The religious kitsch of Middle America at its best.

Though I left religion long ago, I sometimes feel fortunate to have grown up Catholic for no other reason than evangelical Christianity being so utterly devoid of taste. I hate to insult people's faith (no I don't), but American evangelicals have turned tackiness into a fine art. I mean, churches full of people speaking in tongues in storefronts and former gas stations? Enough said.

I looked for -- but couldn't find -- any references to non-Christian customers for this bank.

Or even, Christian customers who wanted to opt out of praying en masse with their bankers.

The whole mess strikes me as bizarre.

Wow. Just wow.

That mural is spectacular in its insanity. You'd think Jesus would at least wear a tie to close that deal...

I don't know about that, Alaric. I remember the first church I went into in France, and they had one of those "smash your penny into a souvenir" machines next to the door, on the inside. Only 2 euro.

That Jesus! What a prankster!
The Sav(ings Bank) of Mankind!
Pure genius.

There's an old saying about this: Jesus saves, Moses invests.

This is funny and tragic! What would be funnier is when the bank regulators come in to this...spectacle. This bank is among 100, and counting, banks to close this year.

Assuming they met the appropriate financial scrutiny I would not care if banks had either a "Micky Mouse" or "Pirates" theme. I do not care if they wrap themselves in the flag or serve "moms" home made pies as a symbol of their "goodness." What I cannot abide is that our federal regulators are so far asleep at the switch.

As to the fools that would choose to invest money in a bank with any of the above themes, well, economics 101 would tell you to have accounts in multiple banks up to the federal guarantee amount.

I'm sorry, Robert and all, but I disagree that "our federal regulators are asleep at the switch" --- it is worse than that, they are on the take along with Wall Street and the banks themselves. The reason no one under the Bush administration was willing to clamp down on the orgy of risky lending was not because they didn't know about it, it was because (1) the banks were filling their campaign coffers with money skimmed off the ill-gotten largess, and (2) they are politicians in power, and politicians in power need a "robust" economy --- or an economy that everyone thinks is robust. OTOH, the guy who shuts the party down is always the most hated guy in the room. Dubya was thinking, "Maybe I'll be out of office by the time this pinata dumps its candy" ... but wrong again, Dubya!

And now Obama has exactly the same problem: He can't reel in the banks with new, sorely needed regulations because (a) he needs their support politically and financially, and (b) if he slows them down with regulation, he will also slow down his own economic "recovery" and without economic recovery, there will be no second term for BHO.

In a word: as little common folks, we're screwed. Our economy doesn't work for us any more, and our government doesn't either.

But we need to fix this, and quick, or the decades of America as a world power will come to a close. As soon as China et al decides it's too risky to loan us any more money, the party will really be over.