The rich get richer.

• Position: Marketing News - Larger banks offer more Internet services - Brief Article

Remember "small is beautiful?" The theory that bigger isn't necessarily better and that there are serious limits to the economies of scale?

Well, forget it. It turns out that bigger is better--at least when it comes to Internet banking. And the gap is growing.

Microbanker.com, a financial industry research firm in Lake George, N.Y., has compared the Internet services of the big guys to the little guys and has concluded that big banks offer more features and functions--with massive Bank of America leading the pack. Bank of America, says Microbanker, offers 34 percent more on line service than its next-highest scoring competitor, Wells Fargo.

"After almost a decade since the first Internet banking sites appeared, the functionality of online banking has increased tremendously," says Microbanker President and Senior Analyst Nancy Davis. "Customers can apply for Loans, buy insurance, view their trust accounts, buy stocks, and of course, pay their bills...