Not knowing what to expect, I clicked on CashAdvance's <cashadvance.com> banner on eBay last night. The well-designed banner and intriguing name successfully caught my eye. It turns out that CashAdvance is the LendingTree of payday lending, referring online applicants to its lending clients, who advance $100 to $500 against next week's paycheck. You find payday lenders all over the country, especially in strip malls and lower-income urban areas, but they are relatively new online. According to its website, CashAdvance.com was established in 1997 and has served more than a million customers.

While the product is straightforward and not a particularly good value for mainstream banking customers, financial institutions can learn a lot from how CashAdvance's loan application is presented. While many banks and credit unions bury their application several layers deep in their website and/or post small "apply now" buttons, CashAdvance uses its spokesmodel Jade (see inset) to reassure visitors and explain the application to them in plain language and a calm voice. With broadband connections used by more than half of U.S. Internet users, it's high time that financial institutions make better use of audio and video for customer service and sales assistance.

CashAdvance's understated and well-crafted homepage uses Flash animation to deliver an audio pitch from Jade along with several benefits of its product (click on inset right for a closer look). Other than the fine print along the bottom, there are just 30 to 40 words on the entire page. While that won't work for a full-service financial institution's homepage, it's a good approach for a lender's landing page.

After the 30-second animation has run its course, an Apply Now button is left in the middle of the page (see left), along with Jade fidgeting slightly, making you feel like you should do something. A prominent Live Help button is available during daytime hours. Users also have the option of turning the animation off with a small button underneath the graphic.

--JB