Bank Transfer Day may have been a big deal in the nation's urbancenters on the West Coast and on the Eastern seaboard but in placeslike Parkersburg, W. Va. and Dubuque, Iowa, it was more ofa nonstarter.

“Look, we have no big box banks out here and we're alreadypretty saturated with community banks and credit unions and soit was a nonevent,” declared Jason Norton, senior vice president ofthe $599 million Dutrac CU of Dubuque.

There was nary a reporter's call about Bank Transfer Day from the Quad Cities media, said Norton whosaid he was “appreciative” of what the CU trades did in pushing themessage but it “had little impact out here.”

And in West Virginia, too there was little Bank Transfer Dayactivity beyond a cursory poster in a branch window or a pressrelease.

“There is no Bank of America branch in West Virginia or any ofthe large national banks with a presence in other cities so wesimply saw no reason for an aggressive campaign,” said MichaelTucker, president/CEO of the $91 million West Virginia Central ofParkersburg.

During the past few weeks West Virginia Central has beenpromoting a “5 cents for every debit transfer” promo with afavorable uptick but that is the extent of BankTransfer Day there, Tucker said.

However, West Virginia Central is grateful for the positive CU exposure and getting out the anti-bank fee message,“particularly when there is a BofA branch across the river inOhio.”

Rich Shaffer, assistant vice president of the West VirginiaCredit Union League, said so far the trade group “has not receiveda single call from any of the media in Charleston or Huntington”about Bank Transfer Day.

He agreed that considering the lack of megabanks it is notentirely surprising “but I might have anticipated somereporter calling me.”