STOP BANKING WITH THE BAD GUYS

You don't have to keep your checking account with one of the big bad guys. You can switch to a community bank or a credit union. Here's some good advice from Move Your Money:

Not all community banks are risk free. Some of them got involved in the same risky behavior that took down some of the biggest banks. We suggest two options for looking into the small and community banks in your area:

1. Thanks to the volunteer services of a group called Institutional Risk Analytics, you can get a listing of the most sound community banks near you. IRA lists only banks that, according to its rating system, which is based on government data, get a grade of "B" or better.

Find top rated community banks near you

Like the FDIC for banks and thrifts, the National Credit Union Administration insures the deposits of credit unions and is a good resource for financial data on specific institutions. Credit unions do not disclose financial data in the same way as FDIC-insured banks. As a result, credit unions are not presently included in the IRA ratings database, which covers over 8,000 federally insured banks and thrifts. IRA is developing a method to rate credit unions in a way that is comparable to the IRA bank stress ratings.

Find credit unions near you

2. Go to the Independent Community Bankers of America site and do a zip-code search. Or, if you're interested in credit unions, go to Credit Unions National Association and do a zip-code search. Then go to BankRate.com and see how it rates the banks or credit unions you're interested in.