She has spent most of her adult life without a bank account
As an 18-year-old college student working part-time, Lakiarra Lofton, now 30, mismanaged her checking account. When the fees became too much, she ended up walking away from that account. She has spent most of her adult life using check-cashing services, prepaid debit cards and, most recently, fee-free mobile banking.
Jackeline Luna is a former senior producer for video series. Before joining the Los Angeles Times, she interned for Politico, ABC7 and the Mercury News. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a master’s in journalism in May 2018.