NetBanker 2.0

Webby award deadline Oct. 27

The 11th annual website beauty contest, The Webby Awards, is accepting entries for the best websites and interactive advertising campaigns. Financial institutions may compete in any of the advertising categories, or one of the three website categories:

• Best Banking/Bill Pay
• Insurance
• Financial services (everything other than banking or insurance)

Last year the winners were Bank of America in Banking/Bill Pay; PayPal in Financial Services; and Allstate's nowwhat.com in the Insurance category (see inset).

Early entry deadline is Oct. 27. Fee is US$125.

Bank of America pays $15 to enroll in online banking

What's better than free online banking and bill payment? Getting paid 15 bucks to sign up. In a late summer effort to bump up the size of what is already the world's largest online banking program, Bank of America is paying non-users $15 to sign up for online banking. And it's not a subtle statement-stuffer program: the large banner dominates the bank's homepage today (click on inset for a closer look and see the landing page below).

BofA checking customers must merely complete the online sign-up application before Sept. 1 to receive an extra $15 in their accounts before Thanksgiving. They aren't even required to use the service after the initial signup.

Analysis
First, why Bank of America, already synonymous with FREE online banking, would pay to get more users is beyond me, but I'm sure they have research to back up this move. And even if you agree it is worth paying for enrollment, $15 seems like too much. Why not $10 or even $5? If the bank is just trying to nudge fence-sitters into online banking, it doesn't seem like the dollar amount needs to be very high. Even a sweepstakes might do the same thing.

--JB

Best Internet banks from Global Finance Magazine

In its seventh annual Internet-bank "beauty contest," Global Finance Magazine <gfmag.com> named Bank of America the best consumer Internet bank in the United States and Citigroup the best corporate Internet bank. Apparently, the magazine loves Citigroup's work, naming it the best corporate Internet bank in 46 countries and best consumer Internet bank in 11 countries including Germany, United Kingdom, and Indonesia (see list of complete winners, by country, by clicking on the link at the bottom of this article). 

The magazine also named winners in specific categories. In the United States, the winners were:

Consumer Internet Banks:

Best investment management services: Bank of America

Best bill payment and presentment: Bank of America

Best online consumer credit: Wells Fargo

Best website design: Wells Fargo

Best integrated consumer bank site: Bank of America

Best information security initiatives: Bank of America

Best online deposits acquisition: TD Bank Financial Group
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Corporate/Institutional Internet Banks:

Best online cash management: Citigroup

Best trade finance services: Citigroup

Best website design: Wells Fargo

Best integrated corporate bank site: Wells Fargo

Best information security initiatives: JPMorgan Chase

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BofA's expandable landing page

Bank of America is back on the MSN front page (see End Notes) using its clever, if somewhat misleading, Keep the Change program to lure new checking account customers (see End Note below). The pitch is similar to the last time we looked at it (see FMW 2/13/06), but the bank has redesigned the landing page (click on inset for closeup).

It now features three compelling benefits:

• Free money through "Keep the Change"
• Extra security through Sitekey (powered by PassMark/RSA)
• Free online banking

The bank has found an effective way to keep the landing page concise, but still discuss all the benefits of these three programs. Each of the three main features has a small box on the landing page (see right). Each box has a "more details" link that expands the box yet does not open a new browser window (click on before and after pics below). Finally, for users needing even more info, there's a link in the larger box to another page with full details.

Before expansion

After expansion

--JB >>>>click below for End Notes

Bank of America aggressively courts small business

You couldn't miss BofA's bright-red, full-page spread in the business section of yesterday's New York Times (national edition, printed in Seattle, code YT, p. C9). In two-inch reverse type the ad screamed:

Payroll Free.

Below the heading:

Introducing Business 24/7, a suite of remarkable new online banking tools for small business owners.

Then in smaller print under the red box:

Business 24/7 is a remarkable new way to manage your small business finances. Online Business Suite only from Bank of America lets you send invoices and receive payments online so you get paid faster. Easy Online Payroll is the first complete online payroll service that's free.* Visit your nearest Bank of America banking center to open a business checking account and take advantage of these services.

To learn more visit bankofamerica.com/business24-7

Fine print:

*Easy Online Payroll is free when all your employees have direct deposit to a Bank of America  account. Otherwise, there is a monthly fee of $5 per employee up to a maximum of $15 per month.

The landing page specified in the print ad, opens to an impressive Flash animation that's a lot like watching an interactive TV ad. You can see what it looks like by clicking on the screenshot right, but you should look at it live to see how voice and animation are used to create an excellent sales pitch.

To leave the commercial, users select the "Get Started" button in the lower right, which leads to another landing page highlighting five key aspects of the service: Business Checking, Easy Online Payroll, Online Business Suite, Small Business Health Insurance, and Business Credit (see screenshot below right).

The core of the account from an online banking perspective, is the Online Business Suite. It is comprised of three modules, as shown below. The payables and receivables modules are optional, but the online banking is required. The total package runs $35/mo as follows:

1. Online banking for $15/mo
2. Online accounts payables (bill pay) for $10/mo
3. Online accounts receivable (invoicing) for $10/mo

Analysis
Like bill payment, BofA is using FREE online banking services to grab attention, a tried-and-true technique. In this case, the free payroll isn't as free as bill payment, since it requires the employee to have direct deposit with the bank. But with the fee capped at $15 per month, most small businesses won't be complaining about payroll fees.

And the entire account is far from free. In addition to the cost of the checking account, the Business Suite runs $35/mo, payroll for three or more is $15/mo additional, bringing the entire online package to $50/mo. This won't appeal to the microbusiness market, the under-$50,000 crowd of part-time entrepreneurs, but for a full-time business with three or more employees, it's a good value (businesses must be under $20 million in revenue to use this service). When BofA adds remote deposit-capture capabilities, it will be even better.

--JB

Check-scanning ATMs to receive 15 minutes of fame

Wondering what to call your remote deposit-capture service? Just wait a few months and Bank of America will solve that problem for you. The bank, and its $175 million advertising budget (see FMW May 17), is on the verge of making check-scanning ATMs a household name.

According to last week's Wall Street Journal (May 8), "The Envelope-Free ATM," BofA will use television to trumpet the new feature as it rolls out 1700 next-generation ATMs by the end of the year. Bank of America has an ATM base of 15,000.

As you recall, the last time BofA used its advertising budget to push a new high-tech feature, free bill pay, in 2002, it set off a chain reaction that has resulted in bill payment being free at most U.S. financial institutions.

We expect the BofA advertising to be the beginning of mass adoption of check scanning at ATMs, self-service teller-assisted stations in branches, and for business customers, in-home/office devices.

Analysis
Today there are only about 4000 check-scanning ATMs in the United States compared to 396,000 conventional machines, so it will be years before there is a critical mass of the new machines. TowerGroup predicts that 25% of the 200,000 bank-owned machines will feature check imaging in 2010 (see chart below).

Financial institutions of all sizes should accelerate their plans to harness the technology. As the branch network is downsized, this is one of the ways the impact on consumers will be minimized. The extra $10,000 to $15,000 per ATM expense is relatively insignificant considering the labor savings from the device. TowerGroup estimates a 75% decrease in processing costs to just $0.40 per item compared to $1.70 for checks deposited with a teller or by means of an envelope dropped into an ATM. That means the breakeven is often less than 10,000 deposited items per machine, assuming the bank is able to reduce back-office or branch labor. This does not include the expected lower fraud costs.

However, this particular technology is more about customer satisfaction than cost reductions. Customers will love this system once they understand it. Not only is there instant feedback with an image of the deposited items, users also get the peace of mind of being able to access the image through their online bank system. Yet, another way that online banking adds value to the relationship.

--JB

Notes from BAI's SmartTactics Conference

Several interesting tidbits surfaced from today's presentations at BAI's SmartTactics conference in Las Vegas:

Citibank online account acquisition
In 2002, 6% of Citibank's new checking accounts were generated online; in 2005, the number was 20%.

Our comments: Keep in mind that Citi's experience is unique. It has a huge brand and relatively small branch network, so many of its new accounts have no choice but to open online, or over the phone. And part of the growth can be attributed to non-checking products, such as its high-yield savings, that REQUIRE a companion checking account.

Bank of America's SiteKey rollout
The rollout of mandatory two-factor authentication is complete, except in Oregon and Washington where it is expected to go live in June. Prior to becoming mandatory, users had a period of time where it was an optional feature; however, only 8% opted in during this phase. When the PassMark-powered system became mandatory, users were served notice during their first two logins that they needed to sign up before it became required on the third login. Only 4% signed up during the first two warnings, and 96% put it off until the third try.

Note: PassMark was acquired by RSA Security today.

Our comments: Taken together, only 12% of users opted for stronger security before it was required, far below the 60% or so that say they want more security in consumer-research studies.

Zions remote deposit-capture results
Zions Bank has grown its remote-deposit client base from 364 in January 2005 to 3,697 in January 2006, and they are adding nearly 100 clients per week. The bank has bagged more than $200 million in incremental deposits and has increased loans and fee income. The Utah bank is now looking for new business worldwide with clients in 49 states and five countries outside the United States. It has clients of all sizes, from the Fortune 500 to small businesses that use it for just one check per month.

Our comments: If you needed ammunition to move this up the priority list, keep your eye on Zions: It said that its main problem now is just keeping up with the all the requests.

Research results from Yahoo Search Marketing
A Forrester study of all U.S. banking customers (not just online bankers), commissioned by Yahoo and OgilvyOne Worldwide, found that 61% of all banking-product research is being done online vs. 5% via phone and 30% in branch. Similarly, 64% of account monitoring is now down online vs. 16% via phone and 13% in-branch. But account opening at branches still dominates at 84% of new account openings, compared to 14% online and 2% via phone. 

Yahoo also said they expect 50 million online credit card applications in the United States this year.

Our comments: Wow, time to pull out all the stops in your online account-opening initiatives.

PassMark passes 20 million mark

As we predicted almost a year ago (OBR 119), PassMark Security's two-factor authentication system is proving popular. We've heard the usability arguments, we've read the security blogs pointing out the weaknesses, and we even had doubts ourselves after using the system on our Bank of America account.

But the overriding fact of the matter is, if it's good enough for Bank of America and its 15 million users, it's good enough for anyone. While no other major U.S. bank has signed on, the announcement today that Fiserv would make the system available to its 5,000 clients, coming on the heels of the Feb. 28 endorsement from S1 Corporation with 1,000 clients, means the system may win the small and midsize markets.

As further evidence, the company recently announced several new clients including North Island Credit Union <myisland.com> (125,000 members) and Schools Financial Credit Union <schools.org> (100,000 members), who touted their pioneer status with this PR-quote-of-the-year candidate:

"...Schools Financial Credit Union will be one of the first financial institutions in the country to act on Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council guidance that strongly recommends banks and credit unions implement multi-factor authentication by the end of 2006."

Finally, the company made a splash on the other side of the Atlantic by aligning with Alliance & Leicester <alliance-leicester.co.uk>, a major financial institution in the United Kingdom with five million customers. It's a company we've previously singled out for its flashy website and marketing prowess (FMW Feb. 23, 2005).

With the launch of the Alliance program last month (see screenshot right), Passmark is now in front of 20 million users worldwide, demonstrating a spectacular first year for the Silicon Valley startup.

--JB

Previous articles:
Online Banking Report: June 30, 2005, Marketing Security
FMW Oct. 12, 2005: Scottrade to use Passmark
FMW May 26, 2005: Bank of America unveils multi-factor security for consumer accounts

Reinforcing online banking with your own customers

If you've been in the business as long as I have, you sometimes forget that not everyone is banking online. Even among online users, the penetration has only recently reached the 50% mark (U.S. totals, see OBR 125).

Evidently, banking website strategists also lose sight of this fact. Because banking sites too often seem to ASSUME consumers are willing to transact online. Yet, most consumers, even those registered for online banking, need reinforcement and encouragement to be assured that online banking is a safe and sound practice.

We've reviewed the all-important security messages in great detail (see previous FMW articles). But you should periodically run promotions and messaging highlighting the advantages of banking online.

While we love a good sweepstakes that encourages online transactions such as bill payment, good old-fashioned testimonials are also a great tool to encourage usage. Bank of America demonstrates how it's done with a large homepage graphic touting its 15 million users, the largest online banking base in the world (click on inset for a closeup).

Clicking on the graphic leads to a simple landing page (click on screenshot right) that includes:

· three testimonials running across the top

· security reassurances in the box on the right

· a prominent "enroll now" button on the right

· several benefit statements in the copy

· link to the log-in page for already enrolled customers

--JB

New customer acquisition

One key dynamic of the banking market is the "stickiness" of customers. You have to really mess up to motivate a customer to go through the hassle of unwinding their checking accounts and automated transfers, and setting everything up at a new financial institution. This customer "loyalty" is behind many pricing decisions, from interest rates offered on savings accounts to NSF/OD fees.

However, there is one time when customers literally beat a path to your door, looking to open multiple accounts. That's when they move away from the geographic footprint of their existing financial institution.

So, it's long been the holy grail of banking to find a way of identifying these movers and get them signed up before they go bank shopping in their new place of residence. Over the years, banks have worked with moving companies, large employers, and other sources of data on incoming residents. Millions of expensive, direct-mail packages have been dropped, but the returns are often marginal at best. The problem: households on the move don't read their junk mail, if they even receive it.

Enter the Internet age. What do most households do now once they know they are moving to a new city? They Google it.

Action Items
So, if you know potential customers are Googling your city, you better put your name into areas they are visiting, such as rental listings, real estate listings, school info, and so on. And once you get their interest, your website better speak directly to their situation, because, in the midst of a major move, they don't have a whole lot of time to think about checking accounts.

You should have a place on your website devoted to new residents. It doesn't have to be as sophisticated as Bank of America's (click on inset for closeup), but it should tell potential customers:

1. What a great presence you have in the community
2. How your prices are competitive
3. How convenient it is to move accounts to your bank
4. How easy it is to get ahold of someone who cares (e.g., "chat now with our moving specialist")

We'll cover this subject, including a detailed look at online efforts to attract movers, in the next issue of Online Banking Report (to be published in late-April). 

--JB