November 5th is Bank Transfer Day, and its timing is no accident. Kristen Christian, the person who thought up the idea, chose the date that was once popular in Britain as Guy Fawkes Day.
But Bank Transfer Day proponents aren't the only ones who might act on Nov. 5. The hacker group Anonymous has adopted the date in recent years as a favored day of action. The group's already made one dramatic proclamation, and there could be other threats lurking. Everyone is hopeful that Bank Transfer Day goes off without a hitch, but a few bad eggs might make this Saturday a day that one company would rather forget.
Remember, remember the fifth of November
Anonymous and Guy Fawkes are an unlikely pairing. Those who've seen V for Vendetta know the background, but for anyone who's never seen the movie, here's the short version of the story behind Guy Fawkes: An affected English anarchist in anonymous attire attempts to adjourn the administration through means most abominable, assembling ample explosives adjacent to Parliament while also assassinating assorted authorities. Also, Natalie Portman shaves her head.
The film's signature prop is a Guy Fawkes mask, and this in combination with the message of rebellion gave the "hacktivists" a stylistic mode of expression. The mask has been showing up occasionally at Occupy rallies, and a version of the mask has also been featured on the Bank Transfer Day's Facebook page.
The gunpowder treason and plot
As Fool contributor Morgan Housel pointed out in his review of the day's possibilities, Bank of America
I know of no reason why gunpowder, treason ...
One company that's been a persistent critic of the movement might see harsher action on Nov. 5. Anonymous has declared war on Fox News, a division of News Corp.
Sony
... Should ever be forgot
Strangely, two companies might earn little windfalls from all this masked bombast. Time Warner
Even if the big banks don't go down on the fifth of November, they face plenty of other threats. They tried to get customers to switch to credit cards, but those might soon be worthless. Find out more about the technology threatening to sap bank profits in this new video report. There are no hidden fees here; it's a free Motley Fool exclusive, and it won't be available for long.