With the rise of on-line banks this may be obsolete but say the person can’t do on-line banking.
In: Economics
Banks are highly regulated. Specific conditions, especially at the state level, play a role here that can’t be explained in a blanket manner. But, you can assume it probably has something to do with community banking and fair lending standards. Banks are required to do a certain amount of lending in all the communities they serve. If they aren’t prepared to do lending in one part of the state, they can’t open deposit accounts there. And as easy as it might sound to just do loans wherever, there are a lot of hoops to jump through to be able to do it legally, and of course then there’s the question of whether or not it’s profitable. Remember, banks don’t make money off of your checking account. The sole purpose of offering that service is to be able to turn around and lend that money out and earn interest on it.
Like most asinine regulatory schemes, the concepts bank regs are based off of pre-date the internet, and don’t make any sense when disruptive things like online banking show up. They will stick around until the banks themselves stop being a thing, which is probably soon.
My bank and credit union are nothing more than sales floors now. Their service is non-existent unless you are trying to get a mortgage. They don’t try to create a world that benefits you, they exist to maintain the structures that keep them profitable and powerful.
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