Recently my parents needed to open a checking account for their newly created trust. In a phone conversation with my mom, who now makes most of the financial decisions, I asked which bank she planned to use. She said she was considering the decision. She was loyal to her old bank, but my sister, who lives close by, wanted my mom to move to her bank. Given similar rates of return at both banks, I asked what I thought was an obvious question, “Which bank is the easiest to get in and out of?” We debated the pros and cons of each location. Both banks were on busy roads with no signals to help regulate traffic in and out. Since my dad uses a wheelchair, we also considered the parking-lot setup, ramp access, whether they had an automatic entry system, and the configuration of the lobby floor plan to try to figure out which bank was easiest for my dad to navigate. We were amused that, as much attention as banks devote to customer service and relationship building, at the end of the...