Bloomington, IL Checking Accounts and Reloadable Debit Cards
Bloomington Banks and Credit Unions in FindABetterBank
Click on a location for the most detailed, up-to-date information about local banks and credit unions in Illinois.
Online Banks in FindABetterBank
Do You Know?
Who Regulates Banks and Credit Unions
Nowadays, consumers need to know a lot more about how banks and credit unions work in order to feel confident about the security of their savings. The most important thing is to make sure your deposits are federally insured by either the FDIC or the NCUA. So even if your bank fails, your money is safe. This safety net is paid for through our taxes and premiums paid by banks and credit unions to insure the deposits.
So who's watching these institutions? Banks and credit unions that offer consumers federally-insured checking accounts are regulated by different federal agencies. Each state also has a department that watches over the banks in their state. There are 3 primary federal agencies that regulate banks and credit unions. Within these agencies their are different 'offices' or 'departments' that oversee and regulate different aspects of the banks' operations (their acronyms are long). Here are the 3 main agencies:
- Federal Reserve Board 'The Fed' was founded in 1913 to provide stability to our financial system. They manage our government's monetary policy, supervise and regulate banks and provide financial services to these banks -- for example, clearing checks.
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation The FDIC was founded by congress in 1933 to protect deposits. This was in response to thousands of bank closures in the late 1920's and early 1930's. This independent federal agency insures deposits and regulates banks. The FDIC can take over a bank if they're insolvent and either sell-off it assets or run the bank.
- National Credit Union Administration In 1934, the federal government passed the Federal Credit Union Act to facilitate the chartering of federal credit unions in every state. The purpose was to make credit available to individuals and promote individual savings. These institutions are not-for-profit and are managed as cooperatives. In the 1970's the NCUA was formed and is backed of the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (just like FDIC-insured deposit accounts).
Tips About Checking Accounts and Reloadable Debit Cards
How To Avoid ATM Fees
Most checking accounts come with free debit cards. These cards allow you to make purchases and withdraw money from ATMs. These ATMs ("Automatic Teller Machines") allow you to check your balance, withdraw and deposit money, and transfer money between your accounts. Read more...
Online Banking and Billpay Basic Features
Online Banking offers you unprecedented access to your account history and check images, and includes many features that make the trip to the branch a thing of the past! If you've never used online banking or wonder if your bank's online banking service are up to par, read on. Read more...
Overdraft Protection Options
An overdraft occurs when you make a purchase or transaction that takes your account into a negative balance. You may overdraft when you write a check, make a debit card purchase, or commit any transaction that pulls too much money from your account. You can avoid this trouble altogether by keeping track of your account's balance in a ledger or checking your balance frequently through online or mobile banking. But dire situations might require you to overdraft sometime, so it's good for all account holders to understand the overdraft policies. Read more...