Scott,

when the topic of Internet banks has arisen in this forum, list members
found the lack of talking ATM's in their networks and no physical presence
to be limiters of value not offset by the slightly higher rates.  This is in
addition to websites that are noticeably less blind friendly than many
physical bank websites, even those banks not approached by the blind
community regarding banking access.

Instead, the mix of access, high value products, and good financial services
has been found at discount brokers.  Many discount brokers have accounts
that resemble bank accounts, with demand deposits, interest earned on
deposits, unlimited checkwriting, and ATM/debit cards.  In the last few
weeks, fidelity Investments dropped its account maintenance fee for small
accounts.  Staying with fidelity for our example, demand deposits can remain
in a core account tax free money market fund paying 2.28 percent, which is a
taxable 3.04 percent for those in the 25 percent tax bracket.  the Fidelity
U.S. Government Reserves taxable money market fund currently pays 3.5
percent, which is greater than the rate current offered by ING Direct.  Most
discount brokers offer limited ATM use before fees start to pile up.
fidelity for example allows five fee free ATM/debit card  transactions.  it
does not refund ATM surcharges.  This summer Schwab rolled out a new account
that refunds upwards of 20 or so ATM transaction surcharges a month.  The
brokerage accounts can be linked to a bank account so cash can be obtained
from an accessible talking ATM network like Wachovia, Bank of America,
Chase, Wells Fargo, and others.  Blind people use the fidelity and Schwab
websites and for the most part have few problems.

In summary, a discount brokerage account linked with a small account at a
physical bank offering accessible services to the blind has been a solution
that marries both value, superior products, and extraordinary access.

Kelly


----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Marshall" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 9:30 AM
Subject: Internet banks


> Hello all:
> Has anyone any experience regarding the accessibility of any of the
> internet banks such as netBank? Unfortunately, you almost have to open
> an account before you can determine accessibility of the site. I found,
> for example that INGDirect has a terribly difficult login process that
> changes on the fly every time you log in. I found this out only after
> opening an account: the account open process was very accessible. Any
> thoughts would be appreciated. I realize that you need an internet bank
> that has been around a while and that is FDIC insured. The net banks
> seem to have better rates than their brick and mortar counterparts which
> I guess is no surprise.
>
>
> Thanks!
>
> Scott
>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
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>
>


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html