The Notorious Banker

Charlotte Observer Reporter Austin Weinstein posted a story yesterday about John Shrewsberry mentioning to investors the cutback of $10 Billion in spending Wells Fargo needs to do will be "mostly people"

What Mr. Shrewsberry didn't mention is that he makes $12 million + a year, plus more if the stock does well. That's almost $6,000 an hour!

I discuss how the closure of branches isn't necessarily where the cuts will come from, as I am familiar with small town New Mexico branches that employed 2-3 people at most! I also talk about how the infrastructure of certain departments or elimination of some products will lead to a different type of bank than the "All-in-one" model banks loved 15 years ago. 

I can't get over how much goddamn money he makes.

I discuss Bank of America's prospects for something similar soon as well!

Plus, I discuss the email sent to millions of Wells Fargo customers discussing changes to requirements to avoid fees for their basic checking accounts, one week after announcing their no overdraft fee account for a fee! I discuss how Wells lowered some elements of the requirements, but are still a moot point to someone working minimum wage, based on the likelihood of their boss being "old school" and not doing direct deposit.

I discuss how slowly but surely, this is a "punishment fee" for those who don't adapt to the method of banking Wells wants to do,and why I don't like it.

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

NotoriousBanker.com for detailed info on yours truly, and ways you can follow The Notorious Banker

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright

Voicemail Line: 575-322-4127 (3M Max)

In this episode, I discuss two new policies at Bank of America, which are actually already implemented in some states including my own.

Basically, Bank of America will no longer cash checks for someone who has less money in their account than the check is worth.

They are investing.... in a bank? Huh? How does this help people in need?

I talk about what the point would even be to invest in these banks and how BofA is going to be wanting to become equity partners with black and hispanic owned business, as if they are "Shark Tank" or something!

Finally, I discuss Wells Fargo's introduction of an account with less fees. It will cost you a fee of $5. It's called the "Clear Access Checking" though it's clear to access this, you have to pony up $60 a year for nothing but a piss poor attempt to hide their crappy service.

I talk about how accounts that block overdraft fees help no one, and Banks should focus more on financial knowledge for their clients. I also talk about this account being the replacement for an account meant to help clients who had issues with a bank in the past. It's really a complicated web!

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

NotoriousBanker.com for detailed info on yours truly, and ways you can follow The Notorious Banker

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright

Voicemail Line: 575-322-4127 (3M Max)

One of the great things about TNB is that I get emails and info from dozens of disenfranchised workers at all major banks telling me their horror stories, and urging me to keep up the good work.

 A very concerned Bank of America employee back east sent me information in regards to the Coronavirus Assistance Plan that Bank of America rolled out in March to help those impacted by illness, job loss or anything tied to COVID. That included loan deferments, fee refunds, and much more. I praised the effort, but questioned "HOW" they would help because of 5 hour phone holds and branches closed.

Well, according to the info from the employee on Monday, The Virus is cured, because Bank of America is doing away with courtesy refunds for Virus relief. Bank of America is requiring all employees submit refund requests into their normal system, and the "System" can approve refunds on a case-by-case basis... Basically, if you never overdrafted before, and you have money...lots of it... you'll get help.

I discuss a past instance where Christy, an ex-manager of Bank of America (my old boss who actually fired me) would make us document "Hardship" requests in a binder, including asking customers for personal information about their illness/death in family to write into the binder to justify our fee refund request.

You will also hear an impassioned James discuss the need for these assistance items still, and how BofA is short-sighted in stopping an important way to help people. 

YOU ALSO WILL HEAR SOME CRINGEWORTHY ROLEPLAY OF WHAT IT WOULD SOUND LIKE WHEN A BANKER DENIES A REFUND TO YOU, AS MODELED BY THE TALKING POINTS OF THE EMAIL I VIEWED. EVEN I GOT MYSELF SICK DOING THEM!

Plus, Another segment of "Hey, What about Us?" where I discuss another big banks issue that was in the news. Wells Fargo got into some hot water a couple months ago when people found they were placed into forbearance on their loans, despite not requesting it. Wells claimed it was proactively helping people to avoid delays (sure). Now, people are suing, and I discuss why and how it seems like Wells Fargo's alleged "help" and big banks in general always seem to help in such a way that makes no sense, likening it to a little kid trying to help you cook

Lawsuit article here

NBC Report on the "Never-asked-for" forbearance!

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

NotoriousBanker.com for detailed info on yours truly, and ways you can follow The Notorious Banker

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright

Voicemail Line: 575-322-4127 (3M Max)

Cute little story in the news last week.

Bank of America Customer Opens Mobile App and Finds an Extra $2.45 Billion

Man named Blaise Aguirre wakes up to find an extra $2,450,000,000.00 in his Bank of America app. It's a similar story to the issue where millions of BofA customers were showing a $0 Balance in their accounts a few weeks ago, leading to widespread anger!

This podcast discusses one thing: I believe this story was overblown and fabricated by Bank of America themselves to be the antithesis of "Where's all my money?" that was going on a few weeks ago, to create more fun chatter about their bank and distracts a bit from the fact that I think BofA has the worst online banking experience out there, despite "bEiNg a TeCh cOmPaNy".

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

NotoriousBanker.com for detailed info on yours truly, and ways you can follow The Notorious Banker

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright

Voicemail Line: 575-322-4127 (Up to 3m Max) May appear in future episode of TNB

Thanks to everyone who listened to my recent episode with Ciera! We intend on doing more interviews VERY SOON!

Today's podcast dwells on Bank of America's Billion Dollar "Commitment" to end Economic and Racial Inequality. We are skeptical of how they will get to a billion dollars. I personally don't think there'll be much giving.

Bank of America proved me wrong (kinda) by announcing via a news article, that smells suspiciously like paid content masquerading as news, of 146,000 El Cheapo paper masks being donated to charities in Orange County, CA. These are charities that BofA was already working with, so is this additional giving or just a reshuffling of giving to make everything about their mandate to address Economic and Racial Inequality.  

I discuss this issue with movie analogies, and I call them out on donating only 2,000 masks to Meals on Wheels, instead of...you know...giving them money for Meals...or Wheels!

Similar Story in Phoenix that uses the exact same words as the California article, including a substitute quote from an AZ manager to replace the Cali story! What the hell?

Either some serious plagiarism is going on, or Bank of America is paying for and creating this content to plant in local communities to get clout off of a pandemic.

P.S. Look at the pics of the people in the articles manhandling masks with their bare hands, not following ANY safety protocol!!!

Plus, I debut a new segment to the podcast called, Hey, What About Us?

This segment will highlight one non-BofA bank 1 time a week minimum to ensure we aren't obsessing over BofA, though with the number of complaints on BofA online nearing 7 to 1 over any other big bank, it's hard not to!

We discuss Wells Fargo CEO Scharf making over $35 Million in compensation for a company who lost $2B last quarter. I explain the art of overpaying to get a fresh start and how it's similar to sports. I also weirdly commend BofA CEO Moynihan not even being one of the top 3 paid CEOs, which is surprising and some would say he is underpaid. (WHAT?!?!) We talk about where it's headed and my feelings on it.

Article by Dan Ennis of Banking Dive

Great podcast!

Send any financial, money, banking or fun questions to [email protected] and we will do a mailbag pod soon!

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James Baca in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

$2 gets you bonus content, $5 will get you my book!

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright

Don't let the title fool you. I mean business with this episode. 

The Notorious Banker will take on the topics no one else will, even if they make me a tad uncomfy.

First off, Bank of America settles lawsuit with an ex-employee at a Tucson, AZ branch for not providing adequate facilities to allow her to nurse/pump or "express" milk for her newborn. Breastfeeding was always a taboo topic until very recently, and the lawsuit filed against BofA accused them of not allowing for specific breaks for this need or having a decent, clean spot to do this at work.

I go over the news story from Tucson and release from the government, and I also share my stories of former coworkers having to deal with this issue in my older run down branch with no private restroom and a communal break room where I had to uncomfortably interact with my nursing co-workers, some of whom were my managers to get checks and documents approved during this time. I sympathize for the women all over BofA who had to deal with this, as I saw it myself. 

I also discuss how the lawsuit requires construction in BofA buildings to make a room for nursing moms, and how BofA's currently "Let's randomly close branches" is factoring into my opinion that I don't believe they will ever build 4300 upgrades to facilities for this purpose, instead becoming similar to the franchisee of my hometown Kentucky Fried Chicken, who closed down, instead of "upgrading" their store. (Weird analogy but it works)

Plus, I talk to Ciera, a bartender who lost her job because of COVID-19, who found a second calling as an Onlyfans Nude Model. Ciera is a longtime follower of The Notorious Banker, and I helped recover $140 in fees for her last year. This year, despite the pandemic, she made a business decision to sell her risque/nude photos to the world via Onlyfans, and in 2 weeks, has made 125+ subscribers at $12/month.

We talk about her journey, her opinions on sex work and how it's changing opinions of everyone. Plus we get into the good, the bad, and the interesting of being an object of many people's desires with her content, and how it's empowering for herself, and women altogether to have an outlet to make money.  We also talk about why big banks hate adult content creators and her long term goals.  We also tie it to banking & money in many ways, as everything ties to both!

Great 30m interview. More of them to come

CHECK OUT HER ONLYFANS CONTENT (18+) WITH A SUBSCRIPTION

https://onlyfans.com/cieraxfawn

Note: You may not have to agree with the line of work, but you got to applaud an American comeback story. Where there's a will, there's a way!

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

$2 gets you bonus content/podcasts, $5 will get you my book!

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright

Welcome to the rebranded THE NOTORIOUS BANKER podcast. Same great content, Awesome new (And consistent) name.

 First off, Thanks to the dozens of followers who joined me @BankBetterGuy on Twitter after the BofA Balance Issue of Last Week. Welcome!

Our main topic is a crazy interview Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan gave with Eben Shapiro of Time Magazine, which dropped on Sunday August 9th, which happened to be my 6th wedding Anniversary. Moynihan gave me a gift as he talked hilariously about how Bank of America "helped" so many people with PPP Loans during the pandemic. I'm not doubting their numbers, but more their commitment to smaller businesses in the last several months.

 He also talks about how Bank of America has "helped" people manage cash, the same cash unavailable to them at ATMs and Branches nationwide the last couple months. He pushed for cashless options and paying for your coffee with your phone in the interview, which basically sounded like an invitation to rid everyone of paper currency, seemingly ignoring many folks' dependence on it.

 Another hilarious point in the interview is what he dislikes in his BofA managers, which happens to be the very thing they are good at!

Plus, I go off on a rant on his claim that he does Crossfit workouts. A gym rat like me explains why that is BS in the normal sense of the word "Crossfit".

Good, funny interview with a funny guy.

Plus, I share with you my opinion of a petition circulating of trying to get Bank of America to stop funding oil and gas drilling in the arctic (ANWR) in Alaska. I talk about how despite the political nature of the petition, everyone should look at it and make an informed decision to sign up or not. Being an America has those responsibilities in my opinion. Check it out here!

I HAVE A NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL WITH EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS AND QUICK HITS ON NEWS STORIES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. Please like, subscribe and share. Make it HUGE!

Check it out!!!

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James Baca in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

$2 gets you bonus content, $5 will get you my book!

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright

The Why Your Bank Sucks Podcast becomes "The Notorious Banker" on August 10th!

Last pod under WYBS is a big one. First we hit upon some breaking news with BofA. A major glitch online on 8-5-2020 has wiped out customer accounts to $0 aesthetically. Bank of America refers to it as a "Display Issue"... I discuss the insane Twitter backlash about this issue, and how some people have lost functionality with their accounts at the moment.

Bloomberg Article

Fox Charlotte Article

Then we talk about a story of a crook in South Florida who used Bank of America to get $4 Million in PPP Loans that he fraudulently got to spend on his lavish lifestyle include a Lamborghini and Dating Websites. We talk about How Bank of America likely stepped over smaller businesses to give this guy his $4 Million and how I know BofA swings for the fences with high-dollar clients more and more. Ridiculous Story

Tampa Bay Times Article

Plus, I talk about the story of Luke in Philly and discuss how Bank of America denied a claim for over $1900 for him. He wrote a check to his landlord, the check was stolen, washed, and rewritten in much different handwriting, and Bank of America STILL CASHED IT, and then DENIED HIS CLAIM. I talk about the stress he went through, how we cracked the case, and how long and insane the journey was.

Plus, we hope to have Luke on when we relaunch as "The Notorious Banker" next week

Meantime, no need to search for the new podcast. If you subscribed to me, we will be here, but with a new name and logo. Same great content, New Name, Same Badass Banker in yours truly. We also hope to have fun interviews and other commentaries about finances during these crazy times. Stick around. It will be fun!

I HAVE A NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL WITH EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS AND QUICK HITS ON NEWS STORIES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. Please like, subscribe and share. Make it HUGE!

Check it out!!!

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James Baca in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

$2 gets you bonus content, $5 will get you my book!

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright

We have talked at length about Bank of America's supposed $1B "Commitment" to help end racial inequality. I have said that I don't believe they will ever just "GIVE" a billion, and so far no news story has proved me wrong yet. Conservative voices on Twitter have taken this lack of clarity that BofA provides about it's giving to spin it that Bank of America really spent this money to fund Black Lives Matter in a Militaristic way for a civil war. While I think it's silly, as I don't believe BofA is spending nowhere close to that amount, their silence is only stoking the fire from the right side of the aisle.

From leading conservative voices like Brent Bozell, who's tweet broke Twitter for me last weekend because of the sheer volume of replies and retweets he got for saying BofA gave it to "Marxism" to fringe heavyweight boxes like David "Nino" Rodriguez, a tomato can from my home area who never won a meaningful fight in his professional career tweeting similar theories.

His boxing journey is hilarious to me BTW.

I talk about their tweets, how it stoked anger that BofA is not doing anything to quell and why. I also talk about how the opposite side of the aisle is defending them from these tweets, yet are unaware that no money of that level will likely ever exchange hands, and how they are spurred on by a supposed "victory" that they had against BofA and private prisons, which was not technically true according to the Wall Street Journal

It's a complicated podcast, but I try to tackle it!

I HAVE A NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL WITH EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS AND QUICK HITS ON NEWS STORIES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. Please like, subscribe and share. Make it HUGE!

Check it out!!!

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James Baca in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

$2 gets you bonus content, $5 will get you my book!

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright

Big day in "The Notorious Banker" land as I announce a soon-to-be implemented change in this podcast and how it's presented, and how a bullying incident against me this past Friday only enhances my thought that this podcast should be presented in a different manner than it currently is. You will like the change! I discuss it in the first segment.

Then in Segment 2, A big 180 on what we usually do. We praise Community State Bank, a local bank in Wisconsin for  starting a promotion to get coins for their clients who sorely need them for their small business. CSB is paying $5 for every $100 of coins you bring in, with a max of a $500 bonus! They are taking a short term loss, to allow their clients to continue to serve their customers as normal, which I mention can cause a butterfly effect of bad customer satisfaction across many outlets.

 I praise CSB for doing what no big bank would never do, plus not to mention, a recently read internal website post at BofA mentioned silly alternatives for businesses to discuss making change for their clients...Yes, they mentioned Zelle (What?)

I heard about this promo the day it was announced, and 3 days later, partly due to my laziness, I became the 2,402nd outlet to talk about it haha. CNN was all over it, plus a lot of local news across the country.

Kudos to Community State Bank. You earned a vote of confidence from me! Keep up the good work.

The Notorious Banker will continue to fight for better customer service for big bank customers. The big news of today won't change it!

I HAVE A NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL WITH EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS AND QUICK HITS ON NEWS STORIES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. Please like, subscribe and share. Make it HUGE!

Check it out!!!

MY PATREON Page! For as little as $1, you can help James Baca in his fight against big banks. http://patreon.com/NotoriousBanker

$2 gets you bonus content, $5 will get you my book!

Sponsors [email protected]  - Advertise your business with a growing, cutting edge podcast.

Visit our Twitter Page @BankBetterGuy -  Bank Advice, humor, observations, deals and  VIGILANTE CUSTOMER SERVICE & Host James B on Twitter @jamesbisright