> while another one-third said they simply “don’t trust banks.”

I don't blame the poor people who mistrust banks. Surprise bank fees can be downright predatory and devastating.

At a time when I had to live off credit cards, a major bank started charging me $15/month for my checking account with ATM/debit card, because my balance was too low. Which seems minor now, but was painfully worth a lot of frugal groceries at the time. And I was so afraid of closing the account and possibly disrupting the credit cards that were the only thing keeping me from being homeless, that I kept paying the fee.

Then there's the overdraft fees. (I've seen $50 for one instance!) Combined with the bank ordering transactions for the day, highest-to-lowest, to maximize the instances of overdraft fees. Overdrafts can happen without your awareness, such as when a service erroneously pulls from your account.

Then there's credit cards. Accidentally late on one payment (IIRC, an e-bill didn't come through), and I had 29.99% APR penalty rate kick in, compounded monthly. When I could least afford that, and was in no position to pay it off.

Banks aren't all bad, I appreciate their services, and I generally like my bank branch people. And there might be additional reasons that some unbanked people avoid banks. But I understand if poor people mistrust banks, since surprise predatory fees or other problems can make the difference between barely squeaking by, and no longer squeaking by.