<prompt> Human: I have an excellent credit score and always make sure I avoid all the potential fees on my bank and credit accounts. Is there a reason someone like me would benefit form banking with a credit union as opposed to a larger bank?As far as I understand, most of the benefits of credit unions come from the fact that they arent trying to screw over their customers. But as someone who has a relatively good understanding of how consumer banking and credit cards work, Im pretty sure that I actually benefit from the fact that banks charge so many fees and higher interest than credit unions, because the money they take from the people who pay those fees is then shared with me in the form of signup bonuses and low interest rates that try to get my business in hopes that I slip up and also have to pay fees or interest.Basically what Im asking is whether my understanding of the situation is correct, or if theres some benefit of credit unions that Im failing to see. Thanks!  <response>: If the leadership of a credit union does a bad thing, the members can vote them out. Its a critical distinction that makes all the difference in the world. To expand on that: imagine if everyone who had a Wells Fargo account could vote out the CEO and the board? Of course they would do it, because Wells Fargo has been generating fraudulent accounts for customers and that is immoral! Imagine if the everyone who had a Sallie Mae loan could vote out the leadership for mismanaging student loans? Or if customers of Bank of America could vote out the leadership for the sub prime lending crisis or the robo signing scandal? Credit unions operate under democratic constraints. Generally speaking, they dont restructure deposits and withdrawals to maximize overdraft fees because its immoral and the union members would hold them accountable for it. A corporate bank is legally obligated to do anything possible to turn a profit for shareholders, and if you think about it, thats pretty fucked up. A credit union is equally obligated to all its members, and those members tend to reflect the community around the credit union. All that said, some credit unions suck. Some do immoral things. Most have very poor technology, atm access, and branch access. Despite their shortcomings, I use credit unions because I frothing-at-the-mouth despise big banks. 