Online Banking

Millions of Americans use online banking, or Internet banking, to keep track of their finances, pay bills and transfer money between accounts. Most major banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citibank offer online banking to customers. Online banking can be a convenient option for customers who want to manage finances without visiting a brick-and-mortar bank on a regular basis. This page contains links to online banks and information about online banking.

Customers have different reasons to bank online, but recently it is becoming more and more commonplace as Internet security issues appear to be less of a concern. People are becoming more confident about entering personal information, such as their social security number and addresses online. Banks also have stringent privacy concerns, as anyone who has every tried to acquire information about their account over the phone knows well.

Online banking is a convenience for people who travel across states, countries or away from their local branches. It provides an easy way to keep track of your finances, simply by logging in. Online banking is also convenient for customers who move and want to keep their original bank account. Often times they can even continue making deposits in affiliate banks that will go into their old account.

Another convenience is that online banking will allow you to set up various types of automatic bill pays, so you can use PayPal or another third party client, and you will see the pending and final balance easily whenever you log in. Most of them also offer credit cards that you can link to your checking or savings account, making it easy to move money around where it is needed.

• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) makes several recommendations on ways to stay safe while banking online. The agency recommends that customers make sure their online bank is insured by the FDIC. An online "Bank Find" is offered by the FDIC, allowing customers to verify that their bank is indeed insured.FDIC: Bank Find

• The FDIC also recommends that online banking customers carefully read their chosen bank's privacy policy and learn about its security practices, to ensure that their personal information is well-protected.FDIC: Protect Your Privacy