Is Bank of Dave from Netflix movie a real bank?

New year, new movies. Netflix has plenty of fresh TV titles for audiences to check out, from the innovative Kaleidoscope to the hilarious sitcom That 90s Show. However, it’s truly taken things up a notch with its film content, pulling from a wide range of genres. For those who are partial to a feel-good comedy-drama, look no further than Bank Of Dave.

Directed by Chris Foggin and written by Piers Ashworth, Rory Kinnear stars in the central role of the titular Dave Fishwick and the film premiered on the platform on Monday, January 16th 2023.

Dave is a working-class man from Burnley who manages to become a self-made millionaire. In the wake of the financial crisis in 2007, he finds that the customers of his mini-bus supplier business are desperate for loans, so he decides to help the community by starting the bank of the film’s title.

Considering the movie is based on a true story, is the Bank of Dave a real bank?

Is the Bank Of Dave a real bank?

In real life, the Bank of Dave is actually called Burnley Loans and Savings (BSAL) and it’s important to note that it’s not officially a bank. It’s a savings and loans business. The business’ website explains that BSAL is applying to become a UK-regulated bank as we speak but it’s yet to be approved.

Diving deeper into the true story, the BSAL opened in September 2011 after Dave acknowledged that members of his community were finding it hard to obtain loans from High Street Banks in order to save their businesses.

The Bank Of Dave film title is derived from the BSAL slogan, “Bank on Dave!”

Ultimately, the business operated under the traditional model of local banking, and its staff worked to issue loans to those who truly need them. Some of the profits were then used to further help the community, with charity donations made.

Indeed, Dave is now 51 years old and his business continues to thrive. If the application’s approved, the Bank of Dave could become an official reality after all.

‘It has just been bonkers’

Dave recently appeared for an interview on BBC Breakfast and opened up about his thoughts when starting the business:

“Late 2008 early 2009 my minibus customers were coming to me for finance. They had done for years. I used to get them a bank loan. Then suddenly that just stopped overnight. The banks just stopped lending. I started to lend the money and then I thought I can help other businesses and lend to other people here. I thought ‘it can’t be that difficult’.”

Addressing the idea of making his story into a film, he added: “I wanted it to be real and Netflix said ‘so do we’… It has just been bonkers, all of it, but it’s so exciting that we have managed to bring it to Burnley.”

Who stars in the cast?

You can check out the central cast members alongside their respective roles below:

• Rory Kinnear as Dave
• Joel Fry as Hugh
• Phoebe Dynevor as Alexandra
• Hugh Bonneville as Sir Charles
• Angus Wright as Clarence
• Paul Kaye as Rick Purdey
• Jo Hartley as Nicola Fishwick
• Cathy Tyson as Maureen
• Florence Hall as Meghan
• Drew Cain as Prosecutor
• Grant Crookes as Press
• Joanne James as Pub Patron

The film is streaming exclusively on Netflix.