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And then, all the other banks did the same to keep up with the Edward Jones'.

For example, check out: http://www.gomez.com/Performance_Strategies/benchm arking/benchmark_cabanking.html

It's all shenanigans really, but it's a shenanigan that is hard to explain to MBA graduates and senior executives!

PS: Yes, the article is ancient -- I thought we had all given up on improving information security for online banking.

Sorry, I guess tinyurl doesn't inspire confidence, the actual link is: http://peer.gomez.com/peernetwork/jsp/application. jsp?Referrer=scovetta. I'll change the link on here. Sorry 'bout that. No goatse.cx there.

I use TD Canada Trust myself, and I find it to be great - and I'm not the only one who likes it. They don't mention browser compatibility, but I've had no problems in any browsers I've ever used. Mozilla's always worked fine, as has Netscape 4 and IE. Konqueror I don't have, but I'm confident it works. Lynx and w3m I'm not sure about, but I'm installing them on my Linux box now.

Incidentally, I checked their webserver, which tells me 'Server: IBM_HTTP_SERVER/1.3.19.2 Apache/1.3.20 (Unix)'. I found that as interesting as I found the fact that they're using Java servlets - meaning they're using Tomcat (directly, that is, which is a possibility) or WebSphere (more likely). If they're using IBM, I'd be willing to wager they're either running AIX or Linux, but I'm not about to nmap one the largest bank in Canada; somehow, I suspect they'd notice.

Incidentally, the site doesn't work in Lynx or w3m; w3m doesn't even show the login box; lynx shows it, but when it's submitted, you get the same page back. Then again, this happens a lot with lynx, since it's a pretty crappy browser in the first place, but still.

For reference, the URL used was https://easyweb37b.tdcanadatrust.com/servlet/ca.td bank.banking.servlet.DefaultServlet - my bookmark for one frame of their frameset (which they use so that people don't copy URLs that will/may later stop working because of logout/site redesign).

Still, a top-notch site, and a functional one that uses javascript in effective ways, despite not validating through the w3c's validator under any circumstances or Document Types (not that any problems are real problems, mind you; it just seems to be a hodgepodge of new stuff like <link .... /> and old stuff like <nobr>).

--Dan

On the main page of his site he has the Gomez certification logo at the bottom. This in fact is misrepresentation since Gomez certifications have all expired according to Gomez.com.
Here is the quote.
"We regret to announce that the Gómez Merchant Certification program has ceased operations as of March 31, 2002. In light of this decision, Gómez will not conduct any further merchant certifications. We will also remove all references to Gómez Merchant Certification other than this notice on Gómez.com on April 1, 2002. Merchants currently certified under the Gómez Certification program should remove all references, logos and/or images of the Gómez Merchant Certification program displayed on their sites or affiliate sites by March 31, 2002.
Man, what an idiot. Can we sue him for that?

I found this website which does bank reviews. Many might find it interesting.

Gomez Advisors has previously had pretty good comparisons between brokers. I see they have changed their interface and added more advertising and "deals" crap, I hope the content isn't affected.

I myself use Datek, as they have been in web brokerage business the longest and have good prices ($9.95). Still, I think that is far too much for doing the trade as the actual costs of the transaction are just a few cents. I guess the real discount brokerage where trades cost less than a dollar is still in the future.

Also, what I think the U.S. stock market needs is a working wire transfer system. In Finland, for example, you don't actually have "an account" where you store your money at the broker's - you pay the trades after the transaction has been completed via wire transfer. Here you can transfer money between different banks' accounts just with the account number, no bank addresses/ABA numbers or anything needed. Private persons pay their bills from their homes using the bank web interface. No one uses checks here, actually they are no longer accepted currency at all.

I use TD Waterhouse, which I am reasonably happy with: $12 trades (market or limit), no annual fee IRA accounts, lots of no-transaction-fee mutual funds to pick from, a linked no-annual-fee Visa card that pays back a flat 1% rebate on all purchases, free ATM/debit card & free no-minimum checkwriting. You can also get a free linked checking account with limited ATM surcharge reimbursement & free bill-pay. Bad things: they don't track average cost basis information for tax time, they don't send back checks or check images on the brokerage account, customer service can occasionally be spotty. I just signed up for a USABancShares account as well... 5% interest, no monthly fee, ATM reimbursement, etc. We'll see how that works. Be sure to check out the Gomez Savings center if you're looking to open an account. You can get $75 for opening a Waterhouse acct, $150 for opening an E*Trade acct, $100 for opening a USABancShares account, etc. For rebate/reward credit card gossip/info, nothing beats Credit Card Goodies.

One site I've seen that reviews banks/brokers (along with user comments) is Gomez Advisors.

They rated my bank (SFNB) as one of the better banks overall, and I've really been happy with them so far.