Loans and mortgages online have become fairly standard, even though not that well done yet.  Yet deposits are the core of banking, and accounts are a cheap form of funding.

GonzoBanker – Article

Now, many banks are starting to eye the opportunity to sell and open more deposit accounts on the Web. For some, the thought is that niche products (money market, high-rate CDs) can be sold nationally without the need for brick and mortar. ING, NetBank and E*TRADE FINANCIAL have all been very successful with this strategy – ING has raised over $40 billion (uh huh, with a “B”) in deposits in only four years.

Others see the primary opportunity being sales to Web-savvy customers who would prefer using that channel to open deposit accounts. Others see it as a cross-sell opportunity for existing customers.