Facebook-driven 'Bank Transfer Day' movement goes viral

Call it Occupy Main Street.

Kristen Christian, a 27-year-old art gallery owner, is urging Americans to participate in Bank Transfer Day on Nov. 5 by dumping their corporate bank in favor of small, non-profit credit unions. Doing so, she claims, will send a message and show major financial groups that recently implemented fees under the Durbin Amendment will not be tolerated.

"I started this because I felt like many of you do. I was tired – tired of the fee increases, tired of not being able to access my money when I need to, tired of them using what little money I have to oppress my brothers and sisters. So I stood up." Christian said on the event's Facebook page .

Though the Facebook-driven campaign for Bank Transfer Day seems to follow suit with the Occupy Wall Street protests, the creator claims the two movements aren't related.

Christian set the deadline for protesters to make the banking switch by Nov. 5 to correlate with Guy Fawkes Day.

While Bank Transfer Day won't be celebrated with bonfires, the creator hopes "that those who associate the two with 'a failed terrorist attack' would be able to put a new meaning to the image and date – the day the 99 percent stood together in solidarity to end the financing of their own mistreatment and abuse by 1 percent."

So far, Bank Transfer Day has drawn a fair amount of attention. The event's Facebook page has collected nearly 5,000 likes, while over 30,000 people have clicked that they were attending the Bank Transfer Day event .

Industry publication the Credit Union Times has also been closely following the event. Mark Wolff, a spokesman for the Credit Union National Association, told the CU Times his organization "welcomes the idea of a viral Bank Transfer Day" and encourages consumers to look at credit unions.

Christian seems to be on the same page. "I just think people should make new choices," she told the CU Times.