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Money

It Might Be Time to Leave Your Big Bank

On today's episode, Allie Conti considers the pros and cons of major institutions like Wells Fargo, and smaller, less popular community banks and credit unions.
Image: Purple Slog/Flickr 

Big banks often seem like the easiest way to deal with your finances. The brands can offer some sense of stability and visibility, and switching accounts can often seem like too much of a hassle. But that's only part of the picture. For one, banks like Wells Fargo have proven unreliable in the past few years, and big banks don't always offer the best interest rates or returns.

Though less popular, community banks, online banks, and credit unions can offer better interest rates and safer loans. And they also support the local economy since they don't charge vendors high fees for card swipes. While we assume bigger banks also have more ATMs around (i.e. no fee for getting cash), some of these credit unions and smaller banks also work with a network of ATMs so that their customers can avoid fees.

On this episode, we sat down with VICE reporter Allie Conti to talk about how to make sure you're actually getting the best deal possible when it comes to banking, instead of choosing the status quo and putting even more money in Wall Street's hands.

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