Just minutes after the ball dropped to usher in the new year, my Blackberry buzzed. I had already hugged or called my closest family and friends but was happy to accept the good wishes of another. Until, that is, I opened the “Happy New Year!” message that arrived in my personal e-mail account just after midnight during a holiday celebration.
It was from Citibank.
Ugh. The false and impersonal sentiment, not to mention the sheer inappropriateness of the timing, made me want to withdraw my savings immediately.
I didn’....