The ongoing scandals in UK banking has left many ordinary customers seeking better, ethical alternatives...

Maybe charities and non-profits should do the same and seek out better, ethical banking options if they do not have them already?

Rigging interest rates, misselling products, IT meltdown...

British banking's credibility right now is not exactly soaring...

A bit like the end of the film Jaws where that dodgy looking huge rubber shark re-appears once more just when you thought it had been sent off packing.

British banking incompetence, malpractice, avarice, greed - call it what you want has reared its head again...to the horror of consumers...

The great British public can take no more of it, it seems and customers apparently are leaving household name banks in their droves in search of more ethical options.

The Co-operative bank, the UK's biggest bank with a reputation for ethical investing, and one of the few of the big banks left unscathed by scandals of recent years has been seeing a 25 per cent increase in applications this week.

The full scale of the departure from banks seen as dastardly rather than diligent will come clearer in the forthcoming weeks and months, and of course these actions are a matter for personal choice, but the mood on the street is not good with reports of little old ladies who have not changed their bank account in 50 years seeking alternatives for their nest eggs...

With the gloves off, it’s not exactly news to say that many British banks have ceased being simply a service of security and safety in the last decade and instead have become money making machines playing risks with the depositors' money and generally blowing raspberries in the faces of their customers.

With huge fat cat profits largely generated for their execs and shareholders...

And without digging over the old ground too much the great British pubic was led to believe the dark days were over and we were into a new era.

No - Jaws 2 has arrived - a less than perfect sequel but one that has made millions at the box office...

As well as effectively a reputation for playing roulette on the markets with pension funds and savings anyone who has stood in line at the bank waiting to make a withdrawal or a simple deposit; while the person in front of you refuses umpteen times they do not want a loan, insurance, change their mortgage, basically sign their life away to the dark lord, they just want to pay a cheque in and then visit Greggs for a Cornish pasty, knows something is not right...

Let's not get started on PPI – Payment Protection Insurance - the devil would surely not have been able to think up a more dastardly way of ripping off hard working customers than that one...

The stories emanating from the heart of the British banking industry right now, have the feel of a tipping point about them...

Banking is a great slice of the UK economy and it has to be said there are many responsible and intelligent practitioners out there still; and it’s position of considerable economic weight in the UK is partly based on centuries of prudence and responsibility and ‘branding credibility’ to use modern parlance; and customers want to see those values return...

But arguably with interest in the form of ethical and responsible values that are about good housekeeping, security but also investing wisely and in ethical funds.

An interest in ethical banking is already booming anyway, with the Ecology Building Society, the first lender to offer green mortgages, reporting record-breaking lending and savings figures this year.

Likewise the Co-op continues to go from strength to strength and is reportedly buying out hundreds of Lloyds branches...

Meanwhile the ethical financial sector can expect to experience and even greater boost from the recent scandals and for good reason.

Why not invest your savings in banks that will safeguard your money but also invest in companies and projects that are doing some good in the world, in terms of environmental responsibility, fair trade, human rights, etc?

There are an increasing number of options including Charity Bank, the world’s first non-profit bank and a registered charity.

Charity Bank provides specialist banking services to charities, non-profits and community organisations and seeks to invest in ways that improve social benefits rather than just make money...

Other ethical investment banks include Triodos Bank, Smile and The Co-operative Bank of course; as well as the Ecology Building Society.

The scandals in British banking which are currently seeing some customers seek out ethical competitors, sends a clear message to everyone including charities, customers and businesses that good business can also be about ethical business not just maximising returns...

The scandal at Barclays and others in the big business world is also a warning to charities of the dangers of corporate partnerships that are not based on mutual values.

And for the business community it's a reminder that there are dividends in terms of running a successful business i.e. making healthy profits by including a comprehensive CSR ethical policy...and celebrating responsible behaviour and ethical partnerships...

It's what people want...

Plenty of companies are already doing both and acres of research shows that consumers prefer those same companies for their spending choices...

Equally the days of simply turning up with a cheque at a fundraising event may be a thing of the past...

The current mood suggests increasingly clued up customers want to see action from an ethical point of view right across the board. Whether it is solid recycling policies, ethical investing, good supply chain practices, meaningful engagement with local charities, etc.

Meanwhile while consumers appear to be voting with their feet... charities should not let the current banking scandals and others in the corporate world put them off making partnerships with businesses that can support their worthwhile causes, but it does point for the need for due diligence before joining up with a business for a campaign...

While the latest scandals suggest reform of the banking industry is urgently needed, it's a reminder that charities need to consider business partners and sponsors with care... in terms of the message it sends to their supporters...

And of course there are numerous ethical businesses making a difference by promoting positive values in their organisations as well as providing great customer service and innovative products that can be worthwhile partners for charities; as well as an inspiration to those in the non-profit community seeking ideas and encouragement from an alternative source...

The current banking scandal suggests that people really have had enough and want change that favours the many rather than the few...

And involves a culture of decent behaviour and fairplay...

The time is ripe to step up campaigns and products that promote ethical accountability... And promote positive organisations promoting positive values, especially non-profit organisations...