The Brooklyn-based startup launched a preview website yesterday to give people a taste of what modern e-banking should look like.

Spoiler: it looks great, but the content is mostly mission statement-type text with just a few closely-cropped screenshots of what the actual banking part looks like.

A quick explanation of what BankSimple will do when it's released next year:

BankSimple account plus BankSimple debit card replaces your existing personal bank account. Make deposits, withdraw cash, pay bills, earn interest, and more.

However, BankSimple is not a "bank." We partner with chartered banks who provide FDIC-insured products, leaving us free to concentrate on designing the complete consumer banking experience, via the web and your smartphone.

Mint.com made a mint with a similar idea, selling its web-savvy personal finance site to Intuit for $170 million last year. You can sign up for the Banksimple beta here.

ajeffries [at] observer.com | @ADRjeffries