Union Bank wanted $15k to avoid fees

My wife and I held a Signature Banking account at the Fallbrook branch of Union Bank until the following incident occurred. This type of account waives monthly fees if a minimum balance is maintained in the combined balance of deposit accounts.

On December 22, Union Bank sent us an email saying the required minimum was being raised by $15,000 effective January 1, 2012. As we were earning less than 0.1 percent interest in their “Preferred” savings account, Union Bank effectively wanted an interest-free loan of $15,000 or else fees would be charged.

We decided to move our monies to another Fallb...