Marcus, Brigit, and Dave aren't people — they're apps

I’m about to be on a first-name basis with Goldman Sachs and I don’t know how to feel about it. Allow me to explain: Goldman has a service named Marcus that allows customers to request personal loans. Goldman has acquired Clarity Money, a budgeting app I use to track my spending, so now Marcus is in my life. [As Meredith Haggerty writes](, a number of financial institutions and startups are creating products with human first names. In addition to Marcus, there’s Dave, Brigit, Frank, and Oscar. It sounds like an effort to be more personable, but also strikes me as a bit creepy. — [Terry Nguyen](, reporter for The Goods Why banking apps and startups suddenly all have human first names [woman checking phone] Getty Images When you need some money to make it to your next paycheck, you can always call on Dave. If you need budgeting help, reach out to Brigit. And for a personal loan to get you out of credit card debt, try Marcus. That’s not to presume the names and financial situations of the people in your life: [Dave](, [Brigit](, and [Marcus]( are all money-related apps and services that have human first names. Personable products aimed at your wallet are a definite mini-trend. There’s also [Frank]( (student loans), [Alice]( (automated pre-tax spending), [Clyde]( (insurance), [Oscar]( (also insurance), and [Albert]( (savings, investment, and overdraft protection). Anthony Shore, the founder of brand-naming firm [Operative Words](, explains that these financial startups are simply trying to sound more accessible. “‘Let’s make ourselves chummy and folksy,’” Shore says, channeling a financial startup. [Read the full story on Vox ]( How getting picked up from the airport became such a congested mess The new pickup system at LAX caused confusion and massive traffic in its first week. BOS and SFO have faced similar issues. [Read the story here ]( The scrunchie is back — again From Heathers to VSCO Girls, the scrunchie has always been about far more than hair. [Read the story here ]( More good stuff to read today - [Beware companies that promote “buy one, give one” charity]( - [The weird world of whiskey collecting, explained]( - [Paper napkins are expensive and environmentally unsound. Now the industry is trying to save itself.]( - [The Popeyes fried chicken sandwich is back after a two-month shortage]( - [A very cozy history of the puffer coat]( Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving emails from Vox Media. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.