Where have all my statements gone?

I hate getting voice mail.  And regular mail.  That's why I try to cancel paper bills, when possible; and if I do get one in the mail, I'll sometimes open it before sending it to the dump.  Usually not.  My working premise is that the records I have with my credit cards, bank, and utilities will be accessible online as long as I have the mark of the beast.

Alas!  American Express, that venerable financial institution renowned for its customer service, only shows my online statements back until August 2007.  To get statements prior to that time, I have to request a pdf of the statement, which shows up in my account after 24 hours.  I've been checking my balance and paying my Amex online since my credit limit was only four significant digits, so I know that they have the data.  I can't even imagine why they would archive statements in a static format instead of giving me the ability to download everything into Excel.  All the more reason to get a Black Card, I suppose.

And it's not just Amex.  Why can't I search my cell phone bills?  Why does my bank only show statements going back to March 2007 (especially since I might need those statements for 2007 taxes)? 

My guess is that the IT departments aren't focusing on the new possibilities created by having a database of all my transactions and interactions with a vendor.  The interfaces are a reflection of the outdated mode of "statements" and "archives."  I want a searchable, downloadable, scannable transaction index.  It sucks when an interface reflects the data instead of solving the larger user problems.

Old school companies are so good at creating real world products; when will they learn that their online arm needs the same kind of creativity and user experience expertise?  (Probably when customers stop visiting their Web sites because of companies like Mint and Intuit!)