Internet banking has come a long way since its primitive presence few decades ago and at present time, it is virtually impossible to find a bank that do not offer its customers the access to their accounts through the online means. But, an internet bank or an internet bank account now has restricted its definition to refer to accounts which are available only as online accounts with certain differences from a traditional banking account.
Although internet banks bring many useful features to their new generation of banking clients, it brings certain risks and security issues as well. Therefore, before subscribing or entering into agreement with these banks, it is the duty of the clients or us to make sure we receive the best out of what we expect from such a bank and lessens the risk of losing out to unwarranted security breaches which might surface while doing transactions with them.
Thus, let us now see what points should be noted before choosing an internet bank that fulfill these needs.
Interest rates / Teaser rates : Many internet banks rely on giving high interest rates for a short period of time to lure the clients and one should beware as the usual interest rate following this period would be far less than that of a usual savings account.
Fees : Although the clients will most often be saving certain amount of fees related to banking transactions, there can be other types of fees levied against the clients and these can be in the fine print in the agreement.
Accessibility : In case you don’t want to continue with your internet bank, you should know how easily can you receive your money again. Thus, accessibility to your money will be an important consideration when choosing a internet bank.
Linked accounts : Having the option to have number of linked accounts would be rather useful and therefore one needs to check the availability of such a service.
Other products and services : Certain banks will offer many different services through their portal and this could be a useful option when performing your daily transactions.
FDIC insurance : Having FDIC insurance is a must for any internet bank that you expect to rely and therefore seeking for such evidence is vital before entering into agreement.
Security of the system : Looking into security measures that they have laid down is also vital as many phishing scams will try to obtain your confidential information through various means.
Following looking in to all these aspects, you should enter into the agreement with the internet bank and start enjoying the benefits rather than worrying.