Summit Bank’s Web is one of the few that have adopted a personalization mechanism, aptly dubbed Your File.

Summit Bank’s (Princeton, NJ; $22 billion) opening Web page is almost elegant in its simplicity. Five reasonably sized graphics (a hallmark of the site) with corresponding text links directly below. An excellent first impression except for the pesky Netscape Now button. Even though Netscape promises a free listing in its Customer Showcase for sites displaying its button, it’s time to stop wasting bandwidth with these redundant logos that confuse, or worse, offend your browser-challenged visitors. (And for what it’s worth, we couldn’t turn up a single reference to Summit Bank at Netscape’s site.)

Each of the five front-page links lead to equally well laid out content. Although we would lose the frames. In a relatively simple site they are a distraction that takes away from the Web experience (at minimum there should be a “frames-off” toggle). Welcome features a map of the site, tips on using it, a search tool, and the ability to send e-mail to Summit’s call center. Personal Banking, Small Business, and Summit Bancorp include the mandatory brochure-ware and general information along with a sprinkling of interactive elements such as calculators.

Your File delivers a personalized Web site
Where the Summit Bank site really shines is in the unique Your File section. Users can build a customized page of personalized links to Summit Bank features and services. It’s also easy to update preferences during future visits. (Your File does require relatively current browsers and here it would be appropriate to post Netscape Now and Internet Explorer icons.)

After completing a seven-question registration process, users can log in with username and password to get a personalized directory of relevant articles and site bookmarks. A 23-year-old student, for instance, is directed to the “Planning Your Student Finances” which includes a education calculator and spending plan worksheet. Each is interactive based on user input which can be stored for future visits, an important feature for building repeat traffic and customized services.

Summit should also be congratulated on its speedy response to information requests. A mutual fund prospectus requested on Thursday was delivered the following Monday. A few sections could stand some additional content, and some of the calculators themselves could use a major overhaul. The refinancing calculator, for example, is so confusing it is virtually unusable. But overall Summit Bank, and its Web developer Quadravision, have created a site that serves its customers well. The only significant feature it lacks is account access. Summit needs to migrate its dial-up PC banking service to its Web as soon as possible so that Your File lives up to its advance billing.