On-line bank security: is it hot or not?

Not.

The vast majority of US bank websites jeopardize the security of their online customers by including design flaws that expose passwords and are susceptible to tampering by attackers, researchers say.

Unless you're from San Francisco, in which case the city has published all the passwords ...

I hate to say this, but none of this is remotely surprising. The nifty new "Web 2.0" technology that all the Marketing VPs want on their web sites is too new for anyone to really understand the security implications. The schedule is always rushed, so the programmers are always in a hurry. Since nobody really understands enough to say Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, the thing goes live with security strong as moonbeams and cotton candy.

Use an ATM. They have a camera that takes your picture, so there's proof it was you.