Announcing "A Month Without VISA"

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our protest against Bank of America continues as we reach more and more people and educate them about the prudence of withdrawing their money from this abusive bank. I can't thank those of you who have participated in the Bank of America protest enough. You should all pat yourselves on the back for doing a great job!

So, while the Bank of America protest wages on, we're going to take on the next evil giant, VISA USA. For the month of July, we're putting away our VISA cards - in drawers, in safes and safety deposit boxes, under our mattresses, or buried in the back yard if necessary. Some VISA victims may choose to cut their cards into little pieces. Go ahead! Good work!

So why are we cutting the cord to VISA for the month? Well, let's look at VISA's history. To start with, VISA is the demon-spawn of Bank of America. VISA was born in 1958 as the BankAmericard. By the mid-60's BofA began licensing the BankAmericard to banks outside of the BofA network, distributing over 100 million unsolicited cards to bank customers and non-customers alike and creating economic and civic havoc - which they did apologize for. The Feds put a stop to the distribution of unsolicited credit cards as a result. In 1970, BofA relinquished control of the BankAmericard and the issuing banks created their own independent financial corporation around the card. This independent corporation was a closed-door operation. It had no investors from the public sector, and it was not traded on the stock market. This would give BankAmericard additional power by making them untouchable.

In 1975, the various and sundry BankAmericard brands (which included Chargex, Barclaycard, and Carte Bleue) were united under the new name VISA. In ensuing years, the VISA Corporation, like its unholy parent Bank of America, would adopt aggressive advertising and marketing schemes to build its business to be the largest in the world, and then turn around and start stabbing its merchant base in the back. In 1996 VISA was sued by Wal-Mart, Sears, Safeway, Circuit City, and The Limited for market manipulation and conspiring with MasterCard to violate US antitrust laws. The case dragged on until 2003 when VISA and MasterCard settled out of court. Immediately after, VISA cut a deal with all major banks West of the Mississippi to drop MasterCard products and carry only VISA. In exchange for doing this, VISA would provide enough plastic to give every checking account holder in the West a free (read: unsolicited) Debit Card - with the VISA logo on it. For a period of a few years, it was impossible for Americans in the Western US to acquire a MasterCard through their local banks.

There they go, raising that specter of antitrust again. Won't they ever learn?

Also during this period immediately following the class action settlement, VISA redlined the internet, declaring certain classes of internet merchants as "high risk" - regardless of whether individual sites had demonstrated a chargeback risk or not - and giving them 30 days to fork over in excess of $700 per each domain (and another $375 each year thereafter in addition to transaction fees) to maintain the VISA service for which they had been paying nothing up to then. This was clearly a move to strong-arm the small internet business owner into shelling out even more of his profits in order to defray VISA's own penalty for abusive behavior. VISA cards were being used in roughly 70% of all online transactions and VISA knew they could muscle the extra money out of these online merchants who would be afraid of losing significant revenue if they dumped VISA.

And how do you show your contrition for your abusive behavior? Well, by abusing the next sucker you can find, that's how - at least according to the Book of VISA. Messing with the big retail corporations backfired because they have big legal departments. Not so with the little guy. He's much easier to push around. And push is exactly what VISA did so that it wouldn't have to look itself in the mirror and face its own corruption.

Next VISA USA exercised more of its muscle by mandating that their logo and the VISA name could not be displayed on such sites (even in the payment area), and that excessive chargebacks would result in termination of the paid service (the exact number of chargebacks which would define "excessive" was never disclosed to the merchants even when asked point blank). VISA then ruled that merchants are forbidden to add a surcharge onto VISA transactions to offset the cost of the service, and any language that is used on the site that VISA determines unkind to the corporation will result in immediate termination of the service. Furthermore, the credit card giant also gave itself power to control content on the sites that used the VISA service, again using racketeering practices to force webmasters to edit and censor their own material or face termination.

And you thought they were just a credit card agency. Ha! They also fancy themselves as a censorship bureau and moral police too.

In the last few years, banks have been slowly re-introducing the MasterCard brand to their credit card offerings, perhaps to avoid charges of collusion and antitrust with the Demon of Debt, VISA. But once again, as in the earliest days of the BankAmericard, the saturation of the market with VISA cards and the willingness of the banks to put VISA branded cards into the hands of anyone with a checking account has taken its toll on the economy. Now, issuing banks, backed up by the weight and power of the VISA Corporation, are raping the people they hooked on their "plastic heroin" - charging ever increasing interest rates to their customers regardless of re-payment record, lowering purchasing limits, destroying credit scores, and bullying the very people that gave them the power to begin with. Sound familiar?

VISA is a loan shark. A mobster. A racketeer. A monopolizer. A manipulator. And a charlatan. For every time they throw a little money (YOUR money, may I remind you) toward the Olympics, or planting a tree in a city park, or other such unnecessary but nice gestures, they con a whole new set of people into believing that they are indeed the Good Guys. The "winning team." And who doesn't want to be associated with the winning team? But it's all just a paper smile pasted over the face of Satan. Membership may have its rewards, but they go mostly to a select few at the top of the VISA dungheap. Meanwhile you pay dearly.

A Month Without VISA is a protest designed not only to reduce the flow of money to the "too big to care" company, but also to help wean you off of the VISA addiction they have instilled in you. We will help you break your dependence on plastic while reminding you that ANY company that punishes you for doing business with it, whether you are the consumer or the merchant, isn't worthy of your loyalty or your money.

There are alternatives to VISA. There are other credit cards, obviously, and they can pretty much all be used as widely as VISA. And there's my favorite VISA replacement: CA$H. Cold hard cash. If it was good enough for my grandparents it's good enough for me. And merchants will appreciate your giving them cash. They don't have to pay someone else a fee to accept it so it creates a higher margin of profit for the owners of your favorite stores.

My barber has a sign in his shop: "Credit Makes Enemies. Let's Be Friends". Good words to live by. Start being friendlier on July 1, and put your VISA cards away. Continue to pay off your debt to VISA, but don't incur any further debt on your VISA card for the entire month. You'll feel good about yourself once you see how easy it is... and I should know. I stopped the co-dependency ride with VISA years ago (when the banks colluded with VISA and ditched MasterCard) and I couldn't be happier. It's time our nation learns it can be emancipated from the wretched clutches of the VISA Corporation. Like the banks, it only has the power of our money if WE give it to them. So let's don't.

Join the protest, "A Month Without VISA" and tell everybody you know to join too. Chances are everybody you know has a VISA card. Chances also are they can learn to live as happy a life without it. I have!

VISA is a four-letter word

Protesters Give Bank of America Exec What He Deserves

Over the weekend, a group of approximately 500 NPA and SEIU protesters, armed with signs and bullhorns, converged on the front lawn of Bank of America lobbyist Greg Baer and demonstrated their anger toward the giant evil bank. And, it has been reported that DC police actually escorted the busloads of protesters to Mr. Baer's address. Brilliant!

Apparently, Baer's teenage son was the only one home at the time, and the peaceful protesting frightened the poor little rich kid so much that he barricaded himself in the bathroom and phoned his daddy to rescue him from the demonstrators. Of course, the kid could have opened a window or the door and told the gatherers that the target of their protest was not home, and asked them to leave. But he didn't. Poor little gutless child of privilege...!

The protest has incited the voices of the more conservative among us, who are likening the event to some sort of union terrorism. One of these voices, Greg Hedgepath, states, "Here you have thug unions that have no interest in the people they represent at all. They are only interested state maintained pensions. A bailout is what they are after. " What Hedgepath fails to acknowledge is that the banks that these unions are protesting have done exactly what he's accusing the so-called "thug unions" of having just done. The banks have demonstrated no interest in the very customers who have made them ungodly rich; they are only interested in the multi-million dollar bonuses they can give themselves; and they GOT a bailout (which did nothing to help or benefit the taxpaying public as a result).

Well, as they say, payback is a bitch. Perhaps the conservative bloggers who are vocalizing their opposition to groups of citizens gathering on the lawns of the very same people who caused the economy to tank, who are responsible for doling out bad loans and then collecting on them through foreclosure, and who, like Greg Baer, have taken our money to go to Capitol Hill and prevent legislation that would benefit the general public, are doing so because they are afraid of the backlash that may be heading their way. I don't think that a backlash against Wall Street is unwarranted. In fact, I think it's well-deserved.

Unlike in Greece, where unions have reacted violently against the targets of their anger, the NPA/SEIU protesters were peaceful (albeit perhaps loud). They wore t-shirts with the message "Put People First / Take Back Our Democracy" and brandished hand-painted signs with slogans like "Reclaim America" and "Hold Banks Accountable". They chanted "Bank of America, Bad for America" and shared their personal stories of the bank's abuses via a bullhorn. Far as I can tell, nobody set fire to anything, broke windows, held the banker's candy-ass kid hostage, bombed the Baer's house, tried to enter the domicile, or did anything remotely violent. And they returned to their caravan after Baer returned home to coddle his Little Lord Fauntleroy and asked the protesters to leave. Even so, Hedgepath and his right-wing blogging cronies are accusing the demonstrators of being thugs. THUGS! Do they even know what that word means?

According to the dictionary, a "thug" is:

1) A cutthroat or ruffian; a hoodlum. A tough and violent man, esp a criminal. A violent, brutal person

or

2) One of a band of professional assassins formerly active in northern India who worshiped Kali and offered their victims to her. (Historical Terms) (sometimes capital) (formerly) a member of an organization of robbers and assassins in India who typically strangled their victims.

Sorry Mr. Hedgepath and others of your ilk, but the 'thug' shoe doesn't fit here.

What I think is most important is that the voices of the right wing are conveniently neglecting that the banks have pushed hard-working Americans right to the brink, and now those with their backs against the wall are fighting back - by taking their money away from the banks that have abused them, and by protesting. So far, protests at the banks have yielded imperceptible results. Is it surprising that the protesters are taking their battle to the front yards of the enemy? Not to me. I think it's not only about time, it's completely appropriate. We SHOULD protest these goons where they live. We SHOULD publicly humiliate them. We SHOULD be vocal about our unrest. Their selfish and greedy actions have harmed an unprecedented number of families and ruined the economies of many countries. Did they expect there would be no backlash? Did they think we would not fight back?

If protesting them at the office does not result in the change of practice the public demands; if the lawmakers are unable to resist the bribes people like (alleged 'lifelong Democrat') Greg Baer offer them; and if Wall Street continues brushing aside the requests of the President, the People have no choice but to protest - loudly, and in the front lawns of the perpetrators. Wall Street has only itself to blame for the crushing anxiety that grips this nation. Not only for causing it, but also for perpetuating it. So many Americans are desperately trying to pay for the overpriced homes they bought before it all crashed down, yet the banksters are enjoying a million-dollar property boom in their playland of the Hamptons - fueled by the enormous bonuses they received last year (LA Times article, 5-22-10: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hamptons-bonuses-20100522,0,1217672.story), despite President Obama's request that such bonuses be reeled in. Clearly, while the country crumbles around them as a direct result of the things they have done, the Wall Street racketeers are continuing to revel in the spoils of their - er, I mean OUR - money.

Greg Baer and his fellow goons need to remember this: Actions have consequences. What they do runs completely against what is best for the masses. There is a strong penalty to be paid, not only by the mob bosses on Wall Street, but also by those like lifelong Democrat Greg Baer who prostitute themselves to said mob bosses and schmooze Congress in order to block bank reform. The People are angry. Banks should count their blessings that we are not violent. I for one do not promote, nor do I condone, violence. And if it were within my power I would free the world of all of our violent actions. But I cannot do that, and I cannot predict the future. However I do understand the nature of people, and if injustices persist to the point no option is left, people do eventually resort to violence as they historically always have. If the financial industry wants to prevent the kind of retaliatory anarchy that has gripped Greece in recent times it needs to change NOW while the American people are still willing to demonstrate peacefully.

In the mean time, I think we SHOULD continue to gather and protest - in front of the banks AND in the executives' front lawns. Public humiliation needs a renaissance. Keep organizing, my friends. Keep pulling your money out of the banks, keep sending your letters and making your phone calls, keep distributing the Proclamation Of Required Change, keep encouraging your friends, families, and co-workers to participate in these protests, and above all, keep a sense of humor about this. Use your anger to drive your efforts to effect change, but don't lose sight of the humorous side of sticking the knife into the banks and their prostitutes (figuratively speaking, of course) and turning it.

Peace and bullhorns,

JQA

Something to think about. Wall Street vs Wall Pee

While I was writing a reply to Jim, a commenter to my last post, a thought occurred to me. We had been discussing the real John Quincy Adams' favoring of a national bank that regulated the currency. In my reply I mentioned that I believe what I am doing within this protest is helping each visitor reintroduce himself and herself to our forgotten power. By doing this I hope that our culture can become more aware and diligent against those who prey on others, and self-reliant enough to do away with the need for another government botched agency.

And that's when it hit me... the realization that sexual predators (including but not limited to the crimes of rape, sexual assault, child molestation, looking at naked pictures, taking pictures of your children naked in the bath, and urinating in public) are sentenced for the crime, do their prison or home imprisonment time and community service, and then are forced to register and be restricted for life. This was running in my head alongside the simultaneous realization:

Financial predators are pardoned, forgiven, and rewarded.

We have a problem here.

First of all, have the banks not symbolically raped the general public repeatedly and relentlessly? Has this not had a corrosive and damaging effect on our society? Have they not preyed on those with less advantage, and created the means to trip the customer up and rape him some more?

Wall Street executives are every bit as dangerous to our society as - at the very least - the guy who is serving a lifetime sentence as a sexual offender because he got caught peeing on a wall. Yes, the profiteers in the whole economic meltdown are every bit as dangerous and criminal as the wall-pee-guy. Honestly, I think more so.

Wall Pee. That's funny.

So think about it. As states like Illinois prepare to pass even more over-reaching, restrictive and debasing laws to punish those labeled as sex offenders, should we perhaps call for the same iron clad punishment for the greedy financial predators on Wall Pee... er, I mean Wall Street?

If I can find a way to set up a poll on here I'll ask you to vote on this.

When you need a little chuckle in your day, remember: Wall pee.

Congress Fails Us Again!

My Fellow Americans, Congress has once again let us down by not passing the bank reform bill. No surprises there. Haven't I been telling you all along that Congress is so heavily influenced by Wall Street that they would be incapable of standing up against the banks and legislating in our favor?

THIS IS WHY WE MUST ACT IMMEDIATELY and stop expecting politicians to do what is necessary for us. OUR PLAN CANNOT FAIL if we act together. Money - OUR MONEY - is our only voice against Wall Street. Money is the only language those people understand. Therefore we must take our money away from the banks until they VOLUNTARILY change the criminal policies that caused our economy to tank. Because of PROC-7 they now know what they can do to win our confidence back. If they fail because of their own greed and stubbornness, then they fail. Boo hoo.

As a result of Congress stalling its bank reform bill (which is rather tame compared to the bill I would have written), the banks will still continue with "business as usual." Congress COULD have imposed a stop-gap measure that would have restricted banks from engaging in their riskiest behaviors until they could work out the finer points, but they didn't. The House and Senate have failed us once again. And the banks remain untouched, still able to continue poisoning our economy with bad deals, and still able to rape our pocketbooks for as long as it takes Congress to get over itself and get the job done. I don't see that day coming any time soon.

With each passing day the bank CEO's will get richer and We, the bank's customers, will get poorer. Let's show Congress how useless they are to us, and how real Americans get things done. Let's show the banks and Congress that WE MEAN BUSINESS. It's OUR money and we demand the banks use it in accordance with OUR rules, not theirs.

Now get out there and yank your funds from Bank of America. And don't forget the Proclamation...

Three Words That Equal Resolution

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have three words that can very quickly help you reach resolution with Bank of America:

Better Business Bureau

I wrote to the Better Business Bureau over the weekend and filed a complaint with them against Bank Of America Corporate Headquarters in North Carolina. The complaint was regarding the excessive fees the bank had assessed me, and which since August of last year I had been requesting the bank return to me after discovering that the bank's associates had lied to me about provisions in my account that would have allowed me the waiver of one fee. It was the refusal to waive their newest nuisance fee (called the extended overdraft fee) that ultimately turned an $11.13 overdraft into almost $200 on NSF fees. And it is this situation and the immense difficulty I was experiencing in getting the reversal of these fees that started me on the mission to change the way the banks in this country operate.

It is now three days following my complaint with the BBB, and this morning I received a phone call from the executive level. It seems that in reviewing my account the bank finally determined that the bank had indeed made an error, and - long story short - refunded all of the fees back to my account.

Wow. That only took 7 months.

The BBB gives Bank of America an A+ rating. I sure as hell couldn't see why (I told the BBB I give them an "F" - and you know what that stands for). After all, B of A had been anything BUT willing to refund any of the fees it collected, and I was mishandled and treated rudely in the process. Now it seems that Bank of America is very protective of their A+ rating (also understand that it pays the BBB dues to maintain this rating). So when all other attempts at resolving your problems with Bank of America fail, go to the BBB.

I thank Bank of America for FINALLY revealing that it does have a customer service department, albeit it is ensconced high up in the corporation where the average Joe (and even branch managers) don't easily have access. And I thank them for FINALLY doing the right thing. However this does not mean that I am shutting this movement down. Nooooo.... not at all.

The return of my fees does not change the fact that the bank is still a predatory operation lorded over by some of the greediest and heartless people in the financial world. It does not change the fact that the bank operates on the principle that your money is their money and that they have the right to pick-pocket you at every available opportunity. In other words, I may have won a battle but we have not yet won the war.

So please, use the BBB as your ally in winning your own battles, but please continue to stand firm on demanding the banks adopt our PROC-7 policies. The time is ripe for change, and we are leading the movement to make that change happen!

Power to the People!!!

* A couple of further observations: I cannot guarantee that filing a complaint with the BBB will yield the same results as I received. Your particular issue with the bank will color what they are willing to do for you. But, the BBB is a great place to start if you want to grab the attention of those high up in Bank of America's ivory tower.

Also, it may help if your account shows that you, like me, have cleared out the bulk of your money from your bank account (remember, I left a total of $1.00 in my account after withdrawing the rest of my money). When they review your account and see that they have all but lost your business they may be more willing to mend fences with you. Be sure to withdraw as much from your account as you can without incurring such nuisance fees as minimum balance fees, and make sure that all of your pending charges have cleared and that you shut off any and all automatic payments. Tie up the loose ends and take your money and run.

It's a sad thing to learn that your money speaks more loudly to the bank than your own voice of discontent. Just remember that YOU have the upper hand here, even if the banks aren't ready to acknowledge that little fact yet. And the Better Business Bureau will help you remind them.

SPANK YOUR BANK!

Please distribute these posters, suitable for printing!
The black and white one can be printed on any copier and distributed at supermarkets, coffee houses, schools, and any public venue with a bulletin board!

Frontline: The Card Game

If you missed the PBS Frontline episode "The Card Game" I recommend you take some time to watch this very enlightening program. What amazes me most about the people interviewed is the smugness and sense of entitlement the executives in the credit card industry have when it comes to the sneaky ways they have devised to get wealthy off of OUR money. They are actually proud of the fact they created so many ways of swindling the less well-to-do in our nation (and the world) to make themselves rich.

This is definitely recommended watching!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/creditcards/view/

Also, if there are any other ideas you think should be added to the Proclamation, let us hear them! What do you think is important enough to add? Write it here! And if your ideas are very important to you, please feel free to add them to your Proclamation using additional sheets. The more great ideas that are out there, the better an understanding the banks will know what we want and expect, and ultimately the better for us.

Go ahead... let those creative ideas flow!

My day at B of A

So... I went into my branch of Bank Of America armed with 2 copies of the Proclamation Of Required Change - one signed and dated. It was a cold and rainy day here in Los Angeles - the perfect Hollywood effect for my "breakup scene" with the bank.

Upon entering, the greeter asked me if I needed any help, and I told her I wanted to see the branch manager. Sara, the branch manager, is a lovely person who had tried to help me resolve my fee issue with the bank back in December. As much as she worked to get matters overturned, the powers that be at the bank overrode her attempts and the matter was not (and still is not) resolved to my satisfaction. When I told her I was emptying out my account she understood, and she seemed genuinely saddened by the news.

Ideally, Sara is the kind of person the bank needs at its higher levels. She welcomes and assists every person who comes her way with equal attention and concern, with no regard for how much or little money that person has invested in the bank. And I think she feels a certain amount of responsibility when her employer screws over her customers. But Sara is on the ground floor as it were. She is part of the facade that BofA creates at the customer level to hide the ugliness that happens upstairs. And I know that this woman isn't making enough money considering that she has to walk that fine thread between doing what is right to keep the customer satisfied while at the same time having to satisfy the greed of her employer - which often runs counter to what is best for the customer. She has to take the brunt of all of the anger that her customers feel because of the bank's toxic practices. Some days it must be hell for her, knowing that despite her best efforts and the humanitarian concern she feels for everyone she encounters, she is nonetheless powerless to do what needs to be done to salvage a customer relationship after the bank has done everything in its power to destroy that relationship... like the almost-14-year relationship I have had with BofA.

Well, anyway, I presented Sara with both copies of the Proclamation - the one signed, sealed, and addressed to the regional manager, and one for her to read. She took a few minutes to look over the demands (the item about NSF fees especially intrigued her). After reading the Proclamation she asked if I would mind if she set up a meeting between me and her higher-ups. I agreed, but I also let her know that I would still be taking my money out of the bank that day and not re-depositing it unless and until the demands in the Proclamation were met by the deadline. She graciously understood and then checked my account to make sure I had no pending transactions. Satisfied that my account was free and clear of any such incomplete transactions, Sara then took me over to the teller window and had the teller return all but one dollar to me, per my instructions.

It was apparent that the request didn't fully register with the teller. But whether or not he understood was immaterial. He followed my instructions and gave me my money. Wow... talk about feeling a sense of accomplishment and freedom! It felt GOOD to take my money out of the bank - and to leave them with the Proclamation to chew over in their next meeting.

I am awaiting further information regarding the pending meeting with Sara's supervisor(s). It will be interesting to see what they bring to the table. And of course, I will keep you posted and report the results of the meeting back to you once it has occurred.

In the mean time, please go ahead and continue to pull your money out of Bank of America and give your teller or branch manager your signed copy of the Proclamation. Let's keep this movement going! Also, please feel free to relate your experiences here at this blog or on my Facebook page (John Quincy Adams) or join my Facebook group (Bank Of America, we demand change!) and make comments if you have any. Your feedback is most welcome!

IT'S TIME TO TAKE CONTROL OF OUR MONEY

Bank of America customers, take charge of YOUR money. The time has come for action! Peaceable civil action. Congress is weak and its decisions are corrupted by corporate money. In order to achieve true bank reform it is time for the People of the United States to do what Congress cannot. We must revolt.

If you are tired of Bank of America's treatment of you as a customer - the abusive fees, the practices designed to generate those fees, the abuse from the customer service division, unwarranted credit card interest rate hikes, the redistribution of your income to generate enormous wealth for a select few bank executives, and the overall lack of gratitude shown you for depositing your money in their vaults, then NOW is the time to show Bank of America who's REALLY in charge. They ain't got nothin' if they ain't got our money.

Join the growing movement of BofA customers who are regaining control of their money. Throughout the month of February, we are withdrawing our money from BofA and replacing it with a Proclamation of conditions designed to direct the bank toward the practice of gratitude rather than greed. The 7 conditions are described below, and are written in a proclamation which you may copy and print and bring to the bank with you when you withdraw your money.

Read the information below and if you agree with the terms, follow the simple directions and TAKE BACK YOUR POWER. And, forward the link to this page to all of your friends, family, work associates, etc. and share this page through Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and help make this thing go viral. The more people who pull their support from Bank of America this month the better our results will be.

Thank you so much for your grass-roots support!!! Together we CAN make a difference!

The Proclamation Of Required Change

(If you agree with the following conditions, please copy, save and print the following Proclamation. This is what you will bring to the bank with you when you withdraw your money.

Please note: If you do not bank with Bank of America you will need to change the five references to "Bank of America" [shown in italics] to the name of your bank in the first paragraph and last 2 paragraphs of this Proclamation.)
____________________________________________________________________

PROCLAMATION OF REQUIRED CHANGE

WE, the Depositors of Bank of America, proclaim that, in order for us to continue allowing the Bank the enjoyment of the use of our money, certain changes to the Bank’s policies MUST be made. No longer will we permit the Bank to use our property in a manner that is injurious to our own financial health and which steals from our own quality of life while making a select group of individuals within the corporation exceedingly wealthy.

Be it understood that as Depositors we have chosen to invest in and support the Bank. Too often the Bank has abused the privilege of borrowing our money, and because of these heinous practices we are now withdrawing our investment and support. The following changes to Bank procedure MUST be made before we will return our funds to the Bank.

ITEM #1: MINIMUM BALANCES
No longer will the Bank charge Depositors a Minimum Balance Fee when Depositors choose, for whatever reason, to not keep as much money in their account as the Bank would like. To penalize Depositors for the kindness of lending the Bank our money is an abusive action toward the Depositor and we will not subject ourselves to this abuse any longer.

If the Bank should like to have its Depositors maintain a minimum balance, the Bank may offer premiums to its Depositors as an incentive. Such premiums may include, and are not limited to, free checking, higher interest rates paid, lower interest rates on credit card balances, free or discounted rates on safety deposit boxes, free tax software, free traveler’s cheques, etc. Incentives must REWARD the Depositor for permitting the Bank to have access to his money, not punish him for lending the Bank less money than the Bank might like.

Premiums and incentives may be tailored to the AMOUNT of minimum balance the Bank would like from its Depositors, and a tiered schedule is acceptable.

ITEM #2: NSF FEES
No longer will the Bank charge blanket $35.00 fees for overdrafts. Instead, the Bank will only charge an amount equal to or less than the amount overdrawn. In other words, if an item creates an overdraft of $5.00, the penalty may only be $5.00 or less. By the same token, if the amount overdrawn is $135.00, the NSF fee may also be $135.00 or less. The Bank’s current structure of overdraft fees hurts the very people who can least afford them. This policy must come to an end immediately.

Furthermore, the Bank will extend its late repayment penalty from its current 5 day limit to 15 days to accommodate the needs of its customers. This extension will allow Depositors the needed time to receive their paychecks so that they may repay the delinquent amount. If, after 15 days the delinquent amount is not repaid, the Bank may then assess a fee of no greater than $35.00 in amount.

ITEM #3: INTEREST ON DEPOSITS
The Bank will, from now on, award Depositors interest on all savings account deposits, no higher than the Prime Lending Rate but no less than 4%. If the Prime Lending Rate should drop below 4%, the Bank will still maintain the rate of 4% on interest paid to Depositors.

Money deposited into the Bank is money ON LOAN to the Bank. Therefore, the Bank will pay an appropriate amount of interest on the loan made it by the Depositor for as long as the Bank shall borrow, hold, and freely use the Depositor’s money.

ITEM #4: PROCESS ALL CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS IN REAL TIME
The practice of charging a late fee on credit card payments made on a weekend is an abusive practice. Because payments are logged electronically there is no justification for this. The bank does this so that it may have an excuse to charge a higher interest rate on a customer's card.

The bank will now make sure that all credit card transactions and payments are processed in real time, in the order the transactions are made.

ITEM #5: PROCESS ALL DEPOSITS, DEBITS, AND ATM TRANSACTIONS IN REAL TIME
Again, as most of these transactions are handled electronically there is no reason whatsoever that they cannot be processed in real time in the order that they occur. As the Bank rearranges the order of transactions to try and generate a greater number of NSF fees, this practice is also abusive. There is no reason that transactions cannot be processed in the order that they are time-stamped and that real-time balance information cannot be made available.

We demand that the Bank exercise due diligence in the proper and timely handling of all transactions. No exceptions.

ITEM #6: CAP EXECUTIVE PAY
This bank is using its fee structure to force its Depositors to part with their hard-earned money so that the bank may redistribute the wealth to a select few of its executives. This is an abusive policy designed to bite the hands that feed it. Furthermore, executives receive gigantic bonuses regardless of whether the company does well or not.

As a person whose income is used to create extreme wealth for someone else, I demand that this bank cap its executive pay to a percentage of the Bank’s income (max. 0.00125%) and that all executive bonuses are also calculated based on actual annual profits (max. 0.00015%).

ITEM #7: GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Nothing says ‘thank you’ to the people like giving something back to us as a way of showing gratitude for our assistance in helping you earn a profit.

We insist that the Bank shall return 3.5 percent of its annual net profit back into the community to help those in need. Education, food, and shelter are three of the most needed services toward which the Bank can direct its new Relief Fund. An additional 0.5%, and/or any funds left over from the 3.5%, may be used to support sporting games, plant trees, sponsor cultural events, and other less-essential causes.

As of today I have withdrawn my money from Bank of America. I am requiring that these seven demands must be met if the Bank is to again enjoy the use of my money.

I, _____________________________________________, and my fellow Depositors at Bank of America present the above demands as necessary changes on the part of the Bank if I/we are to continue a relationship with the Bank. These are not suggestions. These are CONDITIONS OF DEPOSIT. Bank of America will change its practices of greed into a policy and demonstration of GRATITUDE if it is interested in maintaining me/us as a customer.

IF THE ABOVEMENTIONED CHANGES ARE NOT IMPLEMENTED BY MONDAY, MAY 2nd, 2010, I/WE SHALL CEASE OUR PRACTICE OF LENDING BANK OF AMERICA OUR MONEY.

_________________________________________________ ____________________________
(signed) (dated)

_________________________________________________
(account number)

More information is available at http://wedemandchangenow.blogspot.com/

THE DEMANDS EXPLAINED: ITEM #1: NO MORE MINIMUM BALANCE FEES

When we open an account at the bank, we are choosing to lend our money to that bank. So what gives the bank the idea that it can charge us for not lending it as much money as it would like? It’s our money and WE are the ones who determine how much we are willing or able to lend the bank. That is not for the bank to decide. The bank believes that it rewards us for keeping a minimum balance by NOT charging us a penalty. Some reward... it's a slap across the face of the depositor. Where does the bank get off doing that? And where’s the gratitude?

Demand number 1 is to abolish minimum balance requirements and fees. If the bank wishes to have its depositors keep a certain amount of money in our accounts, they can demonstrate their gratitude for our generosity by offering us premiums. Such premiums could include:
Free checking
Higher interest rates on savings accounts
Reduced credit card fees
Free traveler’s checks and cashier’s checks
Free or discounted safety deposit boxes
Airline miles
and other similar "positive" incentives.

Because we are the source of the bank’s holdings and income, it is the bank’s responsibility to demonstrate its gratitude to us if it would like to continue enjoying the use of our money. Every one of us should be given the assurance that the bank appreciates our business and is grateful to have it, regardless of how much or how little money we have entrusted to the bank.
Remember – if your supermarket butcher said he’d have to charge you a fee each time you didn’t spend $40 at his counter you’d tell him "No deal" and take your business somewhere else. So why do you let your bank charge you for not "spending" enough in their bank?

Sorry Bank of America, we're not allowing that any more.

ITEM #2: NO MORE $35 NSF FEES

Is there a bank practice that is more harmful to a great percentage of its depositors than the $35 NSF charge? The bank uses the practice of processing transactions from greatest to smallest to increase the chances that this will create more NSF fees from small transactions which in turn will create a debt of hundreds of dollars against your account. You’ve heard of the $40 cup of coffee? Congress' new policies regarding NSF fees will not eliminate the $40 cup of coffee.

This plan will.

Demand number 2 is that the NSF fee for any transaction that causes, compounds or perpetuates an overdraft may only be as high as the amount overdrawn.

If the overdraft is $2.00 the NSF fee is $2.00. If the overdraft is $200.00 the NSF fee is $200.00, and so on.

The Bank may actually make more money this way, and the burden wouldn’t be so heavy for the Bank’s lower income depositors.

ITEM #2a: EXTEND LATE REPAYMENT PERIOD FOR OVERDRAFTS

Bank of America recently added a new nuisance fee to pilfer more money from its customers - especially its lower-income customers. If an overdraft (including associated overdraft fees) is not repaid to the bank within 5 days the bank charges an additional $35 as a late payment fee.

This demand of repayment within five days adds anguish on top of insult to each customer affected by the fee, especially if they must wait more than 5 days for their next paycheck. And it steals money from the pockets of the people who need the money the most.

Demand number 2 also requires that if the bank would like to charge a late repayment fee for a customer’s failure to pay back the overdrawn amount, the bank will allow the average amount of time between a worker’s pay periods (15 days) before assigning this fee.

ITEM #3: PAY PRIME INTEREST RATE ON ALL MONEY LOANED TO THE BANK

When you put your money into a bank account you are loaning the bank your property. The bank then uses your money to make income for the bank. When the bank loans you money they charge you interest based on the Prime Rate, but when they borrow it from you they pay you next to nothing to use it. Now, why shouldn’t YOUR money work equally as hard for you as it does for them?

Without the public's money the bank doesn’t exist. Don’t you think it makes sense that the bank should show us its gratitude for our generosity and faith by rewarding us with a decent interest rate on the money we lend it through our savings accounts?

Demand number 3 is that we now require the bank to pay interest on all monies we loan to it, at the same rate as the prime lending rate, with the provision that the rate of interest paid the account holder will never fall below a minimum rate of 4%.

ITEM #6: CAP EXECUTIVE PAY

The banks are using their fee structure to force you to part with your hard-earned money so that they may redistribute the wealth to a select few executives. This is an abusive policy designed to bite the hands that feed it. Furthermore, executives receive gigantic bonuses regardless of whether the company does well or not (and whether it is legal at the time or not). Ken Lewis walked away from B of A with a reported $53 Million bonus. How much of that did you fund last year? And was your bonus anywhere near $53M?

This redistribution of wealth steals from your quality of life. Imagine how the money you paid Bank of America in fees last year could have worked to enrich you. But you had to deny yourself certain of life's pleasures because the bank president was busy getting fat off of your hard earned money.

Demand number 6 is that banks cap their executive pay to a percentage of the bank’s income (max. 0.00125%) and that bonuses are also calculated based on annual profits (max. 0.00015%).
We do not put our money in banks for it to be used to pay obscene salaries and bonuses to the company’s head honchos. It is safe to say that most of us would like to retain a good portion of what goes into the bank executives’ pockets. By capping the executive pay, the bank will no longer need to collect as much in fees.

ITEM #7: GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

Nothing says ‘thank you’ to the people like giving something back to us as a means of showing gratitude for our assistance in helping you earn a profit.

Demand number 7 is that the Bank will pipeline 3.5 percent of its net profit back into the community to help those in need. Education, food, and shelter are three of the most needed services toward which the Bank could direct its relief fund. An additional 0.5%, and/or any funds left over from the 3.5%, may be used to support sporting games, plant trees, sponsor cultural events, and other less-essential causes.

These are to be charitable donations to the community. The bank may receive the appropriate advertising and it can write the donations off, but it may not be granted, possess, or assume any ownership or directorial activities of the charities or causes to which the money goes. The bank may NOT donate to any private cause or charity with which any of its upper executives and/or family members are involved financially, politically, socially, or otherwise.

Banks have done considerable damage to our economy. Bank of America has done more than its share. It is now time that the bank demonstrate its gratitude and good will by helping rebuild the communities it has allowed its greed to destroy.

WHY WE MUST DO THIS

You might be wondering why we should do something as drastic as pull our money out of the bank and leave a set of demands in its place when Congress has been putting together new rules for the banks to abide by. Well, here’s why. Congress is weak. It is corrupt and ineffective, and you can be guaranteed that nobody on Capitol Hill has the backbone to do what really has to be done to restore order to the failing and corrupt banking system. They threw money at the banks and now we’re back to the same old business as usual that brought this country to its knees.
When Congress fails the people – when it no longer serves the best interest of the citizens – it becomes the responsibility of the citizenry to take charge of the situation and do what needs to be done and which Congress cannot bring itself to do.

There is nothing wrong with taking your support away from a business that has shown you disrespect, has not earned your support, has treated you poorly, charges you excessively, or has engaged in risky and criminal activities involving your money. If it were any other business… your local butcher, your gym, your coffee shop… and you were treated with the same level of contempt, you would stop doing business with them, plain and simple. All we are doing is applying that same sensible principle to Bank of America, PLUS we are giving them a master list of things that they can (and must) do if we are to again do business with them.

WHY BANK OF AMERICA?
BofA is one of the largest banks in the US. And it is one of the most aggressive when it comes to fees and other collection practices. They have more than set themselves up for this sort of protest. If Bank of America is forced to make changes to its policy to keep from going under from a rapid lack of support, the other banks will have to follow suit. We do not mind if you bank elsewhere and join in our protest by withdrawing your money from your bank (and giving the teller the "envelope"). That would be awesome. The more people on board the better!

YOU'RE NOT A SMALL FISH IN A BIG POND!
An ocean doesn’t start out as an ocean. It grows by one drop of water at a time. You may feel that taking your money out of Bank of America won’t have much effect. And by yourself it won’t. But there are many thousands of BofA customers who are angry and dissatisfied with the bank, and plenty of other customers who would like to see these changes made not only at BofA but at the other giant corporate banks as well. If you agree with any or all of the demands outlined in the Proclamation and would like to see them implemented, go pull out your money and hand the teller the Proclamation. Also please contact everyone you know who is a BofA customer and inform them that there is a movement underway to turn the banking industry’s greed into gratitude and it needs their support. Send your friends links to this page. Make this thing go viral. And before you know it we’ll all be a part of an ocean of necessary change.

OK, SO HOW DO WE DO THIS?
Simple. Just go to the bank and withdraw your money. There are three suggested plans as to how to go about this.

Before you go, print out a copy of the Proclamation and put it in an envelope. Write "For the District Manager" on the envelope. When you withdraw your money, politely thank the teller or customer service agent and then hand them the envelope. Take your money and walk out of the bank. It’s THAT simple! If you’d like, you may also comment on this page and tell us how it went.

Please do not use any abusive language or engage in an argument while in the bank. If the teller or agent asks why you are withdrawing your money simply tell them that the answers are all inside the envelope.

Here are the three plans for withdrawing your money. Choose the one that you think works best for you:

1) Withdraw all but $1.00 over your minimum balance. For example, if you have $1536.00 in your account and your minimum balance is $1,000 you will withdraw $535.00 leaving $1,001 in the account. This will help you avoid any minimum balance fees in the coming month(s). If the bank complies with our demands your account will be intact and awaiting your re-deposit. If the bank does not comply in the time allotted, return to the bank and close your account.

2) Withdraw all but $5.00 from your account. This will ensure you have an account through which you can cash checks if needed. You may also be fined a minimum balance fee if your account requires a minimum balance. If that happens it will be up to you whether you pay the bank that money or close out your account altogether. If you keep your account active you won’t need to open a new one (and order new checks, etc.) when the bank complies. And you probably will be able to afford to lose $5 if you choose to stiff the bank.

3) Close your account, lock, stock and barrel (as they say). If the bank decides to comply you can always go back at your leisure to open a new account. Or, you don’t have to. You might find a better financial institution simply by looking around.

In all cases, we ask that you deliver the Proclamation to your bank teller when you withdraw your money.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE MONEY AFTER WITHDRAWING IT?
That’s up to you. You can deposit it into another bank. You can try banking with a Credit Union for a change. You can keep the money under your mattress or bury it in your back yard if that appeals to you… anyway, it’ll do you just as much good there as it currently does at BofA.
Once the bank complies, bring your money back to the bank as its reward for doing the right thing. Should the bank NOT comply with the 7 demands, kiss BofA goodbye and use your money to support a different bank or credit union.

Bank of America has already told you through its abusive actions that it does not REALLY want your business. So why is your money still there?

The First Step

The first step in overcoming victimhood at the hands of the banks is to redefine how you think of your money and the role that it plays in your life. Most Americans feel they work hard for their money. Certainly that's subjective, as everyone's definition of hard work is personal. But how do you think of your money? If you think of it as simply a thing which gets you something else when you spend it, you may not be giving it, or yourself, enough respect.

Your money is your property. Whether it's the paper bills in your wallet or the dollar amount printed on your paycheck, or simply an electronic figure on your bank statement, it's your property (whether or not you actually see it or touch it). You worked for it. Someone gave it to you as a reward for your work. It became yours to do with as you please - to save it, or exchange it for a different kind of property... clothing, electronics, automobiles, real estate, etc. You can also exchange it for less tangible items such as a vacation, a service, entertainment, and so on. But, until you exchange your money for something else, it is real property, with a specific actual value, which you own. This is very important to understand, for you will continue to be at the mercy of the bank until you come to accept that your money is first and foremost your property.

The next thing that you need to remember is that money in the bank is your property on loan to the bank. There is no law that says you are obligated to give your money/property to a bank. Nor is there any law that says how much of your property you must loan to the bank, nor a legal time limit on how long you must lend your property to them (unless you have bought something with a maturation period, like a government savings bond, with your property). When you open a bank account YOU CHOOSE to lend your property to that bank. YOU are the one in control of deciding how long you will permit the bank to use your property, and you need not provide them with a reason to remove your property from their institution when you decide you want your property returned to you. And if the bank is in any way disrespectful to you while they are borrowing your property you have every right and reason to remove your property from their possession, without penalty.

Of course if you have used credit to spend a greater amount of property than you own, you do have to replace that credited property to the bank that issued you the credit loan. And as we all know, the bank will charge you interest on the property they loan you. But as it's all monetary property, and the property all has the same value (a dollar is a dollar is a dollar), it is rather disrespectful of the bank to charge you interest to borrow someone else's property without paying you a reasonably equivalent sum for borrowing your property.

The bottom line here is that the bank really has no money of its own, except that which they can acquire by using your property. Or that which they can extort by charging you for borrowing your property - which is completely inappropriate and disrespectful. When it comes right down to it, all of the service fees, NSF fees, late fees, etc. might be justifiable IF the bank were paying you a commensurate interest rate on the property you lend it. But they don't. It therefore adds insult to injury when they write all of the rules to benefit themselves while sticking it good to you. And it's nothing less than a slap in your face to charge you a "minimum balance" fee for not lending them enough of your property. In the end, you get punished for doing them the favor of allowing them the use of your property. And that is entirely, morally wrong.

It is time that we change that.

It is time we take our property away from the banks if they are only going to use it against us. It is time that WE write the rules, because without us the banks cannot exist. They need our property and they need our business but they sure don't act as if they do. In fact, they act as though they are doing us the favor when it is the other way around.

Remember: Your money is your property. You are the sole owner of your property and you choose to allow the bank the opportunity to use it for only as long as you want them to. YOU have the legal right to exercise control over your property, not the bank. And YOU have every right to demand respect and a show of gratitude for your kindness in lending the bank your property.

Once you accept these truths you will be able to help return the proper balance to the relationship between the banks and the public.

~JQA
_________________________________________________________________

Here are two practices a bank performs against you which need to be discontinued:

• Charging you a minimum balance fee on the money you lend the bank
  
• Paying you anything less than the prime lending rate for the money it borrows from you
  

Introduction

Welcome to my blog.

I'd like you to think of this as more than just a blog. I'd like you to think of it as a call to action, an inspiration to engage in creating some much-needed change in America. Think of this space as a home for ideas and a fountain of support if the financial industries in our country have left you feeling powerless and without hope.

You are not alone. More Americans than ever feel trapped by their banks and credit card companies - organizations which have redistributed your hard-earned income to create extreme wealth for a select few. These corporations have devised plans to rob you of every possible dollar they can and shame you into feeling guilty for not abiding by their rules and regulations. They have also robbed you of the knowledge that YOU are the one who holds the power over them. It's been a systematic plan executed over several decades. But as with all policies involving unrestricted greed, this plan has finally reached its point of failure. And all it needs is YOU to help topple the corrupt system and restore the balance.

What AMERICANS DEMANDING CHANGE NOW seeks to do is to restore the balance through peaceful yet effective demonstrations. We are not going to ask you to assemble in groups, participate in sit-ins or engage in any other activity that would take time away from your normal schedule. What we ARE going to ask you to do is simply take back control of your money. It is something so remarkably simple to do, and by doing it we can send a powerful message to the leaders of the financial industries that we are no longer going to accept the abuses and the thanklessness as part of our relationships with them.

We shall begin our project with a simple coordinated action against Bank Of America. Why BofA? Well, BofA is at the center of a number of controversies and scandals, all of which they have created through their heavy-handed policies and abusive/deceptive customer service practices. They've bitten too many of the hands that feed them, and, well, since they are already in the limelight as a result of their bad behavior, they make a much more delicious target at this time.

This is not to say that you, as an account holder at any of the nation's other major banks (Wells Fargo, Citicorp, etc.) cannot follow our lead and protest at your banks at the same time. In fact, that may do even more good towards our cause. Immediately after we finish our protests against BofA we shall move on to similar protests against the Visa corporation and the credit card industry as a whole.

Remember, there is strength in numbers and the only way that we will have our efforts rewarded and institute change within these industries is by acting together. Never before have the banking and credit card industries left themselves so wide open for revolt. We must act as if we are an army and focus on our target together so that together, as one, we can make the change occur and restore the balance.