CNN/Money’s article asked a good question.. with 4% interest, why not bank online? – “It’s not for everyone, but internet banking has a lot to offer.”

Here’s something I didn’t expect though:

Since the online account is linked to a checking account at a separate bank, there may be a two-day lag time for money transfers between accounts.

And if you’re looking to have your hand held, online accounts are not for you. ING Direct, for instance, closes an average of 3 percent to 4 percent of accounts a month, when customers require too much personal service.

“We fire our customers is a colorful way of putting it,” said ING Direct’s Kuhlmann. “While the banking business says the customer is always right, we’re online guys and you can only do business with us in a certain way.”

Fire our customers? Someone might get fired over that comment. It makes sense to not devote so much resources over customers that may not be profitable, but there’s probably a nicer way to say it.