How a College Grad Helped Sink BofA's Debit Card Fee

Bank of America's $5-debit-card-fee hit the dustbin after "a great deal of feedback from customers," it said—but the bank didn't mention a 22-year-old college grad who got angry enough to rally 360,000 signatures against the plan. "I heard the news about the fee and was like, 'That is it. I'm sick of this,'" says Molly Katchpole of Washington, DC. So she turned to Change.org, a website that posts petitions and helps organize community campaigns, reports Time.

She canceled her BofA account, posted a letter to the bank that went viral, and sliced up her debit card on video. Then, a month later, BofA nixed its controversial plan. Change.org's founder says Katchpole's triumph testifies to the power of social media: "Ten years ago if this had happened, what would Molly have done?" The site has been a venue for some 50,000 petitions in more than 30 countries, helping protesters tackle community problems ranging from bullying to "corrective rape" in South Africa. Katchpole says "it does really give me a sense of empowerment." Now, she tells the Washington Post, all she needs is a job—preferably "taking on multinational corporations." (Read about Harvard students who blame the recession on their professor—and walked out of class.)