NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Brian Moynihan’s Bank of America Corp. blew the doors off banking when it announced that the bank’s debit-card users would be charged $5 a month for the privilege.

In an earlier time, say four years ago, the move would have been a call to arms for mega-sized banks. Ken Lewis, Moynihan’s CEO predecessor at Bank of America BAC, +1.34% , was the trend-setter in retail banking, if not the gold standard. Its size, clout and industry leadership set standards for others to follow.