or reforming them. Community shares and charitable bonds are designed to benefit society.
When a loan is needed, consumers should explore peer-to-peer financing through avenues like Zopa. An individual can obtain a personal loan directly from another person, cutting the bank out of the equation.
This type of financing is much less expensive than payday loans or credit card cash advances. Those looking for startup capital should explore crowd-funding platforms like BuzzBnk and Sponsume.
An extreme measure that some people are taking is delinking themselves from the primary currency system. Complementary localized currencies include the Lewes, Brixton, and Totnes Pounds.
Online currencies like Bitcoin have recently surfaced and online mutual credit systems like Ripple are local alternatives consisting of trust networks of IOUs.