Bank of America issued an apology to a Pittsburgh woman after a contractor hired by the company broke into a woman's house, padlocked her door, cut water lines and electrical wiring, damaged flooring, poured anti-freeze in the toilet, and, for the coup de grâce , absconded with her parrot.

The bank apparently believed that the house was vacant -- which it wasn't. She was traveling and, in any case, she wasn't even in default. According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), the victim, Angela Iannelli, has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50,000 in damages. If the case goes to trial, a jury would decide the amount.

This is just the latest in the never-ending series of "stupid things Bank of America does" that has been chronicled on the Internet. In January, Bank of America foreclosed on a house that was owned free and clear and had never had a Bank of America mortgage: and also, cut the wires and poured anti-freeze in the sink.

You can say that this was an honest mistake and that the company apologized, and there's some truth to that. But the fact is that this kind of thing happens with Bank of America pretty routinely and never seems to happen with small local banks that hire competent people who know the names of all their customers.

Bottom line? If for no other reason than that you value the mental health of your pet bird, bank locally. Check out the Huffington Post's Move Your Money page for more information.