Brands Includes Britannia, the former building society it took over in 2009, and internet bank Smile.

Who owns them? A mutual business, owned by its six million members.

Customer service Tends to score highly. Which? ranked Co-op bank second out of 28 banks with a score of 79%. JD Power gave Co-op bank a score of 734 out of 1,000, again putting it in second place.

Market share Now: just over 2% of the current account market. When the deal goes through, this will rise to more than 7%.

Complaints 21,000 banking and insurance (including PPI) complaints in the second half of 2011.

For current accounts 342 branches, the majority under the Britannia name, but increasing to almost 1,000 with the deal. Cash machine numbers will rise from 2,500 to 3,250.

For savers Its range of fixed-term deposit accounts paying up to 4% are rated best-buys by Moneyfacts. Popular with those looking for an ethical option.

For borrowers Offering some reasonable deals on mortgages, the Co-op has committed to lend up to £360m to first-time buyers in 2012.

The new evidenceWar onWant has uncovered shows that if you bank with Barclays, Halifax Bank of Scotland, HSBC, Lloyds TSB or Royal Bank of Scotland your money is supporting the arms trade. In fact, the only UK high street bank that does not finance the industry is the Co-operative Bank.

Co-op bows to pressure with 2p rise for milk farmers

The Co-op today bowed to pressure from angry dairy farmers and vowed to raise the price it pays for milk to 29p per litre from next month.

The rise will come in two stages, with an extra 2.57p per litre being added immediately, then topped up to 4.27p on August 1.

Steve Murrells, chief executive of Co-operative Food, said: “We have a track record of supporting British farmers, and we recognise the importance of ensuring a long-term, sustainable future for British dairy farmers.”

Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers Union, welcomed the move, but said other retailers needed to follow suit.

THE Burnley businessman behind the sensational “Bank of Dave” TV show has vowed to carry on his fight to change the face of British banking.

David Fishwick (41) of Sabden, became an overnight star on the Channel 4 series when he took on the giants of the financial world to set up his own “tiny bank” in Burnley.

The self-made millionaire, who owns David Fishwick Minibus Sales, struck a chord with millions of viewers with his idea to set up the “bank” to lend money to boost businesses in the town.

Dave battled with financial regulators to set up shop in Keirby Walk and in just 180 days had lent out 103 loans worth £365,000 for everything from a new amp for a busker to a shark tank for a local aquatic shop.

He took his campaign on the road with his mobile “Bank of Dave” cum battle bus to generate support and lobby the Business Secretary Vince Cable.

The avid Clarets fan, who offered customers 5% interest on deposits, showed there was another way than the “casino capitalism” of the big banks.

The pioneering venture even generated a £9,500 profit – and instead of paying bonuses – Dave came good on his promise and donated the bank’s gains to local charities.

“This is not the end. It is just the beginning”, Dave exclaimed on Twitter last night after the final part of the show was aired. “Thanks again to everybody for there support! This has been a real adventure.

“You’ve all got some great ideas! “Bank of Dave” is open for business and I will be pushing the boundaries forwards again shortly.”

Anyone see this on C4?

The Bank Of Dave...gotta love this guy..