Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Quick Reviews on Using Quicken and Consumer Rights

By Mary Maseko


Quicken is a software program for managing money. Other examples of such programs are Microsoft Money and Quick Books. Quicken and these other programs make your record-keeping more detailed and accurate. They can also be used in conjunction with internet banking.

You can put the check number or transaction type, the date, the payee, and the amount. These are essentially the data you would put into a paper register. On Quicken, however, you can categorize the entries. You can use preset categories or make up your own. Your internet banking transactions may have special categories.

The information you provide will be stored on your computer in the Quicken program until you tell Quicken to download the latest transactions from your internet banking account. It will do this automatically. It will log on, download the transactions and log off of your internet banking website.

When you use quicken in your internet banking, you surely do reduce the chances of fraud and making mistakes.

Your consumer rights in internet banking

Internet banking companies are quick to point out that it is your responsibility to keep your username and password secure. It must be un-guessable in the first place. You must never write it down. You must tell no one. It is your consumer right to keep this information to yourself and not divulge your password to a bank employee.

For instance, you might get your internet banking statement, see that fraud has taken place, and report it immediately. In this case you will be required to recover your money. Yet, you could get your statement, let it set on the server for two weeks without looking at it, and then discover fraud. In this case, you would get less of your money back. The longer you waited, the less you would get. At some point, you would lose everything in the account plus overdraft charges. That is why it pays to take a quick look at your internet banking account frequently. Even if you do not have time to go over every transaction, you will often notice discrepancies that you can report.

Furthermore, your internet banking is protected in ways that traditional banks are always protected. You should receive safeguards to your personal banking such as the Fair Credit Opportunity Act. The Truth in Lending and the Truth in Savings Acts are important to internet banking customers to assure that they get what they have agreed to. Banks in this country are also required to have FDIC insurance.

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