Best On-line Banking Websites

The advent of the Internet and the boom in bandwidth has made on-line banking a reality. Whereas before a client has to go to his maintaining bank (the particular branch where he had originally opened an account) to transact business, it is now possible to do one’s usual and mundane banking transactions using only a PC (whether at home or at the office) and an Internet connection. Modern encryption technology allows you to send sensitive personal information over the Internet without worrying about hackers or the more dangerous identity theft very prevalent nowadays. So, from the beginnings of the automated teller machines (ATMs), then to phone-banking (doing banking transactions by dialing a dedicated phone number of your bank), and lately, to mobile banking (using your ever-present mobile phone), we can say banking has come of age.

Site 1:   http://www.sainsburysbank.co.uk
This is a good site to try out Internet banking if you have not yet done so. Almost all transactions can be easily accomplished on this orderly site accessible over the Internet, such as opening an account, applying for a loan, buying insurance for your house or car, requesting for a credit card, and even for travel-related money matters! Some banks prefer that you do your banking transaction on-line to save on manpower costs, since on-line banking does away with the usual bank teller (window) services. The site has useful links to other banking-related services that a viewer may have a particular interest in.

Site 2: http://www.hsbc.com
This is the excellent home page of the world’s premier “local bank”. The site has all the information anyone will need to know more about this global banking giant headquartered in London. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation is the flagship firm within the HSBC Group and offers a very wide array of comprehensive banking and financial services, from personal banking to commercial banking to corporate banking to private banking. Recently, HSBC has shifted its banking activities to focus on the not so mature countries within the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East region. Even more lately, it has also expanded into the under-tapped African continent to offer its myriad services. If you are residing or working within these three regions, this is the bank site to go for.

Site 3: http://banking.about.com
This is a good site to visit before you are tempted to open an Internet bank account. It offers excellent advice on what to watch out for when looking for an on-line bank. Incredibly, it also reviewed the two more popular Internet bank accounts on the market for comparison and as a starting point for your selection: HSBC’s Internet Bank Account and ING Direct’s Internet Bank Account. Among other related articles on banking and finance, it also cited the three reasons to avoid Internet banking! This site is also user-friendly, making the link to related topics fast and easy even for the technophobe.