City Bank of Texas has been a mobile innovator for more than four years, launching a ClairMail-powered mobile site in Oct 2008. I first heard its story at the Mobile Summit in June 2009. At that time, the bank already had 10% of its online banking base using mobile.

City Bank now offers a full range of apps including Android, iPhone and iPad, which make for a pretty impressive graphic. The new apps are powered by Malauzai Software.

And, in a world where most apps look pretty much the same, it has managed to pioneer several unique features:

• Debit card on/off switch: If customers ever want to switch off their debit card, because it was misplaced, or if funds are running low, they simply move the toggle on the My Cards page of the mobile app (see inset).  
• Reward-checking status: City Bank is a long-time rewards-checking client of BancVue. Its mobile app includes a rewards-tracking feature so users can see where they stand in the three-level program (see the Android screen in the lower right below).

Both features are must-haves. But the on/off switch is brilliant both for its simplicity and value. And this tangible mobile feature/benefit likely to get talked about in the press and at the weekend barbeque. We are giving it an OBR Best of the Web award, the first of the year and 84th of all time (see note). 

 
The City Bank of Texas mobile lineup (link, 23 Jan 2011)

Note:
1. Since 1997, our Online Banking Report has periodically given OBR Best of the Web awards to companies that pioneer new online or mobile banking features. It is not an endorsement of the company or product, just recognition for what we believe is an important industry development. If anyone knows of other financial institutions offering a similar feature, let us know and we'll update the post. City Bank of Texas is the 84th company to win the award since 1997 and the first in 2012. Recent winners are profiled in the Netbanker archives.

I just spent the better part of two days attending BancVue's monthly client/prospect meeting called BTAN (note 1). I knew they would have high-energy presentations, great ideas, and outrageous antics; after all, I've seen them take home three Finovate Best of Show trophies. They know how to drive a point home.

But what I didn't expect was to come home believing its Kasasa strategy might really work. Kasasa launched at FinovateFall 2009 (video here) and is the first major attempt to create a nationwide brand around the checking account. They are trying to do for checking what Visa/MasterCard did for the credit card or what Intel did for PC manufacturers with "Intel inside."

One very different element here is that BancVue is creating a national brand exclusively for use by community banks and credit unions. Large banks are viewed as the enemy (see inset from BancVue's "about us" page) and are not allowed to "stock" the Kasasa brand.

On the surface it seems impossible. How could hundreds, if not thousands, of proud, local financial institutions -- many who've been building a local brand for many decades -- unite under a nutty brand called "Kasasa" of all things?

But is it crazy like the iPod was crazy? Smaller banks and credit unions are being taken to the cleaners by the big banks, losing more than half their market share in the past two decades. They have the local ties, the human connection, but it is usually hard to maintain the product set, marketing power, and online/mobile UI, of Bank of America or Chase.

But what if someone was able to level the playing field with best-of-class products and combine the marketing power of 1,000 financial institutions into a national brand? (note 3) Then the community banks/CUs could go ahead and compete on service, price, value and local connections.

It sounds too good to be true, really. And I was skeptical when I heard the pitch two years ago. But after seeing how BancVue has signed up more than 600 FIs for rewards checking, hit #23 in the Inc 500, and witnessing their passion in person, I think they have a real shot.

Bottom line: It takes a long time to build a national financial brand, especially one centered on lowly checking accounts. Other than PayPal, what's the last one you can think of? Capital One, founded 1988, maybe. Discover Card, launched in 1985, perhaps (note 4). And I can think of a hundred reasons why it won't work.

But Kasasa is definitely out of the gates and gaining traction. Having just finished my review of the most important trends of 2011, I have a feeling Kasasa could make this list in 2012 or 2013. 

-------

Kasasa product set (11 Jan 2012)

Kasasa products dominate the homepage of Farmers Citizens Bank (link)
Question: Do Kasasa ads clutter the Farmer's homepage? No more than any other promotion. And they are at least attention getting. 

 

Landing page at Farmers Citizens (link)

---------------------------

Notes:
1. I attended the event at the invitation of BancVue. But I am not consulting for them or their customers. BancVue is a customer of The Finovate Group for our event and our published reports just like hundreds of other companies. However, they did feed me really well, which, as my family will attest, is a powerful motivator in my life. So I can't say I'm totally unbiased.
2. After hearing the detailed reasoning behind the branding decision, I actually think the Kasasa choice makes sense. But you'll need to see the presentation to get it. The Financial Brand breaks it down here.
3. BancVue says that with 1,000 financial institutions offering Kasasa it would be bigger than the largest U.S. bank in branch network and marketing budget.
4. I can't think of any major national banking brands that have appeared in the Internet age other than PayPal, and perhaps NetBank (RIP). ING Direct made it, but they were a spinoff of a powerful international brand, and even then they spent more than a BILLION in the United States alone during the past 12 years making ING Direct a household name. E*Trade, Ally also come to mind, but the former is more associated with brokerage and the latter is a name change from GMAC. Bank of Internet is doing well, but is hardly a household name.

Last week we looked at the holiday efforts (or lack thereof) of the 20 largest U.S. banks. But aside from PNC Bank's "Christmas cost index" and ING Direct's "12 days of mobile," not much this holiday season was particularly noteworthy (inset for Midland Bank gift cheques, circa 1956, see credit below).

For inspiration, you need to look at the smaller banks and credit unions. Here are five we found through random googling today: 

1. Michigan State University FCU: 6.9% Holiday Loan (homepage promo #2)

2. Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union: Visa Gift Card (homepage promo #2)

3. OnPoint Community Credit (Oregon): Mobile gift cards (homepage, promo #1) , Visa Gift Card (promo #2)

 

 

4. Community First Credit Union (Florida): iPad giveaway for eStatements (homepage, promo #3; landing page)

5. Texas Bank: "Stash the Christmas cash" (homepage, one of four rotating promos; landing page)
Note: "Stash the cash" is similar to BofA's "keep the change;" debit card purchases are rounded up to nearest dollar with the extra 1-99 cents deposited into savings. The holiday promo included a 5% bonus match on each transfer in December (website powered by Bancvue)

 

----------------

Note: Picture credit. Midland Bank advertisement for holiday checks from The Illustrated London News, 17 Nov 1956. (Click to enlarge, for sale here). 

Really, we weren't looking for ways to plug our Finovate conference. Usually we just come right out and tell you to register now since it's only 10 days away. But imagine our delight when we opened up the latest issue of Fast Company (Oct 2009) and Dan Macsai's article included six Finovate companies in his list of eight startups "brimming with hope for the financial industry" (see screenshot below; note 1).

In Dan's words, these companies are noteworthy as:

Web-based financial startups creating services that embrace transparency (even in their largely fee-based pricing) and improve the customer experience.

Congratulations to the eight winners (in order of their appearance in the article): 

• Tempo Payments: Decoupled debit (FinovateStartup 2009 alum, video)
• BancVue: Community bank rewards checking and Kasasa national brand (upcoming Finovate 2009 presenter; FinovateStartup 2008 alum and Best of Show winner, video)
• MarketRiders: Impartial mutual fund advice for $9.95/mo
• Mpower Ventures: Providing financial services to the world's unbanked.
• SecondMarket: Helps companies auction securities and other illiquid assets (FinovateStartup 2009 alum, video)
• BrightScope: Independent advice for 401k plan participants (upcoming Finovate 2009 presenter)
• Jwaala: Personal financial management and online banking tools for small and mid-size financial institutions (Finovate 2007 charter presenter, video; FinovateStartup 2008 alum and Best of Show winner video; 2009 Finovate Startup alum, video)
• The Receivables Exchange: Real-time auctions for accounts receivables (FinovateStartup 2009 alum, video)

Fast Company's NextFinance column (Oct 2009, pp. 76-78, ad page omitted)

Note:
1. We'll take a .750 batting average any time. But, we'll also try to recruit MarketRiders and Mpower to future Finovate events.

We just completed our latest Online Banking Report. It will be mailed to subscribers this week.
It's also available online here. There's no charge for current subscribers; others may access it immediately
for US$495.

---------------------------------------------------------

Improving Online Account Opening ROI
Ten strategies to increase online application conversion rates

102 pages (published 21 June 2009)

In this report (abstract PDF), we focus on ways to increase conversions and improve your results when opening financial accounts online or over a mobile phone.

The online application is the new branch new-accounts desk. And, just as you provide ongoing support, training and incentives to branch-based sales staff, you must continually fine-tune your online sales process.

In our experience, this is an area that needs attention at most financial institutions. Things have greatly improved during the 10+ years we've been tracking online applications. However, during the research for this report, we reached dead-ends at three of the 10 applications tested (note 1). That just can't happen.

The report outlines a 10-step approach to improving the process: 

• Direct users to the application
• Set expectations
• First things first
• Guide customers
• Bundle mobile access & alerts
• Upsell
• Fund
• Ask for referrals
• Stay in touch
• Humanize the process

We reviewed the online applications of the following companies:

• Bank of America
• BECU (powered by uMonitor)
• Capital One
• Chase Bank
• First Arkansas Bank & Trust (powered by FirstROI)
• Flagstar Bank (powered by uMonitor)
• HSBC Direct
• Huntington Direct (powered by CashEdge)
• M&I Bank
• National City
• Verity Credit Union (powered by Andera)
• Wells Fargo
• Zions Bank

Finally, a 10-year forecast for online account-opening volumes in the United States is presented.

M&I Bank has an attractive and informative application start page (9 June 2009)
Note: The online banking guarantee at the bottom is a good way to improve user trust.

Note:
1. Granted, user error was the problem in two of the three failed apps; however, we weren't purposely trying to make mistakes. The online application should have provided assistance in correcting them, rather than leaving us hanging.

In the year or so that they've been widely available, so-called reward checking, those high-yielding accounts that require a hefty number of debit card transactions (see note 1), have attracted quite a following.

But besides the number of blog posts and press mentions, we've had few other metrics upon which to gauge their success. Until now. In an email to me yesterday, the company behind many of the accounts, BancVue, laid out the total rewards checking results across its client base:

• 381 financial institutions live
• 610,000 reward checking accounts
• $5.5 billion on deposit in the accounts
• $9,000 average balance
• Opening more than 13,000 accounts per week (700,000 annual run rate)
• Average of more than $14 million in deposits per financial institution
• Average of 1,600 accounts per financial institution

Although $5 billion isn't even the rounding error across the entire $3-trillion U.S. retail deposit market, it's real money to the smaller banks and credit unions offering the program.  

Notes:
1. Most accounts require 10 to 12 debit transactions per month in order to earn the high yield. For more info, see our previous coverage and Finovate Startup video here.
2. Upper-right graphic comes courtesy of First State Bank, Gainesville, TX.

FirstROI, a division of Austin, TX-based BancVue (previous coverage here) launched its CheckingFinder service June 2. FinovateStartup attendees received a sneak peak in April and rewarded it with a Best of Show award (video here). The innovative service helps consumers find the best BancVue-powered rewards checking account based on geographic location, APY, or total return (see second screenshot below).

How it Works
The first challenge is getting customers to the site. FirstROI is investing heavily in Google AdWords to get the word out. For example, a search on "checking accounts" at Google today (note 1), displayed CheckingFinder in second place, trailing only BofA (see screenshot below).

As a relative newcomer to AdWords, the company's bid price would have to be high to score the second slot over such big names as Schwab (#3), HSBCdirect (#4), Key Bank (#5), WaMu (#6), Chase (#10) and Wells Fargo (#11). CheckingFinder may very well be paying more than BofA, depending on how Google's ad-positioning algorithm weighs its relevance.

Clicking the AdWords link results in a list of banks presorted by closest distance to the IP address used to search Google (see next screenshot). Unfortunately, the closest participating BancVue client, Altra Federal Credit Union, is 1043 miles away
(see note 2).

You can also sort the results by rate (APY) or plug in an estimated checking account balance and ATM usage and have the results sorted by highest annual return
(see note 3).

After selecting the account you prefer, users land on a page that lays out the offer in more detail and includes a bright green "open now" bar at the bottom of the page and another open button in the webpage bullseye, the upper-right corner. The online account opening process is powered by Andera.

Summary
Overall, it's a good "micro" search engine, helping users quickly find the best checking account from the company's client base. The big downside from a consumer perspective is that it's currently limited to just 60 participating BancVue reward-checking clients. It will be more effective if they can get more of their 400+ banks and credit unions on board.

While I think most consumers will understand that they are searching a subset of available checking accounts, I think BancVue should disclose a bit more about its relationship with the financial institutions listed. That fact is touched on in the About Us section, but the FAQs don't address this, nor are there any direct links back to BancVue or FirstROI. 

Notes:

1. Google search conducted from Seattle IP address at 1 PM Pacific time, 17 June 2008.

2. Verity Credit Union, which is about 4 miles from my home, is a BancVue client, but their reward-checking account, Velocity Checking, is currently paying a short-term teaser rate of 6.75% to celebrate its 75th anniversary (APY updated 20 June per Shari's comment). When Verity returns to its normal 5% APY, its account will be available through CheckingFinder. There is also a slightly closer California bank participating, Tri Counties Bank, but it is not marketing to Seattle residents, so I don't see it in my CheckingFinder results page.  

3. Jeffry Pilcher, who recently left Weber Marketing to found his own consultancy, ICONiQ, is also blogging at The Financial Brand. He cautions that the days of differentiating your brand with "reward checking" has passed in many markets.

An important part of Finovate Conferences, at least for the winners, is the voting process for best demo. All non-presenting attendees receive a ballot which allows them to rate each demo on a scale of one to seven. At the end of the final demo sessions, the ballots are tallied and the presenters ranked 1 through 40 based on the average score. A majority of attendees complete a ballot so it's a good indicator of the group consensus.

There were dozens of awesome demos to choose from, but the peoples' choice yesterday are shown below (in alphabetic order). Congratulations!

 First ROI (BancVue)             Jwaala

Zecco                                                                        Zopa

Videos of all the demos will be available soon at the FinovateStartup website.

If you are a subscriber to our Online Banking Report (see #150), you know how impressed we are with the work of BancVue and FirstROI. They are the team behind the 400+ rewards checking accounts we first discusssed here in early January (see note 1).

The reward-checking phenomena, largely created by these companies, landed as the sixth most important trend of 2007, according to our year-end report. The Wall Street Journal looked at several BancVue clients in an article last weekend (here).

If you are looking for ideas to spice up your Web-based marketing, take a close look at the FirstROI portfolio (note 2). They are doing some of the most creative work I've seen in 12 years of following the space, rivaling the UK banks, which have long set the bar for online bank marketing.

Case in point: Green Reward Checking from Bank of Hiawassee/Blairsville/Blue Ridge, all part of Georgia's $440 million Chatuge Bank Shares is well-explained in a clever Flash animation (see first screenshot below). Wisconsin's $770 million First Banking Center uses similar Flash techniques with a much more "serious" branding (see second screenshot below).

Green Reward Checking from Chatuge Bank Shares Inc. <www.frogreward.com>  
$440 million-asset bank headquartered in Hiawassee, Georgia

First Banking Center Rewards Checking
<firstbankingcenterrewards.com>
$760 million asset bank in southern Wisconsin

Notes:

1. (2) The credit union that first sparked our interest in the subject, Verity Credit Union, was advertising its reward product, Velocity Checking <velocitychecking.com>, on the radio this morning during Seattle's rush hour. The focus was on the 6% APY.
2. (1) First ROI will demo its latest innovations at our FINOVATE Startup conference April 29 in San Francisco.

For someone whose job it is to stay on top of innovations in financial services, I hate to admit I'm late to the party on the so-called "reward checking" phenomena. Last year, I'd noticed a number of smaller financial institutions launching high-yield checking accounts, but I hadn't realized it was a national trend primarily powered by a single bank tech supplier, Austin, Texas-based BancVue (see note 1).

According to a November BankRate article, more than 350 U.S. banks and credit unions now offer so-called "reward checking accounts" powered by BancVue with 30 new ones coming on board each month. These checking accounts usually pay high rates of interest, typically 6%, if users meet high levels of electronic banking activity each month.

Typical requirements to earn the high yield:

• 10 to 12 debit card transactions each month
• Electronic statements (no paper)
• Online banking usage

Typically, the following benefits are paid ONLY when the above requirements are met:

• 5% to 6% interest on the first $25,000 to $40,000 in balances
• ATM refunds up to $10 to $15/mo

And most seem to include:

• No monthly fees regardless of activity or balance levels, so the account can be marketed as "free"

Marketing
Another distinguishing characteristic of these accounts is the innovative marketing and website design. With the help of BancVue, smaller banks and credit unions are able to offer a level of design and pizzazz that meets or exceeds the typical megabank high-budget program.

Here are some of the more interesting BancVue-powered programs we've looked at (screenshots follow):

• Velocity Checking <velocitychecking.com> from Seattle's Verity Credit Union
  Earn 6.01% on balances up to $40,000 and receive ATM refunds up to $25 when meeting the following monthly requirements:
  - 12 debit transactions
  - 1 online banking login
  - electronic statement in lieu of paper
  
• Turbo Checking <turbochecking.com> from New Mexico's Charter Bank
  Earn 6.01% on balances up to $25,000 and ATM refunds when meeting the following monthly requirements:
  - 10 debit transactions
  - receipt of 1 direct payroll deposit or other automated ACH deposit
  - 1 login to online banking
  - electronic statement in lieu of paper

And our favorite, which substitutes iTunes downloads for the high-yield benefit:

• FreeTunes Checking <freetuneschecking.com> from Oregon Community Credit Union (see note 2)
  Earns 4 free iTunes downloads each month provided the following are met:
  - 12 debit transactions
  - 1 login to online banking
  - electronic statement in lieu of paper

Screenshots

Velocity Checking from Verity Credit Union

Turbo Checking from Charter Bank

FreeTunes Checking from Oregon Community Credit Union

Notes:

1. I began researching this area after reading Verity Credit Union CMO Shari Storm's recent blog post (here) about how she'd changed her payments behavior to make the 12 monthly debits required for its Velocity Checking.

2. Oregon Community Credit Union also offers a high-yield version, Remarkable Checking, that substitutes a 5.05% APY on all checking account balances instead of the free music. Monthly account requirements are the same.