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Twitter's Alex Payne quits, heads onto something new.

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Re: Twitter's Alex Payne quits, heads onto something new.

#91
post #53

I've wanted to do something very much like this in a future startup. Banking does suck. Unfortunately, it's debatable how much of banks' suckiness is avoidable. Retail banking is caught in a vice-grip between fierce competition for low margins and government regulations. For example, from what I understand you pretty much have to run mainframes with certain antiquated, government-approved software to process stuff th…

>> "Banking does suck." FWIW, This may be true in the US, but certainly isn't a worldwide phenomenon. For example, UK banks pretty much work really well. Seeing US banking in comparison is like using a time machine to go back to the 1950s.

This has been my experience too.

For my American friends: all "checking" in the UK is free. All ATM use for normal ATMs (those you find at banks, not the shady ones at the convenience store) are free, even if that bank isn't yours.

This is obviously only a day-to-day thing, but I think most people have expressed feelings of ambivalence about banking in the comments here: it's somewhere to store money. In the general case, the UK banks do that better.

I do not have any experience with anything advanced like mortgages or loans.

Re: Twitter's Alex Payne quits, heads onto something new.

#92
A bank that wants to do things differently and be known for customer service should conspicuously publish their privacy policy and reveal their network of partner banks.

It's not clear what happens with the statistics of your bank usage nor where your money actually is.

Is this version 2 of Mint with banking 'features'?

Re: Twitter's Alex Payne quits, heads onto something new.

#93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes I want my bank to be dependable but you don't have any real point why online only bank can not be dependable? Before Amazon came along people probably thought that retailing can be done only in physical stores but it changed. Another example is Netflix over Blockbuster. I think its time for online only bank. I don't remember visiting my bank ever after opening my account with them. We definitely need ATMs but not…

http://ingdirect.com is an online-only bank, at least in the US.

If only they got the check scanning thing USAA-style...

Re: Twitter's Alex Payne quits, heads onto something new.

#94
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

ING is part of AllPoint's network. You can get instant withdrawals. There are 32,000 surcharge-free ATMs located in all 50 states, including major retailers like Target, Rite Aid, 7-11, and many others. For deposits, I use direct deposit via my employer which works great. I get my money the same day everyone else does. For depositing checks, I use my credit union (2nd bank). Since I only get a few checks/year, this i…

Whoa, well look at that. I've not checked on them since their very early days

Re: Twitter's Alex Payne quits, heads onto something new.

#95
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "Banking does suck." FWIW, This may be true in the US, but certainly isn't a worldwide phenomenon. For example, UK banks pretty much work really well. Seeing US banking in comparison is like using a time machine to go back to the 1950s.

Well, we must be living in a different UK then. I would be actually willing to pay a monthly fee for a bank account at a bank that has a call centre with staff who actually speak English.

Try an American bank some time (I had a British bank account for much of the 27 years I lived there, and have had various US banks for the past 6 years). Of course there's always room for improvement, but if you haven't tried banks in both countries, you really don't know how good you have it in the UK.

Re: Twitter's Alex Payne quits, heads onto something new.

#96

I've wanted to do something very much like this in a future startup. Banking does suck. Unfortunately, it's debatable how much of banks' suckiness is avoidable. Retail banking is caught in a vice-grip between fierce competition for low margins and government regulations. For example, from what I understand you pretty much have to run mainframes with certain antiquated, government-approved software to process stuff th…

Of the value props he describes, the only one that remotely resonates with me is: "A bank that puts your money to work automatically." He writes that nobody LOVES their bank. But does anybody really HATE their bank? Maybe some vocal folks, but a bank to me is a utility-- a hole in the wall where I stick my money. I've never felt gouged by fees (when I was young and stupid, I've been annoyed by overdraft fees, but the…

Must be Stockholm syndrome.

Have you tried to pay a friend an amount of money that would be inconvenient to do in cash? The best way to do it through your bank is to have them chop down trees into paper checks, physically mail them to you (this takes a few days), have you scribble down a number on the paper, hand (or mail... wait a few more days) the check over to your friend, who feeds it into an ATM, which scans the number you scribbled down, then you wait a few more days and eventually a few bytes in your bank's servers change to reflect your intended payment.

The last time I tried to make that entire process electronic-only, Bank of America said I needed to know my friend's account number and routing number, and even then they wanted me to show up to a bank branch in person to complete the deposit.

Sure, you could use Paypal, but it's an additional layer of complexity and risk, and if you're not careful they'll skim 3% off the top of your transaction.

Let's see... what else? Debit and credit cards. I live within my means. I don't want credit. I pay off my balance in full every month. Other than a hypothetical emergency, I would have no use for a credit card... except consumer protections for credit cards are much stronger than for debit cards. I'd be a fool to use my debit card instead of my credit card. And even though I've paid my credit card balance off in full every month for years, the one time I slipped by 3 days, I got slapped with a $30 late fee on a $200 balance (180% APR!).

Speaking of debit/credit cards... I visit my family in Mexico 3-4 times a year. Every time I go, I have to make sure to call Bank of America twice, to let both their credit card and debit card departments know that I'll be traveling. I'll have to wait on hold an average ~30minutes each time I call. If I forget to do this, and I try to use my credit or debit card while in Mexico, my cards will get frozen due to "suspicious activity", again necessitating a call to Bank of America. I do appreciate that they're looking after my financial safety, but I really do travel to Mexico quite frequently. There's nothing anomalous about my using my cards while I'm there. Once I do call they're incredibly helpful, but it's annoying that I have to call at all.

And don't even get me started on the fees and shitty exchange rates for using your card outside of the US...

Banking in America really is broken. If they're as good as they say they will be, I look forward to giving BankSimple my business.

Re: Twitter's Alex Payne quits, heads onto something new.

#100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://ingdirect.com is an online-only bank, at least in the US.

If only they got the check scanning thing USAA-style...

Seriously. USAA may be a very stogy institution in general, but their banking arm has been on an absolute roll the last couple of years. Between their iPhone app, a great web site, and excellent customer service, they're setting the benchmark for online banking. And, by catering to service members who are literally strewn across the globe, they "get" remote banking.
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