From Stacy Mitchell at the fantastic New Rules Project: Bigger banks were supposed to lower costs for consumers. That was the promise made...
Bigger banks were supposed to lower costs for consumers. That was the promise made repeatedly in 1994 and again in 1999, when Congress dismantled laws that had long restricted the size and scope of banks, ushering in a wave of mergers that left the industry dominated by a few financial giants.But they don't lower costs for consumers (see chart).Why not? Because big banks are less efficient, they advertise everywhere but hide their fees, and they don't really need your meager personal deposits anyway. Mitchell says we should all consider switching to a smaller bank.