Banking

If you’re doing business online and are either overseas or attracting customers to your site who live overseas, you invariably will run into an issue with finding an offshore merchant account to...

Offshore banking has been around for quite a while often touted as being used for tax dodgers and other criminals alike. But today, offshore banking is a practical choice for many honest citizens...

Many banks offer rewards for opening a checking account with a minimum balance. These rewards can be substantial--up to $100 or more. You typically need to open an account with a certain minimum...

Getting a foreign bank account can be advantageous for a person or business who must conduct operations outside of their native country. It is also popular for people who have assets they want to...

Opening a euro savings account is a good way to hedge against currency fluctuations, prepare for a large euro-denominated purchase or prepare for a vacation in Europe. It's possible to open a...

If your child receives an SSI check, you will find yourself cashing this check each month. Many people have difficulty with this type of third-party check, even if the child is old enough and able...

A check is a type of monetary instrument typically written out to another person or party to provide payment for goods and services. Banks and financial institutions apply a number of different...

Paper checks are a simple way to pay out money from your bank account without using cash. They are also a great resource for some important facts concerning your bank account.

In today's world of electronic bill payment, checks are no longer as common as they used to be. Unfortunately, there are still times when they are required and they can be pretty expensive...

Opening a bank account seems like an easy process, but there are options attached to bank accounts and those options are often used by the banks as marketing vehicles. Examine a bank account's...

Traveler's checks are a practical choice for people taking vacations or travelling for business. They are easily exchanged for local currency or can be used to pay for goods and services directly...

Don't wait until your bank or credit union is in the headlines before you pull your money out. In all cases of major bank failures in recent years, deposits have been purchased quickly by other...

Depositing a check can be an arduous process for an infirm or disabled individual. Fortunately, there are methods for depositing checks to an account without having to be physically present at the...

If you need to transfer money from your bank account to another individual's or a business's bank account, you do a wire transfer. During a wire transfer, your bank sends the funds you authorized...

Online banking provides many important conveniences for customers, including the ability to move money from one account to another and the ability to access your account from anywhere. But even...

Banks can close member accounts for different reasons. Sometimes this can happen due to an identity theft, in other cases accounts are closed due to bad credit or a lack of payment on money owed...

Tax season is that time of year that may bring a smile to the faces of those who expect to receive tax refund checks. However, bank rules always come into play when a person wants to cash a check,...

Under certain circumstances, legal judgments can be issued to order a freeze on your checking account. If a plaintiff wins a financial case against you for an unpaid debt, a judgment can be issued...

Debit cards are a great option for those who can't get approved for a credit card and those who just want to avoid the hassle of dealing with a credit card company. Debit cards draw funds directly...

Online banking is the greener and more convenient of the banking options today. There is no paper waste with online banking (imagine all of the paper wasted with the millions of mailed statements...

United Services Automobile Association, or USAA, is a financial institution geared primarily, but not exclusively, toward members of the U.S. military and their families. USAA began as an auto...

Depending on the financial institution, a bank draft may receive the name "Cashiers Check," "Official Check," "Teller's Check," "Treasurer's Check" or "Manager's Check." All of these terms refer...

Transferring money into another person's bank account is a very simple task. If your bank allows you to do wire transfers, you can transfer money almost instantly into another person's account...

Routing transit numbers are nine-digit codes used by banks in the United States. The numbers identify a financial institution and help enable the transaction of funds between banks and credit...

Outstanding checks are an annoyance when balancing your checkbook each month. While most undeposited checks are cashed quickly, you'll need to track down checks not cashed after a month. Checks...

Checking accounts are a type of deposit product offered by banks and other financial institutions like credit unions. A number of terms are associated with checking accounts, including the...

A check is a document that a person or business can take to a financial institution in order to receive cash or a credit to a bank account in the amount of the check. Joint checks are a specific...

While checks are a method of paying for goods and services from the balance of a bank account, mailing a check takes time. A quicker solution to this problem is the electronic check draft.

If a creditor takes you to court and wins a judgment, certain remedies will be made available to collect the money you owe. One of these techniques is a bank levy, which freezes your bank account....

In 2008, there were 314 million Visa debit cards and 126 million MasterCard debit cards in circulation in the U.S., according to CreditCards.com. Debit cards are an alternative way to make...

There are several ways to complete a money transfer, some of which you may be familiar with and some you may have not heard of before. They include wire transfers, money transfer companies and...

CDs, or certificates of deposit, are accounts offered at banks and other financial institutions. CDs are not very liquid because you cannot withdraw money from the account until it matures or you...

It's easier than ever to keep track of your money while traveling. Accessing your bank can be as easy as logging on to the Internet on a computer or smartphone. Banks are keeping up with the...

APY, or annual percentage yield, is a better method for estimating interest earned than the APR, or annual percentage rate, because APY takes into account the effects of interest compounding....

PayPal provides a way for buyers and sellers to send and receive money online. For buyers, sending money is free; for sellers, PayPal charges a percentage fee for each transaction. If you want to...

The Uniform Commerical Code (UCC) benefits banks by providing a set of standards for trade and financial transactions. These standards are adopted in full or in part by each of the 50 U.S. states.

Global Tel is a communication company that lets you call and receive calls from friends and family members who are incarcerated in correctional facilities. The service is set up on a prepaid basis...

There are a number of reasons to change checking accounts: identity theft, a move out of state, poor customer service, expensive account fees or an enticement to take advantage of incentive-reward...

Since the early 20th century, gold has increased in value in relation to the U.S. dollar. In tough economic times, especially when inflation is expected, the value of gold tends to spike,...

The annual percentage yield, or APY, on savings accounts, certificates of deposit and other interest-bearing financial instruments changes because of alterations in Federal Reserve policy and...

Repossession agents are legally licensed and bonded to repossess boats, vehicles and other property for banks and other lenders. When individuals fall behind on their loan payments for secured...

You can place a temporary hold on your checking account by contacting a customer service representative from your bank. A bank will also place a hold on a checking account when it's unsure that...

With the Chase Leisure Rewards program, you earn rewards points by using your Visa credit or debit card to pay for qualifying purchases. You can then redeem the points for a wide variety of...

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. insurance was created in 1934 to protect individual savings accounts at banks in case a bank failed and went into bankruptcy. The aim was to restore confidence in...

A trust bank account, often referred to as a Totten, denotes a bank account that has both a trustee and a beneficiary and is passed from the trustee to the beneficiary upon the trustee's death.

The APY, or annual percentage yield, represents the amount of interest that will be earned or charged when taking compounding into account. The periodic rate represents the interest charged per...

APR, or annual percentage rate, and APY, or annual percentage yield, are two ways of representing the interest that accrues on accounts. They differ because the APR does not take into...