New
#11
As long as you're careful in the usual way and use a good current browser, you should be fine. Why would it not be safe?
Or at least, as safe as it always was.
Be sure to check for HTTPS on every site, be sure to NOT ignore browser warnings, and close the page immediately if they happen, and not install any kind of certificate from anyone (many programs, notably antiviruses, force certificates on your computer to help "secure" you, make sure this don't happens).
When in doubt about the safety of your computer, reformat it.
Just standard security advice, nothing special about Windows 7
No, it's not. In fact, you've now added an additional actor you need to trust, which puts stuff and configuration into your computer (the VPN client) and whose infrastructure has full access to your traffic. This is the opposite you want for a high-security site like banks and anything money related.
There are very few scenarios where VPNs actually help, and online banking from a safe network isn't one of them.
How does that helps the OP?
And what do you mean by "built in security"?