Mind's Eye What if we didn't have banks?

I did quite a lot of work on artificial intelligence in the 1980s.
Back then we thought our expert systems would routinise a lot of
banking, accounting and management to software pretty much anyone
could drive. What I found myself working in more and more was the
embodiment of more 'working class' skills - as in the robot factories
making cars.

Knowing some of the technical difficulties, I still believe most
business skills could and should be routinised to computing. I find
it obnoxious to have to invest through brokers, have no wish to meet
bank staff or pay fees to life insurance or pension brokers. I'd be
content with a full spread of investments I could be assured worked to
ethical principles. Most of the research I've done or read is pretty
clear we get negative value from supposedly skilled investment people
because the fees they charge are so high.

What if it's all a con (I suspect it is) and most of us would be
better off with a routinised system? I don't mean getting rid of
banks so we end up with money in mattresses. What would such a
minimal system be?