When did banking become boring? Probably when all the gold doubloons and pieces of eight were replaced by paper checks and computer bits.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Most people have at least a passing interest in where their money is going. Sure, there are some negative issues around money, but the place where you track your spending and savings should at least be engaging. And that’s rarely the case today.

But Bank Simple (and others) are making good progress.

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Simple Innovation #8: Full transaction annotation
with on-the-fly categories
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As the startup continues to push the UI envelope (see note 1), it now lets users annotate transactions with uploaded images or PDF files (for a pic of that tantalizing dinner or the receipt for expense reimbursement), free-form memos, and categories created on the fly (#category like on Twitter).

That allows customers to create a historical record around their purchases. Or as Mechanics Bank’s Bradley Leimer put it:

“I love it. It’s like Pinterest or Instagram in your banking application.”

For a more thorough look at the UI, check out the new video posted on the Simple blog.

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Fully annotated transaction at Simple (19 Dec 2012)

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Notes:
1. See previous seven Simple innovations here.
2. Expensify offers similar photo capture and memo annotation capabilities
3. For more info on Simple and other Truly Virtual Banks, see our Oct 2011 Online Banking Report (subscription).
For more on balance forecasting and other advanced PFM features, see our recent Online Banking Report: PFM 4.0 (June 2012; subscription).
4. According to Apple iTunes, Simple app downloaders are also “buying” Schwab, PageOnce, and Mint apps.