I am the queen of online banks. I LOVE the convenience of online banking. I can get money at any ATM and they refund the fees other banks charge up to 4 fees a month. I mail in my deposits rather than standing in line to do so. I could even deposit via local ATMs if I wanted.

But, there are negatives, too. I am on my third online bank. The first bank -- CompuBank -- was a GREAT bank. But it was bought out by a VERY INCOMPETENT bank -- NetBank. Whatever you do, DON'T get an account with these folks. They never want to close your account and charge crazy fees to do so. Months after I closed my account (due to the fact that I couldn't access my account because their website didn't work for Macs), I received an e-mail from them welcoming me to NetBank. Then I got a notice from a collection agency trying to collect $80 they said I owed NetBank. I called NetBank to straighten things out. They discovered their errors, reversed all the fees they had put on my account, and sent me a check for $350!! Yes...they MAJORLY goofed! I have a friend who is trying to close out an account with them (because they changed their rules and have started charging him a monthly fee) and is having a similar problem. STAY AWAY FROM NETBANK!

After having this experience with NetBank, I was a little leery of online banks, but I was so in love with their convenience. So I did some searching on the web. I found some reliable companies that rank online banks. One bank consistently came up in the top 10 lists. I looked into it to see if it had the features I was looking for...and it did. So, I went with it, and I have never regretted it. The bank I use now is called First Internet Bank. Their web address is http://firstib.com if you want to check them out.

Shari


If you'd like to read more of my ramblings, go to http://www.xanga.com/ashleyshea.