All the major banks (including Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo) for years have encouraged account holders to monitor their account activity via the Internet. Internet banks like INGDirect essentially exist just on the Web; their offices are just open areas with computers for account access. For consumers, however, online banking provides instant account access from literally everywhere, via computers or Web-enabled cell phones.

Follow Your Bank's Instructions

Log on to your bank's website. If this is your first time trying to access your bank account online, you must first establish a user ID and a password. Look on the homepage for the link to establish electronic access and follow the prompts to enter your chosen user ID and password. Write down these items, especially the password. Banks security requirements can vary. Some allow passwords of just letters or numbers, while others require passwords to be a combination of letters and numbers, with a minimum character count. Passwords are also usually case sensitive, so it is a good rule of thumb to use only lowercase letters to minimize confusion. Most banks pose a series of personalized questions as a further measure of security. Examples include: What's your mother's maiden name? What's your pet's name? What was your high school mascot? Enter the answers when prompted and write them down for future reference. When you finish with the user ID, password and security questions, proceed back to the main account log-in screen and enter your ID and password. You will then be directed to a page that lists links and/or prompts to access any and all accounts that you have with the bank, including checking, savings and money market accounts. Some banks will simply show the account type, while other banks will also display the account numbers. Click on the link for the account you wish to access to see your current statement and account balance. When you are finished reviewing your account, remember to log off before leaving the bank's website.

Check All Your Accounts in One Place

Online banking offers several advantages to consumers. You can check your accounts from anywhere you have Internet access. The convenience is greater, too; online checking and savings accounts can be accessed from the same webpage. This makes checking multiple balances, transferring funds between accounts, reviewing previous statements and conducting any other bank business a simple matter of a few mouse clicks.

Account Access From Other Computers

If you log in from different computers or devices (other than the original computer or device you used to first establish your online access), the bank's computer will likely question your account access and require you to answer a security question before it grants access to your accounts. It does this because it remembers the unique machine I.D. that every computer possesses.

Account Access From PDA's and Cell Phones

The world is rapidly moving to hand-held computing via PDA's and smart phones. Most of these devices access the Web via radio frequencies. Bank websites are encrypted because of the sensitive nature of the information being transmitted. PDA's and smart phones, however, generally are not encrypted. With identity theft growing nationwide, a third party could hack into your PDA or smart phone and steal valuable information, including account numbers, passwords, logins and other digital IDs. Make sure any access from a PDA or smart phone is encrypted on both ends before proceeding.

Source:

Overview of opening an online checking account

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Online banking with the leading internet bank