Walmart-backed One has made a splash with high-profile hires and big potential, but customers of the old regime feel left behind

Advertisement
Walmart-backed One has made a splash with high-profile hires and big potential, but customers of the old regime feel left behind
One Finance; Walmart; Rachel Mendelson/Insider

Hiya. It's Dan DeFrancesco checking in from NYC.

Advertisement

Today we've got stories on JPMorgan's new affordable advice, BofA's back-to-the-office push, and the best costumes from top celebrities.

But first, we've got some changes to your service.


If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Insider's app here.


Advertisement

1. The ones left behind

Having your bank acquired by the nation's largest retailer might seem like an exciting opportunity. More resources plus a wider reach could mean a lot of great new benefits. Maybe even a cool new loyality program? Who doesn't love points?!

But for many customers at One, the reality isn't nearly as fun.

In January, Walmart-backed fintech venture Hazel acquired digital-only bank One and adopted its moniker. The ensuing months have seen One alter or remove popular features, sometimes with little or no notice, Insider reports.

From closing credit lines to removing budgeting features, One customers told Insider they've been frustrated to see some of the tools that drew them to the bank get retired.

Advertisement

"It's confusing to watch Walmart acquire a bank like One — a bank that is trying to set itself apart from the big players in the banking industry — just to slowly and painfully tear away all of the features that made it sort of interesting," one user told Insider.

Insider's Carter Johnson and Ben Tobin, who reported the story, tell me as difficult as these changes have been for One users, they are somewhat expected. Walmart has 1.6 million employees and a customer base of roughly 100 million, which will serve as a massive launching pad for One. It was never practical for One to remain the same while trying to serve a much wider audience.

And while One has been extremely tight-lipped about what types of features or services it will provide, the fact that it is stripping down One, to a degree, could be a sign of bigger things to come.

More broadly, what One customers are going through should be a signal to the rest of the industry, Carter and Ben point out.

Neobanks often market themselves to customers by their unique features, sometimes catering to a specific demographic. But as these banks look to grow, they'll need to appeal to a wider audience, forcing them to rethink the types of tools and services they can support.

Advertisement

Read our full deep-dive into how One customers feel frustrated by changes made to their bank in the wake of its acquisition.


In other news:

Walmart-backed One has made a splash with high-profile hires and big potential, but customers of the old regime feel left behind
Diddy, Heidi Klum, and Mindy Kaling are just a few of the many celebrities that celebrate Halloween with statement looks.Diddy/Instagram; Noam Galai/Getty Images for Heidi Klum; Mindy Kaling/Instagram

2. JPMorgan would like you to give them a ring. The bank is rolling out a new program where clients with at least $25,000 in investable assets can chat via phone or video with advisors. Here's more info on how it fits into US wealth management CEO Kristin Lemkau's strategy.

3. The ongoing feud between billionaire investor Dan Och and Sculptor Capital Management CEO Jimmy Levin is heating up. In a recent court filing, Och, who had originally tapped Levin to be his successor at the hedge fund, cited a "personal issue" for why he ended up backtracking on his decision, Bloomberg reports.

Advertisement

4. If you're a Bank of America trader, it's time to reup that commuter pass. The bank's global markets employees were informed they can only work remote two days a month, Bloomberg reports. BofA has pushed to get people back in the office since this summer, as Insider previously reported.

5. The banks that helped finance Elon Musk's deal for Twitter are playing the waiting game. Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and the other lenders are willing to wait until the new year to offload the $12.7 billion of debt they have tied to Twitter, the Financial Times reports. Here's why.

6. If you're in the market for a Swiss lender, keep it moving. Credit Suisse Chairman Axel Lehmann said the bank is not for sale, and wants to stay independent. Read more of his comments from his interview with Bloomberg Television.

7. Opendoor pulled out all the stops to try and off-load houses in Q3. From generous incentives to reduced prices, here's what the San Francisco-based firm did to head off bigger losses.

8. Michael Novogratz's Galaxy Digital is planning on making some cuts. The former Goldman Sachs partner's firm is considering a 20% reduction in headcount, CoinDesk reports.

Advertisement

9. The former top executive at CNN could be landing in private equity. Jeff Zucker, who resigned earlier this year from his role as president of CNN, is in talks to join RedBird Capital Partners to run a $1 billion fund focused on sports, The Ankler reports.

10. If you're still feeling in the spirit, these are the 47 best Halloween costumes donned by celebrities. Credit to Heidi Klum for going all in.

Correction: In Tuesday's newsletter we mischaracterized Sachin Devand's role at American Express. Devand will be focused on web, mobile, data, and machine learning, not leading Amex's cloud products and tools


Keep updated with the latest business news throughout your day by checking out The Refresh from Insider, a dynamic audio news brief. Listen here.


Edited by Jeffrey Cane (tweet @jeffrey_cane) in New York and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.

Advertisement
{{}}