For bigger transfers, the $10-20 fee for a fedwire is no longer much of a factor, so people will just use that.

> the $10-20 fee for a fedwire is no longer much of a factor

That is almost entirely your bank charging a mark-up.

The Fed charges its members between 3.3¢ and 84¢ per wire, depending on things [1]. (It can go as high as $1.20 for a $100+ million wire from a bank that handles fewer than 14,000 wires a month.)

My bank, for instance, doesn’t charge anything for wires.

[1] https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/file... page 34

Which bank do you use that doesn't charge for wires?

Not OP, but Fidelity is the only financial services firm I'm aware of that doesn't charge inbound or outbound wire fees (exceptions apply if you're a high net worth individual at other firms).