Even credit unions and small private banks, which have competed fiercely against one another for years, are banding together to combat the megabanks. In early August, a group of officials representing more than 300 community banks and credit unions from across the country gathered in a ballroom in Dallas to hear about a new venture to combine their marketing budgets for the campaign.

The plan was created by BancVue, a consulting and marketing company for small banks. Its aim is to bring new high-interest, no-fee checking accounts offered by small banks and credit unions nationwide under one brand, called “Kasasa”  a name made up after BancVue conducted extensive consumer marketing tests. BancVue argues that smaller banks, by pooling their marketing resources, can attract deposits from larger institutions.

The idea for Kasasa came after customer studies suggested that most people preferred the personal service of a community bank, but were concerned they could not offer the same innovative products, like debit card rewards and name-brand credit cards, as the megabanks, said BancVue’s chief executive, Gabriel Krajicek, who is based in Dallas.

Persuading a customer to switch banks is difficult. “It’s easier to get a divorce than to change your checking account,” Mr. Speed, the Texas banker, said.

But the recession has provided an opening for small banks to promote their relative stability. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the federal agency that insures deposits, banks with less than $1 billion in assets remained the best capitalized in the industry, meaning they have adequate cash to absorb loan defaults.

And most smaller banks have continued to extend credit to consumers and small businesses, while big banks like Citigroup continue to cut back on their outstanding loan balances. With the bankruptcy of the CIT Group, one of the biggest small-business lenders in the country, community banks sense even more opportunity to fill the void.

So far, the campaigns appear to be helping banks attract new customers. According to an analysis by the Independent Community Bankers of America, small banks were the only segment of the industry to show growth in net loans and leases in the second quarter.