Google plans to partner with banks to offer checking accounts
Given Google&#x27;s reputation for avoiding any type of direct customer support, I&#x27;m perplexed as to why they are trying to do this.<p>It&#x27;s one thing to offer an online product suite without any support, it&#x27;s a completely other thing to offer a product that is as heavily regulated as banking services.<p>They&#x27;re probably not going to earn any significant amount from providing a checking account. I can only assume that they&#x27;re after the transaction data itself (looking for patterns, etc.), but I find it hard to believe that the payoff would be large enough to endure the pain that is the current regulatory environment surrounding banking. Especially when you&#x27;re notorious for avoiding personal interactions.