> I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one who just wants a bank to be a bank.
1) One big issue is that there's a case of bad incentives that are growing even worse. As I see it, the big problem emerges when you really start to understand what inflation does to your savings and how inflation operates like a stealth tax, particularly on the poor/middle class who have less avenues to shield their wealth through property or other assets that might retain or expand their value in the long term. The paltry ~0.05% (not 5%, but a fraction of a percent) interest rate you might get from your savings account feels like somebody is pissing on your face when inflation is reportedly in high single digits, but probably higher. You end up being robbed of more purchasing power the more responsible you try and be and the more of a saver you are in a high inflation environment. Fix this systemic problem with inflation first. This is why a lot of people are searching out higher and higher returns, even with some risk. You're being robbed no matter what happens unless you beat out inflation.
2) I'm taking a guess here, but as you state you're a bit of an older man, you might be speaking from an advantageous perspective of growing up in an era where buying a home and relative economic success was comparatively easier to achieve. It's a little easier to play it extremely low risk, even if you're losing some money, if you've already achieved a satisfactory outcome in life with home ownership. For many complex reasons, the younger generations here who are taking bigger risks have a far harder time achieving the same level of relative success as the older generations have achieved.