With Bank Transfer Day as a backdrop, credit unions in western South Dakota managed to gain some high level attention recently by becoming prime participants in the "Bank on Rapid City" venture that is designed to warn against predatory payday lending.

Four Black Hills-area credit unions joined by three community banks kicked off the local campaign last month with a mission to aid and protect the underserved from harmful payday practices.

The four credit unions, Black Hills FCU, Minuteman Community FCU, Sentinel FCU and Highmark FCU, said the program's goal is "to increase access to banks and credit unions and help citizens avoid high fees and interest rates that prevent them from building savings and becoming financially stable."