questions about canadian banking | General financial discussion | Discussion forum

Just discovered the website. Very informative and a great resource for someone who is new to the "virtual banking" world. Just doing some homework before I make the leap.

Just curious, does anyone know of any statistics of how many Canadians are customers at the various banks in Canada? I.e. what percentage of the population bank with the "big 5" vs credit unions vs virtual banks? What about demographics, do only the younger segment of the population deal with virtual banks and the 50+ crowd stick with the brick and mortar?

Also curious, How many of the big 5 banks have lost customers to the virtual banks?

What reaction the big 5 have to the virtual banks that offer a whole lot more than they do.

Can't help but to wonder, has the arrival of the virtual banks caused any major changes in the way that the traditional brick and mortar banks do business.

Any input, ideas, stories or opinions?

thanks.