[Aaron] Patzer scoffs at notion that financial institutions and online-banking vendors can keep pace with Mint’s innovation, however. “The thing that I always bank on at Mint is that if you are thought leader and everyone is copying you, then you are by definition ahead of everyone else. And they can only follow so fast…. You can copy one feature of Mint, but you will never be that whole solution.”

Mark points out this, though, which few PFM-lovers discuss:

But more important is the fact that banks and credit unions provide online-banking and bill-pay capabilities that enable customers to monitor AND manage their money.

A new BofA commercial comes on (no, we don’t have TiVo yet. I know, I know…). Voiceover talks about mobile banking meaning you can bank from anywhere. Then they point out online banking = you never have to go to the bank. I seem to remember other recent spots of theirs boasting a massive ATM network.

Bank is a verb, not a place.

By the way, how smart of a media buy is that: buying a spot on the Travel Channel about banking anywhere. Smart thinkin’, says me.