This Internet bank won't charge you monthly maintenance fees or require you to keep a minimum balance.

And you can use any ATM for free because Ally charges no fees and reimburses you for any front-end charges.

While you would be lucky to find an interest rate of 0.25% at the megabanks, Ally's Interest Checking account, which launched last year, currently offers a rate of 1.05% APY (annual percentage yield) if you keep a balance of at least $15,000 in your account. If your balance is under $15,000, you still get a rate of 0.5%.

One downside: You can't easily deposit checks at a branch or via smartphone. But Ally does give customers postage-paid envelopes to mail in deposits. You can also move money between Ally checking account and other banks free of charge.