Online banking: The verdict from Consumer Reports.

• Position: Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Online banking and bill-day services offered by E*trade and Citibank are the best deal for consumers, according to a recent evaluation in Consumer Reports magazine.

In its rating of 15 financial services institutions that provide online banking, the magazine noted that all. companies paid bills well enough, but there were big differences in fees and services. The highest monthly charge for bill paying was $7.50, white some institutions offered the service for free to their account holders regardless of balance.

The magazine noted that 22 percent of American households had given up paper checking for online clicking. Last fall's anthrax scare...