A new study from the Pew Research Center finds young adults carry a lot less debt than their parents. As a result of recession, the debts of people younger than 35 fell by 30 percent. At the same time, the debts of the overall population only dropped by 8 percent.

Today’s young people — not all of them, but many of them — have a completely different outlook than their parents.

I think back to my own experience as a teen when my father was fired from a job he had for 29 years. We all thought he was a lifer and he did too. But it turns out my parents had not been savers. He lost that job and I had to go back to school as a night student and get a full-time job. It was very formative to who I am today.

So many people who are younger than 35 have seen their parents go through extreme financial distress and they want more security and less anxiety in their lives. That may mean a smaller house, no instant credit and a less fancy car.

It seems like those younger than 35 have learned the lessons well. They’re negative lessons, but if they learn them, then great. 

Many of them are likely to turn to large banks to save their money and the 2013 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study from J.D. Power finds big banks making gains in customer service, but they’re still far behind small local community banks and credit unions.

Overwhelmingly, the results show the giant monster mega-banks have made some gains on regional and mid-sized backs, but it’s still no competition. 

Bank of America had a very poor showing across the country. But in some regions, Wells Fargo is now the worst of the big banks for customer service. If you are interested in the best service, banking is one field where the smaller the bank is, the better off you are likely to be. 

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Find more answers to your consumer questions at Clark's website.

-- Clark Howard -- Save More, Spend Less, Avoid Rip-offs -- for the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog

Follow Atlanta Bargain Hunter Nedra Rhone on Facebook | Twitter | Email