Trust me, people, this isn't a new concept...

The FDIC is making a big deal of praising banks with free checking. Like it's a brand new thing to help poor people.

Um, guys? I've had a checking account with one bank or another for thirteen years, now, and my checking accounts have always been free. The last three banks I've done business with have had free online bill pay. Nor have I ever paid for a savings account.

The article I linked above mentioned that there's a large percentage of people who don't use bank services. Isn't that their choice? Isn't it their choices to engage in behavior (i.e., constantly bouncing checks) that discourages banks from offering them the same type of free checking I've had for darn near half my life?

And, as for the "minorities" cited by the article, isn't it a personal choice to commit the crime of jumping the border so that they don't have the identification documents most banks require to open an account?

This strikes me as just another instance of the Community Reinvestment Act, the government interference that directly caused sub-prime lending, the housing bubble, and the current economic problems caused by people defaulting on really stupid loans.