Here’s why now is a great time to switch banks

Wells Fargo became the latest bank to experience a major scandal after it paid a $185 million fine for opening as many as 2 million accounts without permission.

With so many people affected, some have taken some comfort in watching videos of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren flagellate Wells Fargo CEO John G. Stumpf with some choice lines. But as my colleague Rick Newman pointed out, even though she’s talking loudly, she may not be carrying Teddy Roosevelt’s proverbial big stick.

Still, Well’s Fargo’s board and shareholders will decide what happens with Strumpf’s career — not Senator Warren in a trial-by-combat as the public’s champion.

That doesn’t mean Wells Fargo customers don’t have any recourse. They can vote with their dollars by jumping to a new bank—and it’s a great time for it.

Right now, many FDIC-insured savings accounts from online-based banks like American Express, Ally, Synchrony Bank, Barclays, and Capital One offer high interest rates of up 1.05%, thanks in part to their lack of expensive brick-and-mortar locations.

Even Goldman Sachs is offering giant 1.05% rates for regular retail-banking consumers to help it get cash for its capital reserves, although people scarred by the latest scandal may not be interested due to the bank’s prominent placement in the “The Big Short.”

Contrast these high rates to the average savings account’s annual yield from interest—a measly 0.06%, according to GoBankingRates. (Wells Fargo’s savings account rates are 0.01% and 0.03%, as of Sept. 22.) This difference adds up. After a year, an emergency fund of $10,000 would earn you just $3 over there, much less than the $100 banks like Ally would earn.

These high rates come at a time where interest rates are at incredible lows—just look at the Treasury bonds lately. As a result, all that sweet, sweet interest is the perfect aphrodisiac for consumers on the market for a new bank, feel like a switch, or just want to take advantage of an FDIC-insured account that throws off considerable returns.

However, it’s important to note that these banks are not right for everyone. Many of them offer online check deposit but have no easy way to deposit physical cash since they lack physical branches. This means you can’t seek in-person customer service, and it could take a few days to make withdrawals without a debit card.

Other obstacles may stop you from seeking an online savings account.
Only some of them offer a complete suite of banking products — American Express doesn’t have a checking account program, for example — and people who can’t maintain a minimum balance may be charged fees that negate the gains. Online banking is a tradeoff for sure. But for many banking customers these days, it’s looking more and more attractive.

Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance focusing on personal finance and tech. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann.

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