Just what the title says. My wife worked in retail banking at one of the big five for like a decade. And based on what she witnessed, she hates them all and has convinced everyone she knows to go digital. 

Average and low-income people are abused with overdraft fees, interest, penalties and rigid policies. While the rich clients who can easily afford those costs are the ones getting fees waived and preferential treatment. 

The degree to which they exploit everyday people is so bad they get hit with regulatory penalties all the time, like for anti-money-laundering failures and shit. But they earn billions, so they literally don't give a fuck. The fines are basically pocket change. It's just the cost of doing business for them. They'll screw whoever they have to to make a buck. 

Like look at the slew of consumer protections that governments and regulators have had to introduce over the last few years addressing overdraft charges, low-balance notifications and banking fees. These new laws were necessary to protect us because in North America, bank robs you!

The big guys have no scrupels. It's like they're pissed they have to go through you to get your money. How dare you expect any level of service. 

It’s 2026. Paying $15 or $20 every month just to access your own money is absurd when free and low-cost alternatives exist.

There are tons of great digital-only alternatives like EQ Bank, Tangerine, Neo, Koho, Simplii, etc. 

My wife spent 10 years watching how the sausage gets made and now she won't eat sausage. That should tell you everything you need to know. 

My wife worked in a big bank for 10 years, and now she hates them all.