Few of the comments so far seem to take into account the main point of the article, which is about savings interest rates and how stingy the big banks are.

I keep just the minimum average balances in my checking and savings to avoid monthly fees. (for example, $3K combined check/savings at Citi, $1.5K checking at Chase). All my excess cash/emergency fund is either in CDs or I-bonds at higher interest rates.

As to the bigger question of why I would open accounts at these large banks in the first place (when I also have a local credit union that has served me well for over 30 years with savings and several loans), none of the banks where I am now are the ones I opened the account with. Every single one started at a smaller local or regional bank and then got taken over by some other out of state/big bank, sometimes more than once. Even Wells Fargo is no longer the original bank I started with, even though they kept the name, it was taken over by some out of state bank several decades ago as I recall.

As a result, I have simply drifted into a relationship with these big banks because I was passively transferred.