RBS Citizens Adds Wire Transfer, Positive Pay to Mobile App

"When RBS Citizens first launched a mobile banking app for its corporate customers in 2010, James Gifas, head of RBS Citizens Treasury Solutions, had been inspired by a business customer's story.

The customer had had a tough time on a road-trip vacation because she was the only person in her office who could approve wire transfers over a certain dollar amount. She kept having to pull over to the side of the road, boot up her computer, and release payments. Gifas wondered if a mobile app could help solve this problem. (Presumably with another driver at the wheel.)" Continue Reading

Treasury Services 2.0: RBS Citizens Goes All in on Mobile

"According to Jim Gifas, there's no reason a bank's corporate clients can't benefit from the convenience technology has afforded consumers. 'People want to conduct business the same way that they live,' says Gifas, executive VP, head of treasury solutions for RBS Citizens (Providence, R.I.; $118 billions in assets).

On that note, RBS Citizens has invested heavily in mobile banking services for corporate customers. Its corporate mobile system, accessMOBILE, debuted in 2010; is supported by iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices; and was one of the first corporate mobile banking systems in the U.S. The app, built on the SAP/Sybase platform, lets corporate clients approve pending transactions, release wire transfers and view previous-day transactions, among other functions." Continue Reading

RBS Citizens Treasury Solutions Continues to Lead Corporate Mobile Banking Evolution with Upgrade to Award-Winning accessMOBILE

"Corporate treasurers spending more time on the road now have an enhanced new tool for making their offices even more mobile: RBS Citizens Treasury Solutions today announced the launch of its second-generation corporate mobile banking application, accessMOBILE.

With accessMOBILE, RBS Citizens is one of the first commercial banks in the U.S. to offer a corporate mobile banking app that allows users to deposit a check remotely through a system that is integrated with their other cash management systems, initiate wire transfers from templates, and decision positive pay items and use other new functionality.

In addition to iPhone, today’s launch also includes apps for iPad and for Android devices and a new mobile-optimized website delivering full accessMOBILE functionality to web-enabled mobile devices such as Blackberry and Windows Phone." Continue Reading

More banks start offering photo check deposit mobile apps

"Two large regional banks in the Boston market have introduced mobile apps that allow their customers to deposit checks by using their smartphones. TD Bank, which has a big presence in Massachusetts, updated its mobile app for retail customers, so they can now take a photo of a check on their phone and deposit it into their account, without having to visit a branch or an ATM.

RBS Citizens Bank of Providence recently unveiled its next generation corporate mobile banking app that allows its business clients to use similar deposit technology. Citizens Bank does not have the mobile deposit technology available for its retail customers yet." Continue Reading

Mobile Banking Updates - Sept 8

Wells Fargo mobile guru Steve Ellis to keynote TabletBiz conference & expo
"The tablet event of the year kicks off November 13 in New York with the executive who helped Wells Fargo transition into online and mobile banking. Steve Ellis is a bit of a mobile guru when it comes to mobile banking. The fast pace of Wells Fargo’s early move into online and mobile financial services, including tablets was due in large part to his commitment to fostering workplace creativity. Ellis is executive vice president and group head of the Wells Fargo Wholesale Services Group, the commercial side of the company that includes commercial loan services, customer analytics, risk management, and mobile and social media strategies. Ellis was instrumental in launching Wells Fargo’s Commercial Electronic Office (CEO) Internet portal in 2000."

6 Tips for Safer Smartphone Banking
"More than half of American adults have a smartphone today, and more of us are using them to check balances, pay bills, deposit checks and conduct other banking business. A March report from the Federal Reserve found that slightly more than a quarter of cell-phone owners and nearly half of smartphone owners use their devices for banking, and that number is only expected to grow. Mobile banking can be a great time-saver, but it also presents the risk that you could have sensitive account data — and by extension, your money — stolen if you’re not careful."

New perks make banking easier
"Paying your bills and taking care of other banking chores is a pain. Even more painful: the fees you’ll face if you don’t do them when you need to. But here’s good news from ShopSmart, the shopping magazine from the publisher of Consumer Reports: Banks have introduced five services that make those tasks easier and more rewarding."

moTwin Announces Round of Funding, Adds New Investor
"French enterprise mobile app developer moTwin has closed an additional $2.7M in financing from new investor Sigma Gestion, as well as previous partners Seventure Partners and Naxicap Partners. This brings the total capital raised by moTwin to $7.3M, underscoring the opportunity for unique technology that can bridge user experience and cloud integration in mobile apps. The new funds will be used for international expansion, including adding additional sales and support resources to its Palo Alto office."

Black Hills Federal Credit Union Updates Digital Banking Experience with Corillian Online and Mobiliti from Fiserv
"Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced that Black Hills Federal Credit Union (Black Hills), a nearly $1 billion credit union based in South Dakota, has significantly enhanced its digital banking services for its 58,000 members. As part of an overhaul of its digital brand, including its website and online and mobile banking capabilities, Black Hills deployed Corillian Online® and Mobiliti™ from Fiserv, along with several complementary solutions."

RBS Citizens Tops In Mobile Banking Ratings
"Mobile banking apps from RBS Citizens Bank, based in Providence, came in tops with customers in surveys by Xtreme Labs and Javelin. The bank’s iOS app came in at the highest score with 4.5 stars and 93 percent favorable review and its Android app placed second, just behind USAA, with 4.5 stars and 97 percent good reviews."

Big Data and Payments Drive Loyalty in Business Banking.
"In the 'consumer edition' of the blog I suggested that banks can reinvigorate their payments brand and influence customer loyalty by integrating incentives and offers to their payments solutions. The premise is that banks are missing out on an opportunity to become more influential in where people shop and what they buy, rather than just how they pay. Offers can be driven by analytics into a combination of historical payments information and big data analysis of demographics, location positioning and peer group analysis. Such a strategy requires more than an offers solution, or a mobile banking app."

Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 15

BBCN Bank Experiences Strong Mobile Growth Through Malauzai Software SmartApp
"Malauzai, a leading provider of mobile banking SmartApps for community financial institutions, announced that Los Angeles-based BBCN Bank has leveraged the company’s mobile banking solutions to meet the multi-lingual needs of its customer base."

HID Global Fuels Adoption of Layered Authentication Solutions to Protect Online and Mobile Banking Transactions
"HID Global, a worldwide leader in secure identity solutions, continues its drive to help financial institutions secure online banking services that nearly half of all their customers prefer for convenient account access. Through its forward-looking Identity Assurance portfolio and channel partnership initiatives, the company is fuelling adoption of layered authentication as part of a cost-effective security strategy for protecting online and mobile transactions from anywhere, and from any device, more frequently than ever before."

M&T, First Niagara mobile apps criticized
"The mobile banking applications available at two of the region’s largest local banks scored poorly on a new report gauging user friendliness and customer satisfaction. Apps available at M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB) and First Niagara Bank N.A. (NASDAQ: FNFG) are among the lowest rated in Xtreme Labs’ “U.S. Banking Apps Report.” Xtreme Labs based the rankings on publicly available customer comments on the Apple iTunes store and the Google Play store."

Is Mobile Banking the New Banking Reality? | Sherpas in Blue Shirts
 "Move over, Angry Birds. Your standing as “the largest mobile app success the world has seen so far,” (as stated on February, 18, 2011 in MIT’s Entrepreneurship Review) is giving way to mobile banking apps. Indeed, apps from American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Wells Fargo, Westpac, and others rank among the top apps on iTunes and the Android play store, with tens of millions of downloads already under their belt! And there’s little surprise about that…photograph your check and then have it deposited directly into whatever account you want, or send money to people via their email addresses or mobile phone numbers. Isn’t that cool?"

Mobile and Online Banking Cannot Replace Branches
"I recently read an article in one of Dubai’s local English-language news outlets touting a multinational bank’s regional launch of a new mobile banking app that promised to serve as a “virtual” branch for its customers. Shortly after, I read a separate article on The Motley Fool’s website titled “This Technology Will Save Banks a Bundle,” in which the author said, “As banks like PNC and Bank of America close branch locations, mobile banking may help them hang on to customers.”

Bank Via Smartphone? Simple Tips Can Protect Your Data
"More and more Americans are embracing digital banking – online and mobile. New numbers from The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project show 51 percent of adult Americans now bank online – up from 46 percent in 2010. When it comes to mobile banking, 35 percent of cell phone owners admit they bank online – up from 18 percent in 2011."

Apps from RBS Citizens, USAA Garner Best Customer Reviews
"Mobile strategy company Xtreme Labs has analyzed customer reviews from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store and found RBS Citizens and USAA to have the highest-rated apps. The company looked at app reviews between May 18 and June 25 for the top 53 U.S. banks, as ranked by total assets."

Consumers want customized service in mobile banking "Retail banks can realize the full potential of mobile banking by offering segmented consumer experiences and advanced digital wallet capabilities. According to the study by Cognizant and Monitise plc , consumers are increasingly expecting banks to help improve their mobile lifestyles by providing anytime, anywhere capabilities, customized user experiences, shopping and social features, and value-added services. This, the study states, represents a new opportunity for retail banks to drive customer loyalty, attract new business, and generate more revenue."