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Comment by twblalock | Hacker News Reader

I'm a Wells Fargo account holder. I haven't closed my account. I don't really see a reason to. The other big banks are just as amoral, and they would screw their customers in a heartbeat if they thought they could get away with it. The main difference between Wells Fargo and other banks is that Wells Fargo got caught.

I wouldn't consider a local bank or a credit union, because I like being able to find a branch anywhere in the country, and small/local financial institutions are not exempt from bad behavior either. They also tend to have significantly inferior online banking and mobile apps.

Closing my account would just mean moving from one amoral giant bank to another.

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Do you really need a branch anywhere in the country? My credit union has ATMs everywhere which is good enough for me. I go to a branch maybe once per year if at all.

I'm with the parent on this... I switched from BoA to a local bank after having a fantastic customer service experience getting a mortgage there, and wanting to support local instead of megacorps.

No online check sending, no mobile check deposit, very few ATMs, doesn't accept Zelle, and doesn't integrate with Mint (Mandatory 2FA issues). I miss the BoA features and regret the move.

My credit union (Baxter) has all of these. I think it's still good to avoid the big guys but I guess you have to check if your local bank or credit union is suitable for you.

Is it no so in America, that you can use any ATMs without fees? For example, in the UK, I can use my Nationwide card in a machine outside Barclays. I've only seen one that charges, a standalone one in a club.

In the US typically you will get changed if you use an ATM that's not your bank's.

USAA isn’t a credit union, but they don’t have many (if any) ATMs, so they refund any ATM fees other banks charge.

I’m with a bank that has one physical branch and I’ve never seen it. The few things you can’t do online you can do through the mail, and they reimburse my ATM fees anywhere.

> I wouldn't consider a local bank or a credit union, because I like being able to find a branch anywhere in the country

Wrong. Many credit unions are in a co-op shared network.

https://www.co-opfs.org/Shared-Branches-ATMs

I haven't had a local branch for my credit union in over 13 years. I get money from any ATM I want and my bank reimburses any fees. My credit union is owned by it's members which doesn't give it perverse incentives to screw ourselves over. I've been able to scan my checks from home since before most big banks had mobile apps. We've gotten emergency loans from them expedited on a Friday afternoon to cover surgeries. Good banking does exist, you just have to take the time to actually look for ones built on values instead of greed.

It didn't get caught, it figuratively tripped on the broadway and smashed some of the precious eggs it was holding.

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