Let's see if this sheds any light on it (doubtful).

From the Ripoff Bancshares, Inc. website:

[block]Corporate Profile
Ripoff Bancshares, Inc. is a registered bank holding company offering a full line of banking[!] services, including investment management and securities brokerage. The Company currently operates in over 300 locations in Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas.

The Company also has operating subsidiaries involved in morgage banking, credit related insurance, venture capital, and real estate activities.[/block]

Oh, right. Thanks. Clears it right up, eh?

Yet I log onto www.ripoffbank.com to do my online account ministrations.

Obviously I've inserted my own editorial thumbprint by renaming it to Ripoff, but the rest is verbatim.

So-- maybe a banc is a bank holding company? Does this whole distinction seem like a great lot of very dodgy corporate goose sauce to anyone else?