I normally think of financials as things that don't need to be heavily encrypted, because we have laws limiting liability in case financial information is stolen and misused. What makes you feel it needs encryption?
Not in all cases and even if thier are legal remedies it takes months to clear it up and while you are clearing up the effects of the fraud, the person who has stolen your identity is committing new fraud until they get caught.
I know people that were arrested for fraud because their identity was stolen and someone else was committing financial crimes in thier name. They always have to carry official police reports with them just in case they get arrested again.
Honestly, I don't know, I've just always held banking info as something that must be treated as such. That said, it's not like I don't use credit cards on the Internet, but something about someone getting my bank account numbers does worry me. Plenty of people who know me well know my mother's maiden name, for example, and those two pieces of info together could spell trouble. I'm also in the camp of unless it needs to be shared, may as well treat it as private, and that includes encryption.
I know people that were arrested for fraud because their identity was stolen and someone else was committing financial crimes in thier name. They always have to carry official police reports with them just in case they get arrested again.