Thread by @thejournalista

Zelle is trending because some people are classist and elitist. Don't try to shame people for not having bank accounts.

According to the FDIC, as of 2017, almost 54% of black households, 44.5% of American Indian/Alaskan house- holds, and 43.3% of Hispanic households are either unbanked or underbanked.

Unbanked meaning no one in the household has a bank account. Underbanked meaning although there may be a person with a bank account, they go outside the bank for things like check cashing, payday loans, money orders etc.

Think about people who live in rural areas or don't have cars etc and can't always get to the bank the same way you can. Then tuck that privilege in please. You're being gross.

Comments like "grow up and use Zelle" are unnecessarily dismissive and highlight the fact that you have no understanding of how banking works in this country.

As I have previously stated, before returning to school to study journalism, I spent more than 15 years working in banking and finance for some of the largest financial institutions. The system is rigged.

The reason things like CashApp, Green Dot and the Walmart Money Center exist is because the system is rigged against everyone who isn't affluent and white. Period.

Not to mention that one screw up could prohibit you from getting a new bank account for 5-10 years if your name shows up in Clarity or ChexSystems.

I worked in risk management for American Express, Bank of America and Capital One.

Risk management basically assess whether or not you are worth the bank risking its assets by giving you credit. Let me tell you something: the system is fucking RIGGED.

Just keep all of this in mind is all I ask. Use CashApp or Venmo or PayPal or whichever app you prefer, but don't make a value judgment based on the app other people choose. You don't know their circumstances.