When you log into your bank account online, you might see an image of a birdhouse, or a teapot, or some other object you selected when you signed up. Those pictures are supposed to help keep a customer’s account safe, by assuring them that the web page they’re viewing is, in fact, the bank’s website and not a scammy fake. But as cybercriminals are catching on, banks are choosing to ditch the images in favor of other security measures. [More]
online banking
Fifth Third To Close 100 Branches To Focus On Mobile Banking
By 6.22.15
Customers of Fifth Third Bank will have fewer options when it comes to doing business at a physical location as the company plans to close or consolidate 100 branches and scrap plans to open 30 new locations. [More]
Bank Of America Says Online Banking Has Been Restored After Outage
By 11.3.14
After Bank of America customers complained this afternoon of not being able to access their accounts online for a few hours, the bank said the issue has been fixed. [More]
Visa, MasterCard Endorsement Of Tap-And-Pay Could Replace Your Wallet With A Smartphone
By 2.19.14
We use our smartphones for everything, from taking photos and video to mobile banking. So why not replace your wallet with your phone? That’s a change that could be coming sooner rather than later now that MasterCard and Visa have endorsed a new mobile payment technology. [More]
HSBC Confuses, Angers Online Customers With Vague New Fees
By 8.21.12
UPDATE: A rep for HSBC has finally responded to our request for clarification on the fees. [More]
Capital One Made Me Different Loan Offers Depending On Which Browser I Used
By 11.1.10
Devin says Capital One’s online car loan rates differ depending on which browser you use to go loan-hunting. Apparently the bank’s loan-offering robot doesn’t think much of Firefox users. [More]
ING Won't Give Me My Dead Husband's Money (Updated)
By 9.27.10
Cathy’s husband died about a year ago, and she recently discovered he had a secret CD account with ING that he was using to save up for a surprise vacation. For no apparent reason, the bank is freezing her out of the $2,000 in the account. She says it will cost much of than that in lawyer’s fees to try to get the money, but she’s fighting anyway. [More]
Chase Bank Is Back Online
By 9.15.10
After more than 24 hours of complete uselessness, Chase’s website came back to life late Tuesday night. [More]
Chase Bank's Website Crashes, Is Being Bailed Out By Tech Support
By 9.14.10
UPDATE: Chase.com has finally come back from the dead. [More]
My Formerly Free BofA Account Now Costs $9 A Month For No Reason
By 8.3.10
Last month we wrote about Bank of America’s bid to coax customers to stop bothering tellers in person by offering free checking to those who stay away from branches and don’t request paper statements. [More]
Bank Closes Hacked Account Without Telling Me, Goes For Upsell
By 8.3.10
Virginia discovered her Netflix DVDs stopped flowing because Wells Fargo disabled her credit card, apparently without notifying her. When she called to see what was up, she got an opportunistic upsell. The bank rep told her the account was closed because it had been “compromised” then offered her a $12-a-month protection plan to quell future compromising. [More]
BofA Received My E-Bills — But It Didn't
By 7.27.10
My 3-year-old says “I don’t have to go potty,” takes a dramatic pause, then follows up with “But I do!” According to reader Alex, Bank of America echoes the delivery technique. BofA tells him it has received his e-bills. But it hasn’t! [More]
ING Apologizes For Screwup, Gets Me New Debit Card
By 2.5.10
Responding quickly to Noah’s gripe about ING Direct canceling his debit card without his permission, the bank called him and sent him a new debit card. [More]
ING Cancels Debit Card, Repeats 'There's Nothing We Can Do' Refrain
By 2.4.10
UPDATE: ING Got Noah a new debit card. [More]
Ally Bank Debits Account Before Customer Verifies That It's Hers
By 11.16.09
Sometimes a company verifies that a bank account by making a couple of small deposits in it, then asking you to report back the deposit amounts. Don’t rely on that verification process to block any activity in the meantime, though. That’s what Suzette did with Ally bank, and she ended up with a $35 stop payment fee from her own bank.
Citibank Doesn't Want Your Business, Linux Users
By 10.30.09
For some reason, Citibank won’t let customers using Linux computers log in to their online accounts. Adam argues that in 2009 this doesn’t make sense, especially when no other major corporate website blocks him like this.
Man Says Byzantine ING Identity Verification Stops Him From Opening Account
By 9.9.09
Rick recently moved and needed to set up a checking account quickly, so he went with ING, the online bank with which he already has a savings account. He tells personal finance blog Poorer Than You, the bank wouldn’t give him account because it couldn’t verify his identity.
Wells Fargo Will Let You Refinance For No Closing Costs Online
By 5.20.09
If you’re saddled with a Wells Fargo mortgage, now would be a good time to slash your rate and payment through little effort by hitting up the bank’s streamlined refinancing program, which under certain circumstances lets you refi without being gouged for closing costs.
