Where you bank shapes what gets built.
Change Your Bank
Questions? We have answers.
Every dollar in a deposit account is active. Banks use those deposits to fund loans that shape housing, small business growth, infrastructure upgrades, and community development.
Understanding these flows helps you choose the kind of outcomes your money supports.
Housing, transportation, and local infrastructure all influence the cost and quality of life in a community. Loans that support modern, efficient buildings, local businesses, access to affordable and clean energy, and resilient infrastructure can lower household expenses, strengthen neighborhoods, and support long-term economic stability. These connections often go unseen, but they affect real people every day.
Good question.Responsible institutions tend to be transparent about their lending priorities.
You can look for signs such as:
• community development loans
• strong customer service models
• certifications (B Corp, CDFI, MDI)
• member ownership
• locally focused lending
• public reporting on community outcomes
Please note that none of the institutions here listed financially support the initiative.
There are many more institutions that are “good”.
We started by contacting a group of 100 institutions. We structured our outreach by starting with organizations that already met one of more of the following criteria:
Drop us a note. If the institution meets our criteria and wants to be included, we’ll conduct our due diligence add them to the list if approved.
To make the full switch, you need to open a new account and close your old account(s). Set yourself a reminder to switch here.
Opening a new account can take fewer than 5 minutes. It might take a bit longer for institutions that require steps like a signature or if you need to gather some information. You’ll usually need:
If you’re not a citizen, you can still almost always still open an account. You can use other documents to open an account, such as a:
Closing your old account is easy if you just follow a few steps:
1. Check that all pending payments from your old account have cleared, like checks and debit charges.
2. Transfer money from your old account to your new one. Important: Some institutions charge fees for low account balances, so be sure to either close your account on the same day or leave enough money in your account until you close it to avoid any fees.
3. Move over all your recurring payments (music streaming service, rent, utilities, insurance, etc) to the new account. (You can look at your bank statement to check what needs to be switched). Important: Try to also move them all at once to ensure your payments aren’t interrupted. If you can’t remember all your recurring payments, you can leave your old account open for a month to monitor any activity and close it after that month.
4. Switch your direct deposits (ie. your paycheck), your automatic payments (like your gas and internet), and your linked accounts (music, streaming, and video subscriptions) to the new account.
5. Let your old institution know that you want to close the account. You can usually do this online or over the phone. Document the closing and ask for confirmation that the account is closed via email or a letter.
Important: If you are receiving or expect to receive government assistance due to the pandemic, we recommend keeping your old account until you have finished receiving payments. This ensures you do not miss a payment. Types of assistance include:
Sure thing. Set yourself a daily, weekly, or monthly reminder here.
Here are some ideas to start:
Our work is fully funded by a U.S. philanthropic foundation.
No. None of the financial institutions listed here payed to be listed.
Yes! We got in touch with all the institutions listed here to explain the campaign.
Switching accounts is just the beginning. Step it up here.
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