atm posts

All of have to juggle several passwords on a daily basis - we have to remember a code to get us into our smartphones, an email password, a four-digit ATM code - and the list grows as our electronic devices accumulate. it can all become a bit too much to handle. And then we're asked to change our passwords on a regular basis as well. It pays to recall that having a commonly used password can put you in danger of being hacked. Laugh if you will, but as of last year, 'password' still tops the list of (lousy) internet passwords, and proves that no matter how many years go by, people still seem unable, or unwilling, to adopt more secure passwords.

As our colleagues at AOL UK Money recently reported, Data Genetics has revealed that 1234 is the most likely ATM code, with nearly 11% likely to use it. The report revealed that there are 10,000 possible permutations of four digits which are suitable for ATM codes. Around 3.4m codes were accessible online, and of this, 1234 appeared over a tenth of the time, with 1111 (6%) taking second place, and 0000 (1.88%) third. The top 20 codes were revealed on the blog, and according to the research, represent around 26.83% of all possible ATM codes. The least likely code, perhaps prior to being revealed in the article, was 8068.

Curious whether your four-digit PIN made the list? Here are the top 20 most common ATM PIN codes:

Linda Doell The next time you're in a rush to grab some cash from an ATM or fill up at the gas pump, take a few extra seconds and check over the machine before swiping your card. Otherwise, you could fall victim to a skimmer, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned recently.

The FBI's warning came a day after a Bulgarian national was sentenced to 21 months in prison for taking part in a scheme that used ATM skimming devices to steal more than $1.8 million from at least 1,400 bank accounts in the New York City area.

The problem has reached Canada as well. In 2010, RCMP in Airdrie were hunting two men who had installed 'skimming' devices on ATM machines.

We all know we need emergency savings for those inevitable rainy days, right? But if you're like most Canadians, you likely haven't socked enough (if any) away for life's urgent situations.

Not only do we know it's prudent to have 3-6 month's of our salary saved in a safe, liquid account, we also need to asses how much cash we should carry on our "person" and have in our home. Do you know?

It's important to have a good relationship with your bank; after all, you're entrusting it with your life's savings, investments and debts -- and paying fees to boot. Luckily for Canadians, we've an array of good banks. But which one should you choose?

In terms of general customer satisfaction, credit union customers are Canada's happiest bankers, according to a Financial Post article based on a poll of more than 2,000 adults compiled by Forum Research in March. The poll shows that 74% of credit union members are "very satisfied" with their institution.

Among the big banks, Bank of Montreal has the highest percentage of happy customers, with 72% saying they are "very satisfied" with the service they receive. But not all banks perform so well.

If you're as tight with your purse strings as I am, you'll walk pretty far to find one of your own bank's automatic teller machines (ATMs) in order to avoid paying a fee just to access your own money.

I even make grocery purchases do double-duty by asking for cash back when I present my bank card to pay for a grocery order. It not only saves a trip to an ATM, but the payment and cash-back counts as one transaction, which is good for anyone who has an account with a limited number of free transactions each month.

But there are always instances when weather is miserable, or you're in a strange town, or it's late at night and you're facing a generic machine. Generic machines charge at least $1.50 just to withdraw some cash – and your bank will charge you on the other end for using another bank's ATM. And who wants to spend $3 just to withdraw $20 to pay for dinner?

Last year Thomas Cook Financial Services introduced an ATM that provided an easier way to access US dollars, Euros, British pounds and Canadian funds, all from one machine.

Five bank machines were installed – Toronto, Kelowna, Ottawa, Kitchener and Saskatoon. The Toronto and Kelowna machines are available 24/7 while the remaining three were available during business hours.