© The Associated Press / Paul SakumaIn this Nov. 2, 2011 file photo, a protester sits in front of an ATM machine as a customer gets money at a Bank of America branch in Oakland, Calif. The spirit behind "Bank Transfer Day" caught fire with the Occupy Wall Street protests around the country and had more than 77,000 supporters on its Facebook page as of Friday, Nov. 4. The movement has already helped beat back Bank of America's plan to start charging a $5 debit card fee.
A grassroots movement that sprang to life last month is urging bank customers to close their accounts in favor of credit unions by Saturday.
The spirit behind "Bank Transfer Day" caught fire with the Occupy Wall Street protests around the country and had more than 79,000 supporters on its Facebook page as of Friday. The movement has already helped beat back Bank of America's plan to start charging a $5 debit card fee.
It's not clear to what extent the banking industry's about-face on debit card fees will extinguish the anger driving the movement. But many supporters say their actions are about far more than any single complaint.
"It's too little, too late," said Kristen Christian, the 27-year-old Los Angeles small business owner who started "Bank Transfer Day." She already opened accounts at two credit unions in preparation for cutting ties with Bank of America this weekend.
"Consumers are waking up and seeing that they have options," she said.
Even with its public support, however, it's not likely that any account closings that take place on Saturday will make a big dent with industry titans such as Chase, which is the largest bank in the country with some 26.5 million checking accounts.
But the call to action shows just how incensed consumers were at the prospect of a debit card fee at a time of so much economic uncertainty. Even those who were appeased by the industry's reversal may have tapped into a new sense of empowerment.
That's the case for Dan Blakemore, a Bank of America customer for the past 10 years. He said he no longer plans to close his checking account now that the debit fee has been scrapped. But he'll be on the lookout for any other changes that might hit his wallet.
Comment: A few short scenes from the actual movie.