Online bank recommendations?

[Anonymous]

We are considering transfering our traditional savings account to a higher-interest online bank. Does anybody have any recommendations for online banks, or any advice about doing this?

[Anonymous]

I had an account with www.emigrantdirect.com. However, their phone customer services was poor but interest rates were good. Believe it or not, the credit union I use has the same rates as the online banks.

[Anonymous]

We used Everbank--they were recommended in Forune magazine. Good CD rates and you can easily put your money into foreign currency, which is a good idea considering the state of the US dollar.

[Anonymous]

I have been using ING Direct for years. It's so easy -- You just tell them your checking account number to link the ING account to, and you just transfer the money in there. Their interest rates are really good, good CD rates too. They have some other products too, including mortgages.

[Anonymous]

Love INGDIRCT, but will check into EverBank...that is a good idea!

[Anonymous]

OP here-- thanks so much for all your suggestions. I'm going to look into them today!

[Anonymous]

Check out www.presidential.com . It's a local brick and mortar bank, but has higher interest rates for online accounts. The online banking is very convenient.

[Anonymous]

LOVE presidential - have used them for years, and their online rates are great if you use direct deposit.

[Anonymous]

And if you're a USAA member they're pretty good. We live in Colorado now and there's much less banking competition than on the east coast--my husband went into a bank next to his work to see about opening a local account and there were fees for everything! The lady working there actually recommended USAA to him.

[Anonymous]

I also highly recommend presidential. They have excellent rates and good customer service.

[Anonymous]

We love USAA and use them for a variety of services (i.e. insurance) their service is great.

[Anonymous]

I've been using grandyielddirect.com for the past year. I found them using bankrate.com's savings acct comparison tool. At the time I opened the account it was paying 5.27% with $1,000 minimum deposit for savings. It really beat Bank of America's .35% I was getting. It's part of Apple Bank.

[Anonymous]

Stay away from Bank of America or Suntrust. They've got the worst customer service.

[Anonymous]

You can look into Capital One Direct Banking - if you are a Costco member you get a perferred interest rate - I think .1% higher. So if they are 4.9% to the great unwashed, they are 5% to Costco accounts.

I have found them very easy to work with, easy to transfer between brick and mortar bank and them and from them to brokerage firm.