California

By now we’ve all heard about how the giant national banks (Bank of America, Chase, Citibank) are “too big to fail” and have to be rescued from their mistakes with our taxpayer money. Like most Americans, I watched the bailouts of 2008 and 2009 unfold in helpless disbelief…these big banks were taking money out of my tax dollars to spend on CEO bonuses and stock market gambles, and it felt like there was nothing I could do about it.

But I decided there was something I could do. I’d been a customer with Chase (previously Washington Mutual). After reading J.D.’s article on rewards checking accounts and realizing I was missing out, I closed my account with Chase and moved my checking and savings to a local credit union down the street. I have to say, it felt great.

My new credit union insures my money just as well as the big bank, but it also offers a ridiculously high interest rate on my checking account, refunds on ATM fees so I can use any ATM I want (even those $3 fees at the back of the convenience stores), really great customer service, and — best of all — free cookies on Fridays.

They can afford to do all of this because, as a credit union, their top priority is me, the member. Not CEO and shareholder profits, not bloated advertising budgets. And best of all, by moving my money to a local community bank, I’ve taken money away from the poorly-managed, impersonal big bank and given it to a bank that will actually use it to help me and people in my community.

I made a real difference, and while my tiny accounts are nothing to a company like Chase, they matter a lot to my local bank and my community. (And did I mention the free cookies?)

Here’s an interesting (if over-earnest) video about the difference between big banks and small banks:

If you, too, have been thinking about moving your money, here’s what you can do:

Ask your friends, neighbors, and coworkers if any of them are using a local community bank or credit union. What do they think? Do they have any recommendations? You can also try the “Find a Bank” locator at the Move Your Money project.

Once you’ve decided on a local bank that meets your needs, set aside half an hour to stop by a nearby branch and open an account. I’ve always found this a very pleasant experience.

Start to contact any companies that have your debit/credit card or bank information on file, and give them the new bank’s info. It’s best to get this all done about a week before the next step, so that everything’s nice and tidy.

Set aside about an hour to head to your old “too big to fail” bank and close your account. If you haven’t already done so, get the rest of your funds in a check to bring to your new bank. If you’ve already transferred all auto-billing to the new bank, this should be a quick and relatively painless process (easier than trying to cancel your cable service, anyhow).

In case you missed it yesterday, the National Assocation of Realtors (NAR) released positive real estate market statistics that is widely credited with the rally on Wall Street that pushed the Dow to close over 9,000.

The NAR stated that “Existing-home sales rose for the third consecutive month with inventory easing and home prices declining less sharply in June”. Taking this as an indication that the housing market has started to recover, the financial markets reacted accordingly.

Yes – that’s exactly what has happened in our business. Sales are up over last year, more buyers are seriously “in” the market … not just looking. We’re noticing that in some price ranges in some areas, prices actually seem to be holding steady … or even inching up a bit. This has generally been fueled by multiple offers, thereby pushing prices upward.

Further, the NAR states that “A June survey of NAR members shows 37 percent experienced at least one lost sale as a result of the new Home Valuation Code of Conduct, with seven out of 10 reporting an increased use of out-of-area appraisers. Seventy percent of NAR appraiser members said consumers were paying higher fees, while 85 percent report a perceived reduction in appraisal quality.”

Yes – that’s exactly what we wrote about in our blog post here: Whose Real Estate Market is it Anyway

To read more: National Association of Realtors July 23 press release.Labels: home sale statistics, home sales, NAR, National Association of Realtors

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