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Did Bank Transfer Day work? Over the weekend, many Americans came out to protest big banks, and while there's no hard data yet to gauge the day's impact, credit unions around the country are reporting a continuing upsurge in interest. And the protests don't appear to be fading.

On Saturday, tens of thousands will march, protest and move their money out of big banks. But plenty of Americans haven't waited for Bank Transfer Day. For Frank Sheldon of Seattle, his journey to a credit union started in 2008 when his old bank was absorbed by J.P. Morgan Chase.

Between the outcry over Bank of America's new fees and the approach of "Bank Transfer Day," low-profile credit unions have been receiving a lot of attention. But the publicity has exposed a number of commonly held false beliefs about credit unions. Let's debunk a few of the most common.

The financial world's fee fever may have abated -- for now. Several big and medium-sized banks say they're not implementing fees for debit card use anytime soon. But with bank revenues slipping, they do need to act, and more are considering cost cuts to repair their bottom lines.

Millions of Americans are disgusted with the big bank status quo, and many are closing out their accounts and moving their money to smaller institutions. It's a good time to do it: Credit unions are waiting with open arms, a customer-centric philosophy -- and incentives.

Bank of America learned pretty quickly last month that customers think $5 a month is too much to pay to use a debit card. But is there such a thing as a reasonable bank fee? One in three people say they're prepared to walk away from their financial institution to avoid a fee, a new survey reveals.

Cheap credit is making a comeback, at least for some people: Credit card companies' fierce competition for new, low-risk customers has them ramping up their 0% interest rate offers again, and offering those teaser rates for longer. So if you have the FICO score to qualify, it's time to take advantage.

Bank of America's announcement this week that it would start charging a monthly $5 fee for using a debit card to make purchases is the latest in banking industry upcharges. As fee-free options for banking dwindle, the bottom line is that consumers are paying more to use their own money.

Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $85 million to settle civil charges over subprime lending - the largest ever fine imposed by the Fed in a consumer-enforcement case. Thousands of consumers could be compensated by up to $20,000 each.

The concept of "free checking" has always been somewhat fraught with inaccuracies. Yes, you may have an account that doesn't have a monthly fee, but if you review your annual statements, you may discover that you have, indeed, paid for this, whether it's an amazingly high cost for checks (does it...