Best of the Web: Zions Bank’s Holiday Gift Planner Wraps Personal Finance into a Neat Package

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Best of the Web, Personal Financial Management, Zions Bank

imageAs I was publishing my earlier post on the Thanksgiving message on the Zions Bank homepage, I noticed a small Holiday Gift Planner banner in the lower left corner (see inset below). Expecting to find a pitch for Visa or MasterCard gift cards, I clicked on it and was surprised to find a very cool holiday microsite called at MyHolidayGiftPlanners.com (see screenshot 1 below and note 1).

imageThe gift planner is a personal financial management tool for planning, budgeting, and tracking holiday gift expenditures. Users create a gift list for each person by entering a budget amount per person, an estimated cost for each planned gift, and then later the actual amount spent.

The tool does all the math, tracking progress against each recipients’ gift list and how the total holiday budget is faring (see screenshot 2). It even includes a space for capturing gift-buying notes (see below). This year’s list will be archived to provide a handy reference for next year. Hopefully, the bank will use email to draw users back next year.

image

Consumers could do the same thing on a spreadsheet or within most personal finance programs. However, Zions has built an elegant solution that is faster and more convenient. I’ve always done this for my kids on a piece of paper which I inevitably lose and/or leave out on the table where anyone can read it. I look forward to keeping this list bookmarked and password-protected on my computer this year. 

Anyone can use the program, you needn’t be a Zions customers. It takes seconds to sign up inputting name, email address and password (see screenshot 3). The site gently cross sells credit cards to pay for itself. There’s a banner that runs across the top of the planning page (screenshot 2) and a link to special cardholder discounts on the main page (screenshot 4).

Zions should turn the planner into an iPhone/Android app to help users track gift purchases on the go and avoid the need to print the list prior to the trip to the mall.

obr_bestofweb Bottom line: The Zions gift planner is a great example of how to creatively use branded financial management tools to both help customers and create synergy with banking products. We’re giving Zions our sixth OBR Best of the Web 2008 award for creating a simple solution to help customers avoid holiday overspending, a pesky personal finance issue that is top-of-mind this year. 

 

1. Homepage of Zions Bank’s gift planner (28 Nov 2008)

image

2. A credit card cross sell runs across the top of my personalized gift planner

image

3. Email address is captured for future marketing purposes

image

4. Credit card discounts are displayed along with an credit card application

image

Note:

1. Evidently the planner was available in early December last year. The first blog mention was 7 Dec 2007.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Loanio Shuts Down (updated with statement from Loanio)

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Lending Club, Loanio, Loans & Credit, P2P Lending, Pricing

image It’s 3 for 3 now. All major P2P U.S. peer-to-peer lenders have been shut down this year by the SEC (see note 1). First Lending Club in March, then Prosper Oct. 15, and finally Loanio this week (see note 1).

Here is the statement I received from Loanio founder Michael Solomon this afternoon:

In light of the recent cease-and-desist ruling issued to Prosper Marketplace by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Loanio voluntarily suspended its operations. We were not contacted by the SEC or any other government agency. The SEC ruling on Prosper, combined with the recent registration of Lending Club, removes all ambiguities as to the Commission’s legal interpretation on the issue of whether P2P promissory notes, in all of their varieties, are considered securities under current law.

Regulators have concluded that loans created in these networks are, in fact, securities and must be registered as such. You can read the SEC’s logic in its Prosper filing published this week (here).

I have mixed feelings. While I applaud regulators for taking the initiative to understand this new way of lending/investing, I find it a bit ironic that a $100-million self-regulating and relatively transparent marketplace receives heavy-handed treatment while multi-trillion dollar financial products grew relatively unchecked in recent years (see my prior editorial on the matter).

The good news is that Lending Club has proven that SEC registration need not be a death sentence. The startup successfully completed the registration process after six months, relaunching at our Finovate event Oct. 14. The company has funded $2.6 million in loans since reopening.

We are hopeful that Prosper, which has $40 million in venture funding, will be back in business in early first quarter. Angel-funded Loanio may need to raise money to finance the registration process.

image

Notes:
1. Last month (here), the Loanio founder predicted that at some point he’d also need to register with the SEC.

2. Fynanz and GreenNote, the P2P student loan lenders, appear to still be accepting lender funds.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Highlights from BAI Retail Delivery 2008

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Alt Payments, BAI Retail Delivery, Conferences

image BAI’s Retail Delivery Conference is an annual rite for bank tech geeks from around the world. Although attendance was down 20% or so from last year, causing some grousing on the trade-show floor, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here’s my personal list of highlights from the show (see note 1). 

The Netbanker awards:

  • Most audacious business plan: Alt-payment startups Moneta and sister company Acculynk which are looking to disrupt online payments at the point of sale
  • Most likely to succeed: mobile anything 
  • Biggest “wow” factor: Cardless ATMs by Wincor Nixdorf  
  • Best demo of something that actually exists: Bank of Montreal’s demo of its new branch locator using Microsoft Virtual Earth (shown at the Microsoft’s booth)
  • Coolest solution looking for a problem: Microsoft Surface
  • Product most likely to be used in our company: Bankserv remote deposit integrated with QuickBooks 
  • Product least likely to be used in our company: Wii banking from Wincor Nixdorf (but it’s very cool)
  • Best presentation: Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics and Growing Up Digital 
  • Best buzzword comeback: Push banking (mobile apps, widgets, alerts)
  • Best trade floor freebie: Free espresso from ClairMail 
  • Best financial screenshot during a keynote: PayPal CEO Scott Thompson showed PayPal Mobile from Chase Bank, a pilot program running on several college campuses (Ohio State), where Paypal Mobile is bundled with banking services from Chase Bank
  • Worst financial screenshot during a keynote: Don Tapscott used Zopa USA as an example of a promising new Web 2.0 financial company (Zopa pulled out of the U.S. market last month)
  • Biggest jinx: Second Curve Capital CEO Tom Brown, who Tuesday afternoon explained why he is so bullish on bank stocks; the NASDAQ bank stock index proceeded to drop 200 points (10%) over the next two days (note 2)
  • Most amazing stat: In his keynote, CEO Arkadi Kuhlmann said ING Direct (USA) had originated more than 100,000 mortgages worth $36 billion, and initiated foreclosures only 15 times
  • Best time: Dinner with Trey Reeme and the gang from TDECU who are not only some of the nicest people you could ever meet, but also provided absolutely stimulating conversation and some great laughs

image Best of show: Drum roll please. After dozens of amazing conversations over three days, the company that most intrigued me is alt-payments startup Moneta (note 3). 

Notes:
1. I visited with only a couple dozen of the 300 or so companies in Orlando, so comments here are not meant to be an overview, just the highlights of my experience. As usual, I spent most of my time looking for new ideas and ended up spending half my time talking to mobile providers.
2. To his credit, Mr. Brown did not say bank stocks had bottomed; in fact, he said they could very well go lower. But by this time next year, he expects a substantial turnaround. It was a great presentation.
3. Moneta didn’t have a booth, but board member and investor Ashish Bahl was in attendance and briefed me on his firm. We’ll provide more details on the company later. 

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Wells Fargo is Second Online Personal Finance Provider to Join the 1-million Club

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Bank of America, Market Research & Metrics, Personal Financial Management, Wells Fargo

imageIn April, we reported on the robust adoption of Bank of America's online personal finance manager, My Portfolio (see note 1), used by 10% of the bank's 25 million online bankers. The results are especially impressive given that it's a full-featured module accessible via online banking, but not particularly well integrated.

imageIn comparison, Wells Fargo offers a completely integrated PFM tool, My Spending Report, that's extremely simple to use, but offers limited functionality. On Oct. 29, the bank made an important improvement, adding a basic budgeting tool, Budget Watch, to what had been essentially a list of transactions divided by category.

The bank told me last week they have 1 million monthly users, making it the second online PFM provider to break the 1-million mark (after BofA). Wells has about 15% of its online banking base (note 2) using the tool, a slightly higher penetration than BofA. Again, not surprising considering how well it is integrated. The budget tools should boost penetration.

Who'll be the next one to join the 1-million club? Mint, with about 500,000 users in its first 15 months in business, is headed that way, possibly as early as late next year.  Chase/WaMu could get there in a few weeks, if they added online personal finance to their feature set. Quicken Online, now that it's free, should get there relatively quickly as well.

Note:
1. BofA's My Portfolio is powered by Yodlee.

2. Excluding Wachovia accounts.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Chase Bank Offers to Lower Auto Payments by $44

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Auto Financing, Chase Bank, Loans & Credit

image It's a sign of the times. Instead of creating interest in auto loans by showing a sexy new convertible on a windy seaside road, Chase offers to help customers stay in their same vehicle with a lower monthly payment (see today's homepage below).

Interestingly, the $44 number in the headline is the actual average savings to Chase auto loan refinance customers in August (see note 1 for how Chase calculated the savings). That makes the whole ad much more believable than the usual what-if scenario.

Instead of burying that key fact in the fine print on the bottom of the landing page (second screenshot), Chase should make it the main headline of the landing page. The bank could go "social" with it by adding testimonials, a blog or forum, calculators (how about one for the iPhone?), a Facebook page, sweepstakes and even a scrolling activity ticker showing actual refinance savings as they happen, much like the Progressive auto insurance quotes (see note 2).

It's not going to help Detroit much, but it's smart marketing for the pre-holiday period. A $44 lower monthly payment translates into $500 in annual savings, enough to put a little something extra under the tree this year.

Chase Bank homepage (13 Nov 2008)

image


Landing page pop-up (13 Nov 2008)

image

Notes:

1. Derivation of the $44 savings:

Monthly savings figure is for illustration purposes only. $44.43 is the average monthly amount saved by customers who lowered their rate by refinancing their auto loans with Chase during the period from 7/25/08 to 8/21/08 on which we have the information to determine savings. These customers started with an average balance of $17,500, with an average remaining term of 49 months at an average Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 10.50% and refinanced on average for 53 months at an average new APR of 7.31%.

2. An activity ticker is one of our top-rated projects for next year as published last week in our Online Banking Report 2009 Planning Guide.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Peer-to-Peer Lending Volumes Worldwide

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Lending Club, Loans & Credit, Metrics & Market Research, P2P Lending, Prosper, Virgin Money, Zopa

image Industry blog, P2P-banking.com recently compiled a list of peer-to-peer  loan volumes from around the world. The chart is reprinted by permission below.

These numbers are cumulative, all-time volumes since inception. More than half is from Virgin Money USA which has helped individuals put $370 million in loans together since it began as Circle Lending in 2001.

Because these companies don't all use the same model, I've revised the tables somewhat, excluding: 

  • Facilitators: My definition of peer-to-peer lending excludes Virgin Money and Loanback because they do not serve as matchmakers (note 1). They do play a crucial role in putting a legal framework in place for friends-and-family loans and often end up servicing the loans as well. They are more like PayPal where Prosper/Lending Club are like eBay.
  • Microfinance markets: I would exclude Kiva as well. It's an awesome platform that allows U.S. citizens to loan money to third-world merchants at zero interest. A powerful tool for philanthropy, yes, but not really peer-to-peer. The same goes for MyC4 and Microplace.

So excluding the above companies, total worldwide originations are $262 million, with two-thirds of that from Prosper.

Here are the market shares of the 8 true P2P lenders that have originated more than $1 million since launch:

Company US$ (mil) WW Share
Prosper (US) $178 68%
Zopa (UK) $39 15%
Lending Club (US) $20 8%
Money Auction (Korea) $7.8 3%
Smava (Germany) $5.8 2%
Zopa (Italy) $4.3 2%
Boober (Netherlands) $3.1 1%
Other $4.5 2%
Total $262 100%

 

image

Source: P2P-Banking.com, 28 Oct 2008

Note:
1. This does not mean I dislike Virgin Money's business model, just that its loan volume is not comparable to the others on the list.

2. For more info on the P2P lending market, see our Online Banking Report on Person-to-Person Lending

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Receivables Exchange Launching Auction Platform for Financing Accounts Receivables

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Auction platforms, Launches, Loans & Credit, Receivables Exchange, Small Business

image A new financial market will open Monday where businesses as small as $1.5 million in annual sales can borrow against their receivables with prices set in an auction market.

New Orleans-based The Receivables Exchange opens for trades on Monday (17 Nov) after an 18-month development cycle.

Businesses register with the exchange, a process that entails uploading financial statements and completing an application. The Receivables Exchange conducts due diligence on the potential participant to ensure that it is legitimate.

Businesses must meet the following criteria:

  • Minimum of $1.5 million in annual sales
  • At least 2 years of operating history
  • Registered to do business in the United States

Upon approval, the business can list specific invoices for financing, with a minimum total value of $10,000. Then accredited investors (SEC definition here) bid to provide short-term financing until the receivables are collected. Sellers are encouraged to upload PDF copies of invoices, proof of delivery, and so on to get the best rates. However, many documentation requirements are optional.

Sellers select the terms they are willing to accept and the bidder that beats those terms by the widest margin wins the credit. If no bidder meets the minimum terms, the auction ends without a trade.

Co-founders: Justin A. Brownhill and Nicolas R. Perkin

VC backers: Prism VentureWorks LLC and Fidelity Ventures

Analysis
In an era of tight credit, it's a welcome addition to the financing tools available for small and mid-sized businesses. Larger businesses typically have more options through commercial paper and other capital markets.

The startup expects banks to be valuable sources of referrals. Although, at this point, there are no referral fees or revenue-sharing options.

So far, The Receivables Exchange has signed up sellers with a total of $2 billion in annual sales. And there's been a lot of interest. Founder Nicolas Perkin says his company has been approached by 20 $1+ billion companies.

But what about the other side of the trade, the lender/investor? The company says it has access to $8 billion deployable capital. Of course, that doesn't mean that the capital will be easily enticed into actual deals.

Starting Monday, we'll see what the buy side thinks. Are they willing to risk their capital in the unproven market? If The Receivables Exchange can drive out fraud and deliver on its promises, we think the answer will be yes.

The Receivables Exchange homepage (11 Nov 2008)

image

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Wells Fargo Uses Splash Screen After Login to Reinforce Safety & Soundness

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Wells Fargo

image The best time to get your customer's attention is right after they log in to look at their account. That's why login-screen marketing should be in your mix (see previous coverage). But, your message is not necessarily welcome at that point, so it's a marketing option best used judiciously.

Wells Fargo makes good use of the technique this month with an open letter from CEO John Stumpf. It's been a while since I logged in to my Wells Fargo account, so I'm not sure it was posted. But it carries an October date, so it was probably later in the month after Wells Fargo prevailed in its bid to buy Wachovia.  

Many financial institutions have posted we-are-still-going-strong messages during the past few months. The Wells Fargo message isn't particularly noteworthy, other than they don't beat around the bush asking, then answering, the question:

What does (the Wachovia acquisition) mean to me as a Wells Fargo customer?

Wells Fargo splash screen displayed immediately after logging in (10 Nov 2008)

image

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Privier Launches ATMsend, a Promising Idea that Needs Banking Partners

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Alt Payments, Epayments, Launches, Mobile Banking, Mobile Payments

image I've communicated with Privier founder Charles Polanco a number of times over the years. He's a Wachovia alum who's been working on a financial startup for several years. The company launched a suite of payment services on Oct. 16 that aims to get the plastic card out of the ATM business (press release).

Privier's value prop is straightforward and compelling: Enable money transfers from any device at any time with the cash delivered through the worldwide ATM network.

The system initiates transfers in three ways:

  • ATMsend: ATM to ATM
  • iTransfer: Web to ATM 
  • mPayment: Mobile phone to ATM

In Privier's model the ATM card is replaced by a one-time authorization code that recipients key into the ATM to withdraw transferred funds.

Analysis
From a usability perspective, it's a great idea. After all, what's not to like? Consumers need to send cash. ATMs have cash. Why not let folks authorize a remote ATM withdrawal from the comfort of their own home or office. A proposed fee in the $7 range beats most alternatives for long-distance money transfers.

However, from a practical standpoint there are two massive roadblocks to overcome:

  • Retrofitting ATMs to accept a keyed-in code instead of a mag stripe for authentication
  • Convincing banks to add ATM-transfer capabilities to Web, mobile and telephone services

It will likely take an organization the size of Visa, MasterCard, or Bank of America to pull this off. To ensure that those behemoths work with it, Privier has a portfolio of patents pending on the business process. 

What it means for Netbankers
It may take decades, but eventually, the Web married to mobile will eliminate the plastic debit/credit card; however, unless you are a major bank or payments company, this isn't likely anything you need worry about for a number of years.

A better short-term solution for smaller financial institutions is to enable P2P funds transfers using PayPal so you can send money to anyone with a PayPal account (see note 1).

Privier's Web-based interface for sending cash to an ATM (5 Nov 2008)SendCash_Step1

Note:
1. See our latest, the Online Banking Report 2009 Planning Guide, for more info on project priorities for this year and beyond. 

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

New Online Banking Report Published: 2009 Planning Guide

By Jim Bruene Posted on
Categories: Business Planning, Marketing, Online Banking Report, Planning, Strategic Planning, Strategies

image With the financial crisis still in full swing, it's not easy to concentrate on the 2009 plan. But focus you must.

You can bet that companies emerging from this mess as winners are working overtime right now, plotting how they will grab your market share next year. Yes, budgets will be down, but thanks to the Web and social media, there are more cost-effective opportunities than ever to get your message out.

With that in mind, we offer the latest issue from Online Banking Report, our 14th annual Planning Guide for Online & Mobile Banking (see note 1).  

It includes 72 pages of ideas, tips and tools to help you generate new ideas, plans, and strategies for 2009 and beyond. Subscribers, Online Banking Report subscribers, may download it (here) free of charge. Others may purchase (here).

While more than 500 online banking product and marketing ideas are published in the report, we hand-selected 20 projects for the 2009 hot list (in alpha order):

  • Activity ticker
  • Balance conversions
  • Credit score/report zone
  • Flat-fee mortgage
  • Green banking
  • High-yield deposit accounts
  • Home equity center
  • iPhone/Android native app
  • Long-term archives
  • Micro/small-business services
  • Peer-to-peer loan facilitation
  • Personal finance functionality 
  • Premium/VIP online services
  • Prepaid/gift cards
  • Problem mortgage resource center
  • Retirement center
  • Service standards/guarantees
  • Social media/blogging
  • Usage-based contests/rewards
  • Widgets

Note:
1. The Netbanker blog (established 2004) and Online Banking Report (established 1994), are written and published by the same company.

Share this:

Send Post Twitter LinkedIn Facebook