Raise a Stink if Your Bank Stinks

Do you ever feel like your bank is sticking it to you? Fees, red tape, predatory lending, and poor service can rear their heads in a banking relationship. If you find these things at your bank, there's something you can do.

Raising a stink about your bank's practices can lead to a turnaround. With publicity and reasoned criticism, banks will change policies that aren't consumer friendly. Liz Pulliam Weston highlights a few examples (When Banks Turn Evil) of bad bank behavior and notes: Draw enough attention, and perhaps we can head off some of the worst policies before they become "industry standards."

We've talked about this before. You don't need to make a crusade out of it -- simply sharing and exposing poor practices is a step in the right direction. If that doesn't work, get the lawmakers involved.

Further reading:

• Speak Up: Improve Banking Laws