Personal checking accounts can come with a vast range of features. Before one chooses a checking account, an extremely important matter to consider is whether the financial institution is federally insured. This matter is of such extreme importance, that I would not consider placing my personal finances with a non-insured bank.

Many banks or credit unions offer a free checking account. However, free checking accounts are not always free. Some of these "free" accounts will not be free if you write more than a specified number of checks in a month or make more than a particular number of deposits in a month.

Having a debit card (preferably with the Visa or MasterCard logo) attached to your checking account is another feature you may like. Most banking facilities offer online banking, which can be very important if you use a debit card. Online banking is taken a step further by some facilities. Some facilities have the ability to let you view your information as it is occurring, i.e. you do not have to wait until the next day to see today's transactions.

A final feature to look for is that of free checks, offered mostly by credit unions.

In review, checking account features you may look for include a federally insured bank, free checking, debit cards, online banking and free checks.