Banks With Free Checking Account

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to checking accounts. You must be aware of fees if you want to avoid them. For most consumers, a free checking account is the best place to start. You won't have to worry about maintaining a balance or sticking with a preset number of checks that you're allowed to write each month. Some banks give you free checking if you set up direct deposit for a check that you receive on a routine basis -- a payroll or government check.

NuUnion Credit Union reinvents the checking account

LANSING � Credit union members know the benefits their credit union can offer that most banks cannot. But one Michigan credit union is providing unprecedented returns with its newest checking account. The account, known as SoSMART� Checking, provides NuUnion members with free ATMs nationwide and an impressive 6 percent interest on balances up to $25,000.

"Our members have been telling us they're tired of paying ATM fees and want to earn interest on their free checking account," said Steve Winninger, president and CEO of NuUnion. "And we've been listening. We introduced SoSMART� Checking on Sept. 24 - a free checking account with a premium interest rate and free ATMs nationwide. SoSMART� is a unique product that allows our members to earn high interest while eliminating expensive fees.

Reward checking pays high yields

Reward checking accounts, offered primarily by community banks, pay high yields on the account balance as long as you stick to a few rules. Essentially, these are free checking accounts with CD yields. The rules are meant to contain costs for the bank and usually entail receiving monthly statements electronically, having one direct deposit or an automatic payment each statement cycle, and using your check card 10 to 15 times per cycle.

.

NuUnion Credit Union reinvents checking account

LANSING � Credit union members know the benefits their credit union can offer that most banks cannot. But one Michigan credit union is providing unprecedented returns with its newest checking account. The account, known as SoSMART� Checking, provides NuUnion members with free ATMs nationwide and an impressive 6 percent interest on balances up to $25,000.

"Our members have been telling us they're tired of paying ATM fees and want to earn interest on their free checking account," said Steve Winninger, president and CEO of NuUnion. "And we've been listening. We introduced SoSMART� Checking on Sept. 24 - a free checking account with a premium interest rate and free ATMs nationwide. SoSMART� is a unique product that allows our members to earn high interest while eliminating expensive fees.

The ‘name game’ has taken a bad turn

Law enforcement officials want residents to be extra diligent about protecting personal information when throwing away items, because thieves are out scrounging for new identities and old checks.

Keeping financial information private has become a critical issue. Understanding how the information is compromised and taking a few steps to make it more difficult for others to obtain this information is essential in protections from identity thieves.

Destroying old financial records and information is important to safeguarding the details.

�When people close a checking
account, they need to make sure to destroy the old checks,� said Sheriff Oddie Shoupe, when asked of ways for residents to keep from falling victim to theft.

Shoupe also suggested shredding all statements and credit card offers before throwing them away so thieves cannot use the information.

Savers survive Fed cuts

The Federal Reserve doesn't do savers any favors when it lowers its target for the federal funds rate, a short-term interest rate benchmark. Fortunately, financial institutions are clamoring for deposits, and that means consumers don't have to settle for low-rate CDs, savings or money market accounts.

New OneCards to be issued

Sacramento State's OneCard Center will issue new OneCards to all students, faculty and staff from Oct. 25 until Nov. 10. The cards will be distributed in the building formerly occupied by the Hornet Bookstore last semester.

Students can pick up OneCards at specific times, depending on the first letter of their last name.

The following times are scheduled:
A through I - Oct. 25 through Oct. 30
J through Q - Oct. 31 through Nov. 5
R through Z - Nov. 6 through Nov. 9

Students who do not pick up their cards on the assigned dates, regardless of their last name, can pick up their cards on Nov. 10.

Old OneCards will be deactivated on Nov. 12.

The new OneCards offer more services. In 2005, an individual's Social Security Number was encoded on the magnetic strip of the card.

In Depth: Your Credit Report

It's just a few pieces of paper, but it can determine where you live, what kind of job you land, how much you pay for insurance and how high your interest levels will be. Your entire financial future is based on your credit report, yet many people rarely if ever actually look at theirs to make sure it is accurate. .

Banks bitten as £5bn wiped off shares

THE gossip is as fine as the vintage wine at the New York headquarters of Citigroup, and it flows just as freely. At 399 Park Avenue in Manhattan, the management team of one of the world's largest banks enjoys access to nine private dining rooms and a menu prepared by a team of top chefs. Yesterday's dish of the day was humble pie.

The resignation of Charles Prince, the chief executive, amid losses of as much as $18 billion (£9 billion), as a result of high-risk mortgages, triggered further losses of £5 billion in the shares of Britain's banks, leaving the public to question whatever had happened to the days when bank managers were cautious men who lunched at their desks on sandwiches from brown paper bags and carefully scrutinised, over half-moon spectacles, home-loan applicants.