Should Starbucks become a bank?

By one estimate, 17 percent of consumers either changed banks or opened an extra account at another bank in the last quarter of 2008. Does that spell opportunity for anyone? The Financial Times suggests Starbucks ought to start up a retail bank. It's not kidding (I don't think).

With 7,000 outlets, the distribution would be okay if it set up ATMs. It could offer "competitive deposit rates and a modest range of loans and mortgages by partnering with a finance company." Perhaps this would even help it sell coffee. "Finally, the name Starbucks has a nice ring for a U.S. bank. Indeed, it sounds more like a bank than a coffee chain." Before the recession, some might have taken this seriously. But running a bank right now isn't as easy as we once assumed. Neither is running an upscale coffee chain. 

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- here's the article