Dutch Treat.

Last year one of our local banks merged with the financial monster, Rabobank. Overnight the familiar signage for Mid-State Bank had been replaced by blue and orange "Rabobank" signs. This change got me thinking...

What in the hell IS a 'Rabobank' exactly?

Turns out Rabobank is a Dutch concern. Founded in 1996, the name is an acronym of the two original partner banks, the Raiffeisen Bank and the Boerenleenbank. Cute, huh?

Nope. I don't think so, either.

While "Rabobank" is a bit less of a mouthful than The Raiffeisen Bank and the Boerenleenbank, the name itself doesn't exactly connote financial legitimacy. If anything, it brings to mind (at least to my mind) images that aren't exactly ligitimate at all.




Sound it out..."Rab-Oh-Bank". Say it fast and it sounds like "Rob-a-bank", doesn't it? I mean, really, is that what these Dutchmen want us to do, rob their banks? Perhaps it's just a subliminal message they're sending us. They're the robbers.







Perhaps it's just that they happen to big big-time fans of the movie, Robocop? After all, the movie was directed Paul Verhoeven. Sounds pretty Dutch to me. Maybe Paul's on the board of advisors?









Or could it be that Robobank answers to a power higher than the FSLIC? RabbiBank, perhaps?







Regardless, Rabobank is a terrible name for a financial institution, ain't it?

Studies have shown that logging on to humor-blogs.com is infinitely more rewarding than robbing banks.