DALLAS – If emulation is the most sincere form of flattery, credit unions in the Dallas area should feel plenty flattered. Viewpoint Bank, the $1.4 billion former Community Credit Union headquartered in Dallas, has started a billboard advertising campaign in the Dallas area. The advertising touts the bank's services to perspective customers on the grounds the bank had once been a credit union. On a light background, the three-line message reads in dark lettering: Attention of a credit union/resources of a bank/(endless possibilities). The bank's logo and slogan, “Viewpoint Bank, It's different here”, is on the billboards' right sides. Community ceased to be a credit union after a drawn out fight with the NCUA that eventually wound up in court. The bank has yet to return calls about the marketing effort but the Texas CU League noted the irony of a CU which abandoned the CU charter still touting CU attributes in its marketing. “It's interesting that after spending significant resources to abandon the credit union charter, the new Viewpoint Bank is now spending significant resources to make itself seem like a credit union. If they want to advertise as a credit union, perhaps they should have remained a credit union,” said Allison Griffin, a spokesperson for the Texas Credit Union League. “However, no amount of clever bank advertising can substitute for the real thing – being a real member of a real credit union means personalized service, better rates and lower fees that are accessible to people from all walks of life. That is the credit union difference.”