Mike Chavez
I work at Wells Fargo (hate it by the way) and am a full supporter of Bank Transfer Day. Please remember that people like me work at big banks too just to earn a paycheck and applaud people moving to credit unions to support their community. I’ve been with First Financial Credit Union for twenty years now and have never had a single issue. The six months I’ve had a WF account I’ve had five problems. That’s pathetic.
Shawn Allison
After more than 20 years of borrowing (and repaying) to finance my own college education and build my own American dream, big banks have failed me. They cut credit lines for no reason, at a time when I was fully employed and paying on time. They made verbal commitments to fund our small business and then declined at the last minute. Others like BofA even refused to accept small business loan applications, so that it wouldn’t be visible that they were turning down loans to small business – at the same time that Washington was increasing guarantees on those loans.
From Larkspur/Corte Madera Patch, San Rafael, California
San Rafael City Council member and mayoral candidate Greg Brockbank stopped by the peaceful protest to shake hands and chat with participants.
“It’s great to see such a good turnout for this crucial, growing movement,” Brockbank said. “It’s hard to deny the power of the 99 percent.”
Eric George
It wasn’t much, but at least it isn’t helping Chase pay for lobbyists anymore!
Dale Jankunas
Im a tea party guy and transfered all my business stuff from a bank that I used for 20 yrs. to a credit union this spring and its great. I do not feel like a sucker. This transfer day is a good idea. rock the place.
Carol Norris
Moved it several weeks ago. Explained to the branch manager very nicely that they literally could not pay me to stay! She was confused, and then I gave her some stats and she just shook her head, like what could she do? I’ve gotten 14 friends to move their money! They all feel great about it!
Boyan Ignatov
One more BofA acct closed today!!! I never intended to have one in the first place but they bought a Chicago-area bank called LaSalle Bank and from then on up went the fees. Farewell BofA!
Like this? Spread the word! Facebook | Twitter | Reddit | StumbleUpon
Andrew Nygard
I closed about 75% of my accounts yesterday with Wells Fargo (still more to go but direct deposit can take a while). During the process the Branch Manager took time out to talk to me about why I was doing it (I explained), and I came to know she had back problems. So while the clerk processed closing the accounts and printing the cashiers checks to walk next door and deposit, I talked the manager through the best Iyengar studios in San Francisco, and the best healing teachers she should seek out.
We wound up trading business cards so she could get more advice later as she switched from the Bikram yoga practice she has been doing.
The moral of the story here is two fold -
- the employees of these banks are human beings like all of us. They deserve our compassion and respect just like your own mother or father or son or daughter does.
- use every chance you have on this earth to make a personal connection with whomever you come in contact. This is what separates human beings from animals.
So when you enter the bank to close your account, remember your rage is against the machine, against the corporate entity and its leadership, not against the poor folks at the bottom of their heap that are working the retail branch. And ask yourself – are you a human being or an animal today?
Like what you just read? Like us on Facebook for more updates! And share your story here in the comments!
- Find yourself a local credit union at aSmarterChoice.org
- There’s a great step-by-step list of things to do (that you might not think of) at FearlessRevolution.
- Want to stage a protest? Read how to do it right: ““He has a right to speak”, said the cop to the banker“
- Check out Bank Transfer Day on Facebook - more than 75,000 have already said they’re going to switch!
- More information at Move Our Money USA, including how to organize your own local events.
- Follow related groups on Twitter: NewBottomLine,
- More on YouTube,
More on bank protests:
- “He has a right to speak”, said the cop to the banker
- Bye bye, banks: 650,000 switched to credit unions last month!
- DON’T close your Citibank account today. They’re arresting people
- Citibank was stupid. Chase bank was smart.
- Citibank arrestees say undercover cops set them up
More on Occupy Wall Street:
- Bill Maher skewers right-wing idiots who hate Occupy Wall Street
- Calvin and Hobbes explain OWS
- Why are they lying about OWS – and why are they getting away with it?
- Why we occupy: David Brin explains that 1957 was NOT better than today (but we could still use a little more change)
- Why we occupy: The Story of Citizens United – Why Democracy Only Works When People Are In Charge
About Jeremy Bloom
I opened my credit union account a few weeks ago and went into Chase this morning to close my checking account (my savings account had already been at my local credit union).
The guy who helped me was very nice, and I was very polite to him. He asked why I was closing the account so I could log it into a computer and I said kindly and simply “I’ve already opened up a credit union account. I’m here for Bank Transfer Day. I feel as though a non-profit bank is going to work better for me”. He asked if I’d had any service issues with Chase and I answered honestly, I haven’t. I told him to have a nice day. It got logged in the computer that they lost me because I want to support non-profit banking, and I wasn’t a jerk to the guy who works there (he’s just a working stiff like me).
I opened an account at a local credit union, with 1,105.11 in a check, and another 400.00 I got by cashing in all my prior credit card points from Wells. I made them send me a check… (they had been deleting points that I did not know about..) I opened an account, and will now begin to close the ones that I have at wells, (complicated as they are tied to mortgage payement, I intend to be all closed out of there by end of the year.) First step was today, – and no more deposits to wells !! Stuff it Big Banks !!!
I was 70 my last birthday. I’ve had many bank accounts over the course of my life. At the present I have three, two with small regional banks and one with a larger bank. All give me good service at reasonable prices.
A few of my personal rules:
1) I do not use debit cards
2) I pay all credit cards in full every month
3) I do not have card accounts with banks where I have checking accounts
Yeah I totally saw the effects of bank transfer day. Shall I say it was a bust. All the people I saw in front of me were withdrawing large sums of money like everyone says. Yeah I heard on banker ask if they wanted the three hundred dollars in large bills from closing the account. Lame!
I opened a CU account a few days before I heard of Bank Transfer Day, but I’ve been talking it up in my own blogs as well. I’m still in the process of transitioning the funds and reprogramming automatic transfers. I have not transitioned my mortgage away from ING (Capital One) but I’m also starting to make all of my purchases by cash when possible to avoid funneling money to the Big Guys via card transactions.
I’ve banked with large corporations since college, but last week my wife and I moved our accounts from a Wall Street bank to my alma mater’s Credit Union, and we feel like we’ve finally found a permanent home for our money! Everyone was super nice, and the Bank Manager who helped us close our account agreed his boss’s salary was way too high (and his was way too low).
I moved my money to a local credit union last week and the place was packed! The woman helping me said they were swamped with new accounts & they’d had more new accounts opened this month than ALL of last year.
When I was at the grocery store, the checker mentioned that she’s just moved her money, and the rather conventional looking woman behind me in line said she had also moved hers.
Just an observation from watching the video about the Citibank customers speaking up regarding their student loans and then a thought came to mind: do you think the universities & colleges are part of the problem? Why have tuitions gone up so high that students have to get so deep in debt? It appears that universities/colleges are big business now.