I hate banks. I’ve hated them since I was a drifty teenager who had a volatile relationship with math and trouble coming up with the required documents proving my adultness. My first checking account had less to do with the paltry sum I owned than it did with running head-on into the vast and solid dimensions of bureaucracy. But I eventually grew up and learned to deal responsibly with money. Can the same be said for banks?

I ask that after recently watching John Stumpf, CEO of Wells Fargo, explain his company’s disregard of federal regulations and decent business practices before a couple of panels on Capitol Hill. Judging from the testimony, there are so many missed opportunities for quality improvement in this spectacle, it’s hard to decide which one to mention first (and the improvement opportunities aren’t limited to the bank). Probably it’s a tossup between customer satisfaction and respect for employees, although a booby prize could go to continuous improvement run amok.

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