When you’re suddenly unemployed, like so many in Hollywood in the wake of the WGA Writer’s Strike, I bet it’s not easy to get a new checking account without a regular paycheck. Yet online banks like WaMu might be a help in a situation like that. Their free checking option seems like a good way to protect yourself against stockpiling a bunch of treacherous bank fees to add to your problems when cash gets tight.

I’ve seen some bank fees really pile up on friends of mine; in less than a month, one simple overdraft can snowball into a bigger pile of debt than can ever pay off easily – more than they make in a month. Friendly neighborhood banks have been taken over by so many merged banking conglomerates that collecting bank fees seems to be more of an obsession with banks these days than establishing long-term banking relationships with loyal customers.

Strange as it may seem, online banks like WaMu seem more personal and merciful than a lot of bigger-name national banking franchises, these days. What’s the world coming to? All I can say is, I bet the out-of-work techies are happy to hear that writers and producers are getting together to resume talks after Thanksgiving. It’s a sign of hope.