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Alumni News — Week of March 28, 2011

By finovate Posted on April 4, 2011
Categories: Betterment, Bill.com, Bling Nation, Bobber Interactive, Capital Access Network, eRollover, mFoundry, Mint.com, Silver Tail Systems, Sybase 365, Xero

To follow Finovate alumni news in real time, follow us on Twitter here.

Bill.com and Doxo recognized as “AlwaysOn OnDemand 100 Top Private Company.” http://bit.ly/finovate329114 http://bit.ly/finovate329115

Bling Nation launches Social Connect platform. The platform allows Bling users to connect online with social rewards features from their favorite merchants. http://bit.ly/finovate328113

Bobber Interactive garners $1.1 million Series A funding round. This funding round was led by PEAK6 Investments. http://bit.ly/finovate41113

Capital Access expands remittance program to include Puerto Rico and 21 more countries. The Capital Access platform is designed for “daily” remittances and revenue-sharing programs. http://bit.ly/finovate329111

COCC selects mFoundry as mobile banking partners. The company has selected mFoundry’s mobile INSIGHT product for multi-mode mobile banking services. http://bit.ly/finovate328114

Mint.com launches “Quest for Money” online game. The game is intended for middle school students and is available to play online. http://bit.ly/finovate411111

Morningstar to provide mutual fund Platform to eRollover. eRollover users will have access to Morningstar’s historical information and comparison tools for mutual funds. http://bit.ly/finovate329113

See Betterment.com on NBC New York. http://bit.ly/finovate328111

Silver Tail Systems wins Emergent Technology Award. The award, given by the Merchant Risk Council, is rewarding the company’s innovative security systems. http://mwne.ws/finovate328112

Sybase argues NFC is “way overhyped.” In VentureBeat Sybase President Marty Beard argues that it isn’t proven that NFC really is better than the other technologies available. http://bit.ly/finovate41112

Xero launches integrated payroll solution. http://bit.ly/finovate329112

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Last Chance to Save with an Early-Bird Ticket to FinovateSpring 2011!

By finovate Posted on March 31, 2011
Categories: FinovateSpring 2011

Friday April 1st is the early-bird ticket deadline for our upcoming FinovateSpring conference.

Which means you have only a few hours left to save on your ticket! Don’t miss out on your chance to witness 60 handpicked companies demo their latest financial and banking technology innovations live on stage.

If you decide to attend, you’ll watch the selected companies showcase their latest ideas as part of an influential audience that’s shaping up to be Finovate’s largest ever. We’re on track to pack the auditorium with more than 750 attendees (up from 550 last year).

A small sample of the organizations already registered includes: Ally Bank, Bain Capital, Bank of America, Battery Ventures, BBVA, BMO, Capital One, Chase, Citi, CNN Money, eTrade, Fidelity, FIS Global, GE Capital, GRP Partners, H&R Block, Harland, Highland Capital Partners, ING Direct, Intuit, JD Power & Associates, Reuters, Scotiabank, SunTrust, The Motley Fool, Time Inc, TowerGroup, USAA, US Bank, Visa, Wells Fargo, and Yahoo!Finance.

In case you missed the announcement last week, here are the companies that will be demoing at FinovateSpring (plus we’ll announce a few currently in stealth mode closer to the show):

Afiniate
Aptys Solutions
Arroweye Solutions
Backbase
Balance Financial
BancVue
Bill.com
Billeo
BillFloat
Bills.com
BillShrink
Blaze Mobile
Braintree
Bundle
ChargeSmart
Clovr Media
Code Green
Crossroads
Currensee
doxo

Dwolla
edo Interactive
Enloop
eWise
Expensify
Experian
Figlo
Fiserv
Gold Bullion Int’l
Gratio Capital
HelloWallet
HOYOS
ID Analytics
Ideon
Intellaegis
Kabbage
Kiboo
Kony Solutions
Lend Street

Lendio
Liqpay.com
Mint.com
MyBankTracker
oFlows
Pageonce
PayDivvy
PayNearMe
PayPal/Discover
peerTransfer
ProfitStars
Q2ebanking
ReadyReceipts
Silver Tail Systems
TILE Financial
TrustedID
Wikinvest
Wipro Technologies
Xero

To lock in your spot at the spring event and the early-bird ticket price, please register today. We’ll see you in May!

FinovateSpring 2011 is sponsored by: The Bancorp, Tier One Partners, and the law firm of CB&S.

FinovateSpring 2011 is partners with: BankInnovation.net, BankerStuff, CardWeb, Filene Research Institute, Finance on Windows, PYMNTS.com, Mercator Advisory Group and Mobile-Financial.com.

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Last Chance for Early-Bird Tickets to FinovateSpring 2011!

By finovate Posted on March 31, 2011
Categories: FinovateSpring 2011

Friday April 1st is the early-bird ticket deadline for our upcoming FinovateSpring conference.

In case you missed the announcement last week, here are the companies that will be demoing at FinovateSpring (plus we’ll announce a few currently in stealth mode closer to the show):

Afiniate
Aptys Solutions
Arroweye Solutions
Backbase
Balance Financial
BancVue
Bill.com
Billeo
BillFloat
Bills.com
BillShrink
Blaze Mobile
Braintree
Bundle
ChargeSmart
Clovr Media
Code Green
Crossroads
Currensee
doxo

Dwolla
edo Interactive
Enloop
eWise
Expensify
Experian
Figlo
Fiserv
Gold Bullion Int’l
Gratio Capital
HelloWallet
HOYOS
ID Analytics
Ideon
Intellaegis
Kabbage
Kiboo
Kony Solutions
Lend Street

Lendio
Liqpay.com
Mint.com
MyBankTracker
oFlows
Pageonce
PayDivvy
PayNearMe
PayPal/Discover
peerTransfer
ProfitStars
Q2ebanking
ReadyReceipts
Silver Tail Systems
TILE Financial
TrustedID
Wikinvest
Wipro Technologies
Xero

To lock in your spot at the spring event and the early-bird ticket price, please register today. We’ll to see you in May!

FinovateSpring 2011 is sponsored by: The Bancorp, Tier One Partners, and the law firm of CB&S.

FinovateSpring 2011 is partners with: BankInnovation.net, BankerStuff, CardWeb, Filene Research Institute, Finance on Windows, PYMNTS.com, Mercator Advisory Group and Mobile-Financial.com.

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BankSimple’s Vision Statement is All About High-Touch

By Jim Bruene Posted on March 30, 2011
Categories: Service, Simple, Strategies

Over the years I’ve published more than a million words and this is the first time I can remember using the term “vision statement,” and in a headline no less. I’ve spent enough time in large companies to know that when you hear “vision statement” it’s time to run for the exits. Usually, even the employees don’t buy it, let alone the customers it’s supposed to impress.

However, BankSimple’s vision statement is not only believable, but also sets a great tone for the startup’s upcoming launch. It’s also cleverly positioned on the homepage to “jump up” above the fold as you scroll down.

Why does it work? Everyone knows that BankSimple, with its Twitter DNA and $3 million in venture funding, will have good tech. So the startup focuses on people and service in its vision statement to make it clear that it’s not some aloof, high-tech company where it takes a search warrant to find the customer support number, but an actual human-powered organization (see details below). Nice touch (note 1).

____________________________________________________________________________

Breaking “the vision” down point by point
____________________________________________________________________________

It’s no surprise that the non-bank bank is tackling the fee issue. It’s in the news and it’s always high on the list of customer dissatisfaction. But notice they are not using the word “free” or saying “no fees.” They are just saying they will be transparent with pricing and will not surprise with penalty fees when you can least afford them.

Everyone talks about service, so this isn’t particularly novel. But the use of “prioritize” and “real” will resonate with the segment they are targeting.

Grabbing the mobile positioning is brilliant. That’s absolutely where the market is headed, so you might as well make it a key differentiator. And while no one knows what “true mobile banking” means, it sounds good.

I’m not sure this adds a whole lot to the vision. In the text by this point, the bank talks about “plain, simple language.” Sounds OK, but not as compelling as the other points. I’d have nixed it and kept it to a tidy four-point vision instead.

The tagline for this point is, “You’re a real person, not an account number.”

Bingo. Here’s a pure-play online bank run by uber-techies, but they are saying they are really all about the people. High tech. High touch. Love it!

———————————————————–

Note: Yes, I’m aware that BankSimple abbreviates to BS. And no, I’m not its biggest fanboy. See this self-proclaimed “love letter to Bank Simple.”

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Thank you to our March NetBanker.com Sponsors

By finovate Posted on March 30, 2011
Categories: About Netbanker

We want to pause for a moment in our normal blogging activities to thank the three great sponsors that are currently helping keep NetBanker free and
high-quality.

These three companies have been long-term supporters of this blog and we really appreciate them. Please take a moment to check them out. In alphabetical order, they are:

Backbase who is currently offering a number of interesting free pre-recorded webinars on innovation and important trends in online, mobile and small business banking technology.

Guardian Analytics who is giving away a complimentary whitepaper about building a holistic security practice. Grab your copy here.

Yodlee is promoting a free new webinar on April 14th on their new Yodlee 10 platform and it’s innovative FinApp store among other capabilities.

Thanks for taking a moment to check out our sponsors. Please let us know if you ever have any feedback on these companies or our blogging.

P.S. If you want to join these companies in supporting NetBanker, please drop me an email at [email protected] for more details.

Eric Mattson is CEO of Online Financial Innovations, the parent company of NetBanker, Online Banking Report and the Finovate Conference Series. He can be reached at [email protected].

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Chase Bank’s Checking Account Recommender is Flawed

By Jim Bruene Posted on March 29, 2011
Categories: Account opening, Chase Bank, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Website Usability & Design

Yesterday, I visited Chase Bank’s checking account sales page (screenshot 1 below). Overall, I was impressed. The page is attractive and the bank lays out the options well. I especially liked the icons across the page emphasizing the free benefits applicable to all account types: online/mobile banking, alerts, ATMs and the debit card. Finally, it’s easy to figure out how to apply for an account online.

However, the bank’s “help me choose” function is flawed (though wisely buried at the bottom of the page, so it may be lightly used). It starts out fine by asking two simple questions:

What is your estimated deposit balance you’ll keep at Chase?
Are you interested in checking account benefits for students age 13-24? (Yes/No)

But things quickly go off the rails.

Flaw #1: Bad form design

Since I have two kids in the student bracket, I naturally chose “yes” to the second question (see second screenshot). I wasn’t looking for a student account, but sure, I’m interested. And I thought it was pretty smart of Chase to try to sell me on a kid’s account from the get-go.

However, the bank assumed that was all I cared about and pushed me towards student bank accounts even though I’d said I was keeping $15,000+ on deposit (see third screenshot).

So I went back to that page to change the student selection and discovered that once your selection is made, it cannot be changed. Even when you click the “clear” button, the radio button stays set to “Yes.” You have to choose “cancel,” which sends you all the way back to the previous page, and then start over from scratch. By that time, many (most?) customers will have moved on.

Flaw #2: Not enough info gathered to make meaningful recommendations

While I applaud the simplicity of the wizard, the bank can’t really make a solid recommendation knowing only my anticipated deposit balance. There has to be some understanding of how the customer values the features of the deluxe checking account options such as no-fee non-Chase ATM usage, free OD transfers, free companion checking accounts, free safety-deposit box (see recommendations, screenshots 4 and 5).

Flaw #3: Doesn’t identify existing customers

And speaking of missing info, the bank is neglecting a huge part of the equation, whether I’m an existing customer or not. In fact, I do have a business account there and just a few days ago an in-branch account rep had pitched a free companion personal checking account to me. But the checking account wizard doesn’t ask if I’m an existing customer (and the bank apparently is not using cookies to hone in on that either).

Bottom line: Chase does a good job engaging checking account prospects, but it’s missing an opportunity to help them choose the right account.

——————————————————————

Chase Bank’s main checking account page (28 March 2011)

The help-me-choose wizard

Results page when checking the student box on the wizard

Results page if student not checked (and balance equals $15k+)

Results page if student not checked (and balance is less than $15k)

———————————————-

Note: For more on online account opening, see our Online Banking Report: Online Account Opening (June 2009).

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Alumni News — Weeks of March 7, 13 and 21, 2011

By finovate Posted on March 29, 2011
Categories: Andera, Bill.com, Boku, Cardlytics, CashEdge, Credit Sesame, eToro, eWise, Expensify, Guardian Analytics, Intuit, Pageonce, Thwakk, Yodlee

To view our alumni news updates in real time, follow us on Twitter.

Andera adds its 500th customer. http://bit.ly/finovate322116

Bill Harris and Mark Goines join the Pageonce Advisory Board. Harris was formerly CEO of Intuit and of PayPal, and Goines was formerly a senior executive at Intuit and Charles Schwab. http://prn.to/finovate322111

Bill.com named to the JMP Securities “Hot 100.” The list includes the 100 best privately held software companies for 2011 according to the investment bank. http://bit.ly/finovate38113

BillShrink adds Anil Arora, Yodlee president and CEO, to its board of directors. The announcement comes just after the launch of “Statement Rewards” from BillShrink. http://bit.ly/finovate322112

Boku moves from virtual-goods billing to real-goods billing in Germany. Now real goods can be added to wireless bills thanks to Boku’s technology. http://bit.ly/finovate324112

Cardlytics wins Judge’s Choice Award in the 2011 Paybefore Awards. The Paybefore awards are hosted annually by Prepaid Media. http://bit.ly/finovate38111

CashEdge signs Huntington for P2P PopMoney. http://bit.ly/finovate322117

Check out the Filene webinar with Thwakk on how to leverage financial education to increase youth membership. http://bit.ly/finovate322113

Columbus Water Works customers can now pay their utility bill via eWise’s secure payment platform. http://yhoo.it/finovate37113

Cedit Sesame closes on $6.15 million Series B funding round led by Melo Ventures. http://bit.ly/finovate322118

eToro launches “Trade Story.” This social platform helps traders learn the strategies behind other users’ trades. http://bit.ly/hQNDGc

Expensif y is featured in Money magazine. http://bit.ly/finovate322114

Guardian Analytics raises $11 million. This is Guardian’s fourth round of funding, this time led by Split Rock Partners. http://bit.ly/finovate323113

H&R Block and Yodlee partner to make it easier to file taxes. http://yhoo.it/finovate3236

ICICI and Intuit partner on a Mint-like platform for India. http://bit.ly/finovate324113

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Can Banks and Credit Card Issuers Outflank Groupon with Merchant-Funded Rewards?

By Jim Bruene Posted on March 24, 2011
Categories: Mobile Banking, Mobile Commerce, Mobile Payments, Rewards Programs

Groupon may be the biggest company in history that everyone thinks they could have built. Facebook, I guess, is up there too.

It seems everyone is wondering how they could do the “Groupon of ____” (fill in the blank). In my world, the blank is “banking.” I already wrote about the potential for selling financial products through Groupon and other flash marketing sites last July, so I won’t repeat that part. Anyway, that’s Groupon 1.0.

It’s Groupon 2.0 that I think is even more interesting for financial institutions. The new model, coming in a few weeks, is all about mobile deals. The company is said to be planning on adding two buttons to your smartphone:

I’m hungry…which will alert you to nearby Groupons you can use for food deals.

I’m bored…which will alert you to just about anything else Groupon sells.

It’s brilliant. And so simple. Again, everyone will wish they’d built it.

___________________________________________

Banking Opportunities
________________________________________________

So how could you do the same thing in personal finance? What would those buttons be?

I’m broke….leads to ATM finder, cash-back location, credit card site, loan app, friends & family loans, P2P lender, etc.
I’ve just been paid…leads to ATM finder, branch locations, deposit accounts, billpay, investments, automated savings plans, etc.
I’m out of town…leads to ATM finder, FX locations, travel services,
resource locator, card-issuer notifications, security preferences, etc.

But those are all pretty much standard functions of online/mobile banking today. The bigger opportunity may be to beat Groupon at the local level, with merchant-funded rewards tied to debit/credit cards (see note 1). Banks could potentially use the same “hungry/bored buttons” and direct customers to cash-back deals at restaurants and other merchants making offers to your cardholders.

Bottom line: Location-based rewards is another example of why mobile banking will be more important than online banking. To put it simply:

Banks enable commerce.

Mobile enables location-based commerce.

So financial institutions are right in the middle of a multi-billion dollar shift in retail spending. Enjoy all the opportunities!

————————————————-

Notes:
1. For more on merchant-funded rewards, see the latest Online Banking Report.
2. Picture credit: All Things Digital

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FinovateSpring 2011 Demo Roster Revealed — Get your early-bird ticket before they’re gone!

By finovate Posted on March 23, 2011
Categories: FinovateSpring 2011

In less than seven weeks, over 60 handpicked companies will take the stage at FinovateSpring in San Francisco to demo their latest financial and banking technology innovations.

The selected companies will showcase their latest ideas to an influential audience that’s shaping up to be Finovate’s largest ever (well above last spring’s headcount of 550). It should be a packed house on May 10th & 11th at the Concourse Exhibition Center and we hope you’ll join us to watch the future of finance unfold live on stage.

Without further ado, here are the companies who will be demoing at FinovateSpring 2011:

Afiniate
Aptys Solutions
Arroweye Solutions
Backbase
BancVue
Balance Financial
Bill.com
Billeo
BillFloat
Bills.com
BillShrink
Blaze Mobile
Braintree
Bundle
ChargeSmart
Clovr Media
Code Green
Crossroads
Currensee

doxo
Dwolla
edo Interactive
Enloop
eWise
Expensify
Experian
Figlo
Fiserv
Gold Bullion Int’l
Gratio Capital
HelloWallet
HOYOS
ID Analytics
Ideon
Intellaegis
Kabbage
Kiboo
Kony Solutions

Lend Street
Lendio
Liqpay.com
MyBankTracker
Mint.com
oFlows
Pageonce
PayDivvy
PayNearMe
PayPal/Discover
peerTransfer
ProfitStars
ReadyReceipts
Silver Tail Systems
TILE Financial
TrustedID
Wikinvest
Wipro Technologies
Xero

In late April, we will also be announcing several additional presenting companies that wish to remain confidential for now.

If you’d like to lock in your spot at the spring event, please register today. Plus, by registering today, you’ll get the early-bird ticket price and save $100 on your ticket. We hope to see you in May!

FinovateSpring 2011 is sponsored by: The Bancorp, Tier One Partners, and the law firm of CB&S.

FinovateSpring 2011 is partners with: BankInnovation.net, BankerStuff, CardWeb, Filene Research Institute, Finance on Windows, PYMNTS.com, Mercator Advisory Group and Mobile-Financial.com.

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FinovateSpring 2011 Demo Roster Revealed — Get your early-bird ticket before they’re gone!

By finovate Posted on March 23, 2011
Categories: FinovateSpring 2011

In less than seven weeks, over 60 handpicked companies will take the stage at FinovateSpring in San Francisco to demo their latest financial and banking technology innovations.

Without further ado, here are the companies who will be demoing at FinovateSpring 2011:

Afiniate
Aptys Solutions
Arroweye Solutions
Backbase
BancVue
Balance Financial
Bill.com
Billeo
BillFloat
Bills.com
BillShrink
Blaze Mobile
Braintree
Bundle
ChargeSmart
Clovr Media
Code Green
Crossroads
Currensee

doxo
Dwolla
edo Interactive
Enloop
eWise
Expensify
Experian
Figlo
Fiserv
Gold Bullion Int’l
Gratio Capital
HelloWallet
HOYOS
ID Analytics
Ideon
Intellaegis
Kabbage
Kiboo
Kony Solutions

Lend Street
Lendio
Liqpay.com
MyBankTracker
Mint.com
oFlows
Pageonce
PayDivvy
PayNearMe
PayPal/Discover
peerTransfer
ProfitStars
ReadyReceipts
Silver Tail Systems
TILE Financial
TrustedID
Wikinvest
Wipro Technologies
Xero

In late April, we will also be announcing several additional presenting companies that wish to remain confidential for now.

FinovateSpring 2011 is sponsored by: The Bancorp, Tier One Partners, and the law firm of CB&S.

FinovateSpring 2011 is partners with: BankInnovation.net, BankerStuff, CardWeb, Filene Research Institute, Finance on Windows, PYMNTS.com, Mercator Advisory Group and Mobile-Financial.com.

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Out of the Inbox: ING Direct Raises Price on Overdraft Credit Line by 55%, Still Undercuts Competition by 99%

By Jim Bruene Posted on March 22, 2011
Categories: Email Samples, Fee Income, ING Direct, Loans & Credit, Pricing

This has to be the best notification of a price increase I’ve ever seen (see first screenshot).

ING Direct (USA) famously does not charge OD/NSF fees on its checking account, Electric Orange. But that’s a bit of a moot point since the bank doesn’t offer paper checks, making it difficult to inadvertently go negative.

However, the bank does allow overdrawing by few hundred dollars if you so choose. And it charges interest on those "overdrafts" at a variable rate equal to 4% above prime, currently 7.25%. The bank reinforces the no-fee pricing in its standard low-balance alert (see second screenshot below).

But that low APR is heading upwards. Last night I received an email notification that effective May 15, the variable rate will be increasing to 8% above prime, or 11.25% today, a 55% increase. That’s still relatively reasonable for unsecured credit.

But the bank’s email doesn’t focus on APR. After clearly disclosing the price increase, it lays out a comparison of what a $100 overdraft would cost the average U.S. consumer for one week, $31, vs. the $0.31 you’d owe ING Direct after 7 days. There are no other fees, transaction or annual, for the ING credit line (complete terms here).

Well played.

ING Direct email disclosing OD credit line APR increase (21 March 2011)

Overdraft notice (22 March 2011)
The bank reinforces its no-fee policy in its email OD alert.

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Announcing FinovateFall 2011 (September 20 & 21 in NYC) — Apply to Demo Your Latest Fintech Innovation

By finovate Posted on March 21, 2011
Categories: FinovateFall 2011

I’m pleased to announce that FinovateFall 2011 will take place on September 20 & 21 in New York City. The show will be our fifth annual Finovate in Manhattan and we’re incredibly excited to be back.

Last year, the conference featured a new two-day duration with 56 demos and the audience loved it so we’re keeping it this year. Sadly, because the 2010 show’s attendance grew more than 50%, we sold out our old space several weeks ahead of time. So, this year, I’m thrilled to announce that we’re moving to a new space. In fact, we’re renting a pier. Yes, an entire pier (Pier 92 to be specific) worth of space so you can come see the best new innovations in financial and banking technology in comfort along with hundreds of other leading senior executives, venture capitalists, industry analysts, major press and technology entrepreneurs.

There is a tremendous amount of innovation happening in fintech right now (including dozens of new ideas that will debut at FinovateSpring in San Francisco in just a few weeks), and the fall show is already shaping up to feature an array of exciting, fast-paced 7-minute demos (no slides allowed!) on stage.

If you’re a startup, established company, or financial institution innovating in financial or banking technology, we’d love to have you apply to demo your latest and greatest at the conference. To get more details, please email us at [email protected].

If you’re interested in watching the future of financial and banking technology unfold live on stage at this must-attend event then get your pre-sale ticket today for FinovateFall 2011 and save $400 off the list price. Tickets have already started to sell before this formal announcement and we don’t want you to miss out! We’ll see you in September!

FinovateFall 2011 is sponsored by: The Bancorp, Tier One Partners, and the law firm of CB&S.

FinovateFall 2011 is partners with: BankInnovation.net, BankerStuff, CardWeb, Filene Research Institute, Finance on Windows, PYMNTS.com, Mercator Advisory Group and Mobile-Financial.com.

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