I Opened an HSBC account

Today, I finally gave in and opened an HSBC Direct online savings account. The application process wasn't too bad. Reading through all of the legal mumbo-jumbo wasn't fun, but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary that I found. One question I did have, though, was about the fee scedule. On the disclosure, it says that there is a $15 funds transfer-in fee and a $30 funds transfer-out fee. Based on the home page, I assumed that there would be no fees (just like for ING Direct). I called the customer service number (1-888-404-4050) and was talking with a live person within 15 seconds! He answered my question very quickly (the fee refers to wire transfers, which are different than the method of typical method of funding the account--thus, fees aren't charged on typical deposits)! I was very impressed with the customer service.

So now, I'm waiting for the test deposits to my checking account and the rest of the paperwork to fill out in the mail. Hopefully, everything should continue to go smoothly. I'll give an update later.

HSBC Direct

I might open up an HSBC Direct account. I opened up an ING Direct account about a year ago and have been very impressed with the site. However, HSBC has been doing a ton better in raising rates. HSBC just raised their rate to 5.05% while ING raised their rate to 4.35%. It's not a huge difference, but it definitely adds up over time. Basically, I'm wondering whether it is worth switching over. How's the service and website interface at HSBC?

I found this blog on Boston Gal's Open Wallet . It's got some good information, but I'm looking for more opinions specifically about HSBC. Thanks!