Last year, Matt Mullenweg (of WordPress fame) thought out loud about a bank he’d love to set up. Matt’s bank would focus on safety, ‘Google-like’ simplicity, ‘white-glove’ customer service – and be usable with the tools of today.
… At the very beginning… make it invite-only, which will create a buzz and also allow you to give amazing white-glove service to the initial customers, who will in turn tell their friends… There would be only one style of checks and debit cards and they’d need a distinctive design so if you saw one you’d say, “What’s that?” which would then start the whole conversation again about how SafeBank is different.
Also,
… old-time vintage design aesthetic combined with a Google-like simplicity and attention to speed. All logins would be two-factor, with the default being it’d SMS you a one-time code to log in… a big part of the website would be the blog… few cool saving or home tips each week, it would cover at least one financial industry story a day.
Today, Alex Payne (of Twitter fame) made it known there is just such a bank. And that he’s joining it.
BankSimple is an easy, intuitive, and social bank for people who appreciate simple online services. Unlike other banks, we don’t trap you with confusing products nor do we charge any hidden fees. No overdraft fees. We use sophisticated analytics to help you better manage your finances by providing you a individualized service, catered to your needs and goals.