Comment: Card sharks eat mutual fill

In business, the powerful prey on the weak. In banking, the oligopoly feasts on the cowering sector that is challenger mutual ADIs such as credit unions.

"Independent consumer polling commissioned by COBA shows low awareness by consumers about their credit card interest rate and who offers the lowest rate cards," COBA CEO Mark Degotardi said.

Which means the mass market in Australia still has scant awareness of credit unions as a banking alternative.

The Customer Owned Banking Association pointed out that Canstar Online Database shows that, of 241 personal credit cards subject to analysis and excluding bonus or introductory rates, 19 of the 20 lowest rate cards on the market were offered by customer-owned banking institutions.

He did not add that all 19 would struggle to attract any brand recall.

COBA, in a media release, summarised a submission to the Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into Credit Card Interest Rates. In this, COBA calls for "measures to empower consumers and promote competition in the credit card market."

Empowering credit unions being one of the badly needed measures.