Banking habits stay rooted as Americans overlook better options: survey

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · May 13, 2026 · 770 words · By SWNS

Financial Literacy Consumer Dissatisfaction Banking Industry Disruption

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What to know about Financial Literacy

Banking habits stay rooted as Americans overlook better options: survey One quarter of Americans still have the same bank as when they opened their very first account, new research has revealed.

Claims checked 24

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Banking habits stay rooted as Americans overlook better options: survey One quarter of Americans still have the same bank as when they opened their very first account, new research has revealed.

Why it matters

adults with a bank account, which was conducted by Talker Research on behalf of banking app Chime, and highlighted long-standing relationships, despite settling for subpar rewards and returns.

Common ground

The study found that the average respondent has been with their bank for nearly two decades (17.4 years), and 26% of baby boomers have stuck around for more than 30 years.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Pity, Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Financial Literacy story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Four in five of those polled (81%) have at least one credit card?
How does this story connect Financial Literacy with Consumer Dissatisfaction over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/lifestyle/banking-habits-stay-rooted-as-americans-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Pity 70% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Oversimplification 80% confidence

Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.

Why it matters: Recognizing oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 24 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 14

info Single Source 4

help Insufficient Evidence 3

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Four in five of those polled (81%) have at least one credit card”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 2: “39% say rewards are now the number one factor in choosing where to bank”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 3: “44% of Gen Z and 30% of millennials expecting to pay for rewards and benefits”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 4: “One quarter of Americans still have the same bank as when they opened their very first account”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence consists of general Wikipedia entries about banking and Americans, but no specific data or reports confirming the 25% statistic.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group who, as defined by the United States census, consists of Americans who have…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Americans

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States. U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with race or ethnicity, but rather with citizenship. The U.S. has 37 ancestry groups with mo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). According…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Americans

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “A majority of those polled (63%) believe meaningful benefits are reserved only for those with premium accounts and that the best rewards go to those with a high balance”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 6: “54% of those pay annual fees, totaling an average of $1,000”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 7: “A little more than a quarter (28%) have no idea what interest rate their savings account earns”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching.

schedule

Claim 8: “of those who keep a fee-based credit card, 22% say they do so simply because “that’s just the way it is””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 9: “only 11% of Gen Z believe you should not have to pay for rewards, compared to another 30% of millennials, 48% of Gen X and 64% of baby boomers”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 10: “another 30% aren’t even aware that some banks offer fee-free rewards”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence discusses credit card benefits and ATM fees in general, but does not mention the specific 30% statistic regarding fee-free rewards awareness from the survey.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Credit card perks include more than just rewards, but a CardRatings survey revealed many cardholders don't know what features their cards offer.
https://www.cardratings.com/research/survey-cardholders-unaw…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Here are eight banks and credit unions in the U.S. that pay you back for out-of-network ATM fees.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/8-banks-reimburse-atm-fees-12…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Discover how to avoid bank fees on checking and savings accounts. We explain why banks charge 14 different bank account fees and how to avoid them.
https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/banking/how…

help

Claim 11: “twice as many Americans polled turn to their credit cards for meaningful rewards (52%)”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching.

schedule

Claim 12: “respondents would rather make direct deposits every month to earn rewards (38%), edging out maintaining a minimum balance (32%) and paying monthly fees (8%)”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “Almost half of millennials (47%) even go so far as to say they “literally need to earn rewards to make ends meet.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “the majority of those polled (55%) agree that traditional banking needs an overhaul”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 15: “Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans with a bank account who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Chime and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between April 2 and April 8, 2026”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 16: “Almost half of those surveyed (48%) believe they should not have to pay for rewards”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 17: “the average respondent has been with their bank for nearly two decades (17.4 years)”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that the study found the average respondent has been with their bank for 17.4 years.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In mathematics, it most commonly refers to the arithmetic mean, but may also refer to other measures such as other types of mean, the median, or the mode. Representation of the arithmetic mean, median…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Average

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Free calculator to determine the average, or the arithmetic mean, of a given data set. It also returns the calculation steps, sum, count, and more.
https://www.calculator.net/average-calculator.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of AVERAGE is a single value (such as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values. How to use average in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/average

check_circle

Claim 18: “26% of baby boomers have stuck around for more than 30 years”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that 26% of baby boomers have stuck around for more than 30 years.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The study found that the average respondent has been with their bank for nearly two decades (17.4 years), and 26% of baby boomers have stuck around for more than 30 years.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/lifestyle/banking-habits-stay-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The study found that the average respondent has been with their bank for nearly two decades (17.4 years), and 26% of baby boomers have stuck around for more than 30 years.
https://talker.news/2026/05/13/many-americans-loyal-to-longt…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — For the first time in the history of the survey, Baby Boomers said they use mobile banking apps the most (38%), while the percentage that said they primarily utilize online banking via laptop or PC to…
https://www.aba.com/about-us/press-room/press-releases/natio…

help

Claim 19: “only 26% earn any meaningful rewards from that account”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching.

info

Claim 20: “the average respondent deposits a majority of their income — 68% — into their checking account”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence consists of general definitions of 'average' from Wikipedia and Merriam-Webster, providing no data on income deposits.

travel_explore

info

Claim 21: “a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults with a bank account, which was conducted by Talker Research on behalf of banking app Chime”

SINGLE SOURCE

Web results provide definitions of 'talker' and a general site for 'talker.news', but do not confirm the specific survey of 2,000 adults conducted for Chime.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Talkers are a form of online virtual worlds in which multiple users are connected at the same time to chat in real-time. People log in to the talkers remotely (usually via Telnet), and have a basic te…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talker

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Definition of talker noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/ame…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — talker.news delivers ready-to-use news and content to journalists, editors, writers and producers. Our stories are easy to find and quick to download.
https://talker.news/

schedule

Claim 22: “24% have a credit card to earn rewards, outranking even the desire to build credit (20%) or for emergency purposes (14%)”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 23: “36% of those polled have never even considered switching to another bank”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web results provided for this claim are unit converters for inches to centimeters and are completely irrelevant to the claim about switching banks.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — How much are 36 inches in centimeters? 36 inches equal 91.44 centimeters (36in = 91.44cm). Converting 36 in to cm is easy. Simply use our calculator above, or apply the formula to change the length 36…
https://inches-to-cm.appspot.com/36-inches-to-cm.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — How long is 36 inches? How far is 36 inches in centimeters? This simple calculator will allow you to easily convert 36 in to cm.
https://www.calculateme.com/length/inches/to-centimeters/36

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — When we talk about 36 inches, we’re talking about a length of three feet. To put it simply, an object measuring 36 inches would be equivalent to the distance between your elbow and your fingertips. Th…
https://measureby.com/how-long-or-big-is-36-inches-with-10-e…

schedule

Claim 24: “Fifty-nine percent of credit card users would cancel or downgrade their card if their checking account offered the same rewards”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.