Bank Transfer Day, the Nov. 5 national day of consumer protest against bank fees and government bailouts, was a boon to credit unions.
An estimated 40,000 consumers joined a credit union Nov. 5, and more than 2,100 of them were Oregon or Washington residents, according to a survey by the Credit Union National Association, a trade group.
Washington State had 1,430 new credit union members and Oregon had 660.
Together, they accounted for 5.3 percent of those joining credit unions nationwide on Bank Transfer Day.
Washington credit unions ranked 9th in both number of new credit union members (1,430) and amount of dollars moved ($2.9 million), according to the group's survey.
It was a boost for a growing industry.
In the weeks leading up to Bank Transfer Day, between Sept. 29 and Oct. 31, 34,000 people joined Northwest Credit Unions --10,700 in Oregon, 23,300 in Washington, the group reported.
That's more than 22 percent of 2010's total growth in northwest credit union members.