My financial life and my newspaper career were intertwined from the very beginning.

Shortly after I turned 14, I got a paper route and was thrilled that my ship had come in, as I was certain to earn at least $10 a week. So I went down to the local bank and opened a savings account.

I’ve had many banks accounts since then. I had one in the little bank on the main street of my college town, and I had them in half a dozen states over the years as I moved from paper to paper. I always picked one nearby, so it would be easy to deposit my paycheck and get cash.

But now, like millions of other computer-literate Americans, I find I rarely need to go to the bank.

I don’t need to deposit my paycheck the payroll people at work automatically put it into my checking account. I can’t even remember the last time I had a savings account. Any money destined for savings and investments is automatically forwarded every month from my checking account to a money-market mutual fund, which pays more than a savings account.

At the bank, I have only a bare-bones checking account that allows me to pay bills online. If it weren’t for that, and the fact that my bank has so many cash machines, I’d simply pay bills with the checks issued by my mutual fund company.

People used to think there was a value in having a warm, personal relationship with a bank as if you’d get a mortgage just because you had a checking account.

But it would be crazy to do all your financial business with one outfit today. When you shop for a mortgage or credit card now, you can look all over the country via the Internet or use toll-free telephone numbers. Some Internet-only banks offer especially good deals because they save so much by not having branch offices.

But how do you know you can trust them? The hometown bank where I got my first passbook had been around forever. If they’d been ripping off customers or giving rude service, everyone in my little town would have known it.

Indeed, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. says it gets lots of questions from banking customers about the safety of doing business via the Internet, whether with an Internet-only bank or a bricks-and-mortar institution a long way away.

Obviously, it’s harder to resolve problems if you can’t sit down face to face with a bank employee, the FDIC points out.

But in dealing over the Internet, you have the same rights as with a traditional bank. That includes the right to be treated fairly when you seek a loan and the right to FDIC insurance, which protects up to $100,000 in your account.

To find out if an online (or old-fashioned) bank is FDIC-insured, search the database on the Web site http://www3.fdic.gov/idasp/ or phone 877-275-3342.

The FDIC warns there are fraudulent Internet banks that take deposits and disappear. Be suspicious of any bank that offers unbelievable deals, such as sky-high interest rates on deposits.

Before opening an account, a customer should search the bank’s Web site for details on the bank’s history, the address of its headquarters and instructions on contacting the bank for assistance, the FDIC says. If you can’t get this information, steer clear.

Also, if the Web address is very long, or the site is sloppy, it might be a temporary site of a fly-by-night operation.

In most states, institutions that offer mortgages, sell insurance or provide other financial services must have state licenses. Look for evidence of that on the Web site and double-check with the state’s consumer protection office or attorney general’s office, both found in the state listings in the phone book.

On the Web site, look for a description of the security measures used to protect your information, such as encryption to protect Internet communications.

The Internet has encouraged competition and cost-cutting, resulting in some good deals for consumers. But it’s also made it cheap and easy for crooks to set up shop. If anything makes you uneasy, take your business elsewhere there are lots of choices.