Organized by Kristin Christian, her Bank Transfer Day Facebook page has attracted more than 81,900 RSVPs for the event since Tuesday (Nov. 1). Why? Kristen Christian wrote on the Bank Transfer Day Facebook page's FAQ:
"I started this because I felt like many of you do. I was tired -- tired of the fee increases, tired of not being able to access my money when I need to, tired of them using what little money I have to oppress my brothers & sisters. So I stood up. I've been shocked at how many people have stood up alongside me. With each person who RSVPs to this event, my heart swells. Me closing my account all on my lonesome wouldn't have made a difference to these fat cats. But each of YOU standing up with me... they can't drown out the noise we'll make."
The protest, not affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement, had already gathered momentum with a similar push to "Move Your Money" started in July by Arianna Huffington. That project also encourages people to withdraw funds from "too big to fail" national banks and deposit them in smaller local banks and credit unions.
What's the result of these social media-fueled protests? According to the Credit Union National Association, "at least 650,000 consumers across the nation have joined credit unions in the past four weeks." That mass influx of credit union customers was further ignited on Sept. 29, when Bank of America announced it would begin charging consumers a $5-per-month fee for debit cards. Bank of America has since retracted that rate hike because of the public outcry.