The ethical bank has dropped from best buy to out of the running.

Many times ethical banks must work with much lower budgets because of this.

"We are looking to develop it further and that includes deals with ethical banks, for example."

Charity Bank is an independent ethical bank with a social purpose.

It prides itself on being an ethical bank, sometimes turning away new business that compromise its policies.

This time the loan will, the trust hopes, come from the ethical bank Triodos.

Losing business to banks that do not screen so strictly is a problem for ethical banks.

If you have money to save or invest, choose an ethical bank, financial institution or investment fund.

Both the fair trade movement and ethical banks rely on people to pay extra for known ethical goods.

The crisis at the so-called ethical bank is the result of political interference in decision-making and inadequate banking disciplines.

Ethical banks excel in community involvement, as do other financial institutions such as credit unions.

However, credit unions do not necessarily have the same potential to cause widespread change in business practices as ethical banks do.

These problems fall under two categories; the first concerns depositors, and the second concerns ethical banks.

Can ethical banks offer a realistic alternative?

Ethical banks are nothing new, but Banca Etica takes its name seriously.

The new company will trade as an ethical bank, using the dormant Williams & Glyn's brand.

Further, almost one in four adults – 24 per cent – say they'd choose a green or ethical bank account if they had the right information.

Community involvement is not limited to ethical banks as conventional banks also partake in such actions.

In the first category lies the problem of really knowing how ethical banks measure or qualify their ethical policies.

Self-styled ethical bank Triodos saw a record 51 per cent increase in online savings account applications last week.

Verdict This is an attractive offer from the ethical bank – timed to tie in with national ethical investment week.

Switch to an ethical bank account and pension plan to be sure you're not investing in arms, landmines, child labour and so on.

Rise in customers who use 'ethical banks'

Ethical Bank Triodos, which owns the other four turbines is similarly unimpressed.

'Ripping off pensioners' is scarcely the type of comment that Britain's leading ethical bank wants to see beside its name.

If you're already thinking about possible new year's resolutions, switching to a more sustainable bank may not be a bad one to adopt.

We want Lloyds to continue to make the progress it's making, becoming a strong and sustainable bank.

Not encouraging for the Financial Times" 2012 winner of "Europe's most sustainable bank" award.

Triodos Bank has a range of accounts and has just been voted "sustainable bank of the year".

Co-operative Bank, the closest thing to a high street bank that the alternative banking sector has, was named European sustainable bank of the year.

We advocate bank restructuring that is guided by the goal of creating robust and sustainable banks by allowing private capital to play its role,' Kahkonen added.

Triodos Bank NV of Bristol a sustainable bank working with organisations that have social, cultural and environmental benefits.

It is currently made up of 27 of the world's leading sustainable banks, from Asia, Africa, Latin America to North America and Europe.

Banco Santander Brasil - which received the Sustainable Bank of the Year award for the Americas - has lent $1.1bn to social and environmental projects.

The bank was named one of the three most sustainable banks of Eastern Europe in the 2009 Financial Times Sustainable Banking Awards.

An ethical bank, also known as a social, alternative, civic, or sustainable bank, is a bank concerned with the social and environmental impacts of its investments and loans.

South Africa's Standard Bank - winner of Sustainable Bank of the Year for Africa and Middle East - requires its suppliers to meet sustainability criteria.

This marks a humiliating blow for the Co-op, which was last year awarded the accolade of Europe's "most sustainable bank" by the Financial Times for the third year running.

The Commissioner added: "This decision once again demonstrates the important role that the EU's state aid rules play in facilitating sustainable bank restructuring while preventing undue distortions of competition.

Kenya’s Equity Bank was named Africa’s most sustainable bank, while the Industrial Development Bank of Turkey came top among entries from the emerging markets of Eastern Europe.

Triodos Bank Triodos Bank is a world-leading sustainable bank that fund that promote sustainable development to positive social, environmental and cultural change through their innovative financial products and high quality service.

ANZ was named the most sustainable bank globally in the 2008 Dow Jones Sustainability Index making it the 2nd year in a row ANZ has been granted the title.

A Chinese bank that has pioneered lending for energy conservation, emissions reduction and other green projects was named Asia’s sustainable bank of the year on Thursday at the 2009 FT Sustainable Banking Awards in London.

A Treasury spokesman said: "The government's strategy remains to see Lloyds continue the progress it has made in reforming itself into a strong and sustainable bank that supports the British economy, which in time can be returned to full private ownership.

Six years since he was left stranded by the tram, Beugels cobbled together a consortium of partners, distributors and sponsors from both private and public sectors, including the city of Amsterdam, the National railway and sustainable bank Triodos, which provided half of the financing.

With the awards in their eighth year, 2013"s winners include Spain's Banco Santander, which receives the Global Sustainable Bank of the Year (transactional) prize, and Impax Asset Management of the UK, which was recognised as Sustainable Investor of the Year.