Having just spent half a day trying to set up new bank accounts to replace our Coop Freeflow which they're closing in a few weeks (recent thread passim) I've realised one extra desiderata (desideratum?) - that the online banking interface doesn't automatically log you out if you go off to get a cup of tea, go to the bog, answer the phone or are just slow typing.
I don't mind if it locks me out and wants some credentials to get going again (like a screensaver with password to unlock - I've got that on my PC anyway) but this evening I just tried to set up a joint account for me & SWMBO. First logout happened when I came to the terms & conditions page. It was obviously designed only for speed-readers, or those who blindly click 'accept' to anything without reading it. By the time I'd given it a reasonably cursory scan the damn' system had timed me out. But at least I hadn't got far along with the application at that point.
However there's a page where you've got to enter a great scad of personal information plus your 5 bits of security information - in duplicate! I got through that OK but then they want the SO's. Now she's barely getting to grips with pooters at the moment - can just about log in and google for what's on at the flicks. By the time she'd entered all the info they wanted their system had given up and gone home.
I mean, FFS, this was 'smile' (I didn't :-() who are part of the same sodding bank, the Coop. All they've got to do is authenticate that I am who I say I am, and that she is who she says she is, and pass over the info they already have on the old account to set up the new one. What could be simpler than that? But no, I expect the money they could have used to get some clueful IT people to make a flexible workable system got spent on fuelling some pony-tailed 'creative' types' cocaine habits to produce a cute little pink arc that resembles a smile, for a logo.
So what banks have sensible web interfaces that aren't a total PITA?