Most of what you are saying makes sense, except this bit: > "Maybe the HTTPS site is just broken right now." In the case of a bank, it's extremely unlikely th

Most of what you are saying makes sense, except this bit: > "Maybe the HTTPS site is just broken right now." In the case of a bank, it's extremely unlikely that they are falling back to HTTP. It's much more likely that sslstrip is in place if you had this. The cost and hassle of someone having access to your whole bank account, is likely much higher than the fines for a late payment.