Fleet Financial (Providence, RI; $85 billion; 1.9 million ATM cards) launched its PC banking program in upstate NY and New England on March 11. Initial sign-up volume has been averaging 1,000 customers per day with “fewer marketing dollars” than spent by some of the earlier banks (with new online banking programs).

Fleet is using a customized version of Managing Your Money from MECA Software. Besides the usual account information and bill payment, important differentiating features of the Fleet program include:

• real-time data
• access to most account types (checking, savings, credit cards, mortgages, loans/lines, CDs and even its proprietary mutual funds)
• 90 days of transaction history for first-time users
• funds transfers to other financial institutions (PNC was first to offer this feature)
• integration with telephone banking so users can pay bills by phone when their PC is unavailable

Account access and funds transfers are free-of-charge, optional bill payment is $4.50/mo for unlimited payments after a three-month free trial (fee is waived for Fleet One Account holders and Private Banking customers). There is a $4.95 shipping and handling fee to receive the “free” software. Fleet’s Web site features a concise overview of the software but refers users to an 800 number to sign up. This is a product that needs an online sign-up form for credibility. Fleet is working on a PC banking program for small business due out in second quarter. Internet banking is scheduled for launch by year-end. Fleet is part-owner of MECA along with five other financial institutions (. The company is also one of 17 owners of Integrion.

Note: Fleet needs to spruce up its search engine algorithms, as do many other on-site search engines. Entering “PC banking,” “PC,” or “Managing Your Money” in Fleet’s search engine returns zero hits. “Online banking” takes you to a year-old press release about the Web site. However, both “home banking” and “computer banking” offer links to the PC banking area.