Molly | Be a Seed for Change

Watch ABC News’ report on your victory over big bank debit card fees

“Score one for a customer rebellion!” — that’s how Diane Sawyer announced on ABC Nightly News Friday night that big banks are backing off debit card fees after 300,000 people signed Molly Katchpole’s Change.org petition against Bank of America’s $5 debit card fee.

Not only is Bank of America revising its $5 debit card fee, but big banks like Chase and Wells Fargo are publicly canceling their plans to charge their customers for debit cards.

You must watch this segment from ABC Nightly News about Molly’s Change.org petition. It’s a truly inspiring story about what’s possible when we organize together.

Molly’s fight against Bank of America isn’t over. While BofA is revising its fee, many customers, including Molly, would still have to pay $5 for a debit card fee even after the bank’s revisions. But, as the Wall Street Journal put it, the “big banks blinked.”

Here’s what else the media is saying about Molly’s Change.org petition against big bank fees:

ABC: “Banks Back Down from Fees”
CBS: “Bank of America Backs Down After Consumer Backlash”
Mother Jones: “Banks Surrender on Debit Card Fees”
Daily Mail: “Victory for customers as big banks back down from debit card fees”
Time Magazine: “Banks Back Off Unpopular Debit Card Fees”
NY Daily News: “After outcry, Wells Fargo, Chase, Bank of America back off on debit card fees”

Dan Rather covered Molly’s petition too, saying that Change.org has become a “nerve-center for social justice the world over.”

But here’s what’s most exciting: If a 22-year-old from Washington can best the biggest bank in America with a Change.org petition, think about what else is possible.

Watch ABC Nightly News’ report on how banks backed down because of Molly Katchpole’s petition on Change.org, then share with people you know.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Jess and the Change.org team

Sign Molly’s petition telling Bank of America to cancel its $5 debit card fee

When Molly Katchpole found out that Bank of America would charge $5 a month to use a debit card, she was upset — so she started a petition on Change.org.

Since then, 225,000 Change.org members have signed her petition. And now Bank of America is under enormous pressure to cancel its new debit card fee. A Bank of America executive even called Molly and told her that while cancelling the fee would be “premature,” the bank was “closely monitoring customer feedback.”

More public pressure could be enough to push the bank to cancel its new $5 debit card fee. Can you sign Molly’s petition asking Bank of America to cancel its new debit card fee? Bank of America is listening to you — and other banks are, too.http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-bank-of-america-no-5-debit-card-fees?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&alert_id=CHuXxznbBT_bKwoXhePWu

In less than three weeks, Bank of America went from announcing a new $5 monthly debit card fee, to reeling under huge pressure from the media, Congress, and Change.org members. Here’s a quick review of what happened:
September 29: Bank of America announces a new $5 monthly debit card fee.
September 30: Molly creates her petition on Change.org; more than 150,000 people sign in the next 5 days.
October 5: The petition becomes a major national story. ABC News interviews Molly, then tracks down Bank of America’s CEO Brian Moynihan and forces him to respond to it.
October 6: Molly delivers 153,000 petitions to Bank of America and closes her account. She appears on ABC World News again to discuss the petition. Local media in Charlotte (where Bank of America is based) openly speculate that the growing controversy could lead to the firing of Moynihan.
October 9: Molly is featured in a major article in the New York Times as an example of the public’s frustration with big banks.
October 10: Bank of America executive Andrew Pepler calls Molly Katchpole to discuss her petition.
October 13: Molly meets with Congressman Brad Miller to discuss a bill in Congress to make it easier to switch banks. The two later appear on CNN together.
October 18: Molly’s petition reaches 225,000, as Bank of America reports a $6 billion profit. The outrage continues to grow.

Other banks are paying attention to the public reaction to Bank of America’s new debit card fee. Citibank even said its “customers made it abundantly clear” that they wouldn’t like a debit card fee.

What’s next in this campaign to cancel Bank of America’s $5 debit card fees? It’s up to you.

Please sign the petition demanding Bank of America cancel its new $5 monthly debit card fee. Click here to add your name:

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-bank-of-america-no-5-debit-card-fees

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Jess and the Change.org team