If you're looking for a simple, progressive and even fun form of online banking, then definitely consider ING DIRECT. Upon entry to their site, we noticed how quickly the pages loaded and how bright and visually appealing their designs were!

Getting to the nitty gritty: if you like to save money and don't want a hassle in doing so, this is the site for you! ING DIRECT banks (no pun intended) on their innovative, online-only format, so everything is handled via the Internet. They do, however, provide the option to sign up for accounts through the mail if you are worried about security.

• Electric Orange accounts - ING's take on the traditional checking account, except you can earn up to 5.30% in interest with this one.
• Link non-ING checking accounts to your ING Electric Orange and savings accounts

They've got your online bill pay, your MasterCard debit, CDs, home equity loans and investment/retirement accounts like most any online banking host. ING DIRECT just simplified the whole process by creating a painless to plow through website. While some who prefer traditional checking, as opposed to an 'Electric Orange' account in all its paper and checkless glory, may not fully appreciate their banking, we do. Customer support was friendly and efficient both by email and telephone. They get a thumbs up and 5.5 Stars from Star Reviews!

We truly applaud Chase on providing their customers with such an intuitive, resourceful website interface. If you're looking for information on finance, on one of their many checking accounts or account details, you won't have a problem here.

The application process can be a bit more time-consuming here, as you must first sign up as a Chase member in order to access online banking. But, once you've gathered and entered important information, you will be on your way to setting up an account.

• Overnight Check Service - For $14.99, you can make a rush payment or cut a check quickly.
• Personalized account alerts, view check images online, view and print transactions from the past 90 days

Star Reviews thinks Chase is excellent once you've become an account holder and utilize their online banking functions. They make your account summary page easy-to-navigate, offering you tons of resources. Customers with select checking accounts must pay $4.95 per month to access online bill payment services, so keep this in mind if you'd prefer a free service. Customer support via email was good, but telephone support was incoherent on our first run and borderline rude on our second. Not what we expected from Chase. They receive 5.0 Stars!

It would be a crime if we didn't research the HSBC website, and we're glad we did! This financial empire is no small player in the finance game, and their intuitive and well-put-together website interface reflects this.

While there may be alot of resources here for corporate financing and investor relations, don't let this intimidate you! Their online banking is user-friendly and they have numerous account options available. While you must first be an HSBC customer to sign up for Internet banking, the entire process shouldn't take you too long (it took us about 20 minutes to sign up).

• EasyView Service - add all accounts (including non-HSBC ones) to a simple-to-peruse and manage page.
• $0 liability guarantee against unauthorized use.

Star Reviews doesn't discriminate, simply because HSBC is a household name, it doesn't mean we hand them a good rating for nothing. They offer alot here, such as easy account viewing, online bill pay, mortgages and home equity and business banking. Online banking is free, though, individual accounts such as money market accounts have specific fees attached to them. Their FAQs weren't as detailed as we would have liked, but customer support via telephone was quite friendly and accomodating (once we dodged the automated system). Email support responded back to us sufficiently in two-days-time, which wasn't lightning quick, but still acceptable. They deserve 5.0 Stars!

When we first surfed onto the Wachovia online banking site, we liked what we saw! There wasn't a plethora of links or flashing graphics, which definitely made us happy. Instead, we were presented with a simple, intuitive layout.

Wachovia offers what the rest of their competitors offer in online banking-you've got your online checking and savings accounts, bill pay, retirement access, credit cards and things of that sort.

• Mobile Banking Services
• Access your account from Quicken, QuickBooks or Microsoft Money with a free 3-month trial ($5.95 per month thereafter).

Star Reviews appreciates how big-name Wachovia kept their online banking simple and user-friendly. Page load times were good and didn't leave us checking our watches every time we clicked on a new link. While some of the vast amounts of information could have been spread out better, at least it was there for us to see (quite refreshing when compared to other online banking sites). Telephone support via a toll-free number was helpful and efficient in their assistance. If you wish to email customer support, you must first be an account holder, so take that into consideration. Overall, we liked their service and award them with 4.5 Stars!

We'll be honest with you. We expected alot more from the Citibank online banking website. They are, after all, a financial giant that has been around since 1812. Yes, 1812.

When we first landed on the Citibank website, we loved how simple and user-friendly the site feel was. Boy, did they surprise us! We quickly realized how challenging it was to sign up or find any information on specific accounts we were interested in, with fees and other fine-print material available once you've made your way through the application process. For a team that likes things straight up, this threw us off a bit.

• Rewards-based checking
• Excellent online bill pay - If a merchant isn't offered in the payee list, Citibank will physically cut and mail them a check.

Star Reviews appreciates the relatively low rates here, such as the $3 monthly maintenance fee on EZ Checking accounts without direct deposit. There is also SafeWeb fraud protection implemented, so you can breathe a sigh of relief that your information is secure. Customer support via email was good, as was by telephone, although our live rep was a bit vague when answering our fee-related questions on Citibank accounts. The 'Help' section links took us to unrelated answers to our questions, leaving us in a maze of account-fee confusion. Overall, we felt Citibank deserved 4.0 Stars!