But what about our own financial hardship?

With the big four banks recording massive profits I would have thought that there would have been room for a more humane approach to banking, but that does not appear to be the case.  It is a pity that the Commonwealth Bank was sold off as it would have been a de facto retail version of the reserve bank, setting the benchmark for services, fees and interest rates that the private banks would have had to comply with else they lose customers.  The only levers currently capable of restraining the big banks are indirect ones such as ASIC.