The recent decision by the State of Vermont Department of Financial Regulation ordering the Vermont State Employees Credit Union to stop using words such as "bank" and "banking" in its marketing, communications and advertising begs the question, are you really serious?

Regardless of where one "engages in receiving, lending, exchanging and safe-guarding money," it is called "banking" as defined in the Random House Dictionary. So whether it's done at a place that uses "bank" in its name or one that calls itself a savings and loan or perhaps at a credit union, it's all one and the same.

Banking is what credit unions do, and in some cases they do it better than financial institutions with bank in their name.