Online Banking Use this new technology, and leave long bank lines behind.

Think of some of the disadvantages of traditional banking--longlines, inconvenient hours, the wait for monthly statements--andyou'll discover the advantages of online banking. A typicalonline account allows you to bank 24 hours a day, seven days aweek. If you have a computer, a modem and a telephone connection,you can access your account, whether you're in your office, athome or on the road.

There are two different types of computer-based banking:

With online banking, if your bank or credit union supports asoftware program such as Quicken, QuickBooks, Microsoft Money orManaging Your Money, or offers its own software (usually free), youstore financial data on your computer, transferring informationbetween your computer and your bank's. Using yourfinancial-management program or bank-supplied software, youmaintain your records, view the latest information about youraccounts and have the bank write checks from your accounts to paybills. Nationally known banks such as Chase Manhattan Bank(http://www.chase.com/ ), FleetBank (http://www.fleet.com/ )and Bank of America (http://www.bankamerica.com/ )provide this type of online banking.