Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs Archives - Page 10 of 15

Everbank Takes on ING Direct with 6.01% Checking Account Campaign

By Jim Bruene Posted on January 31, 2007
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Direct Banking, Everbank, ING Direct

Everbank launched its "What are you waiting for?" campaign today by giving away 2,500 free subway tickets at 6:01 AM in lower Manhattan. The time was chosen to coincide with the 6.01% APR promotional start-rate on its FreeNet checking account (see Note 1).

The campaign targets ING Direct's soon-to-be-released Electric Orange checking account, which currently pays beta users 3% on balances under $50,000 and 5.3% on balances greater than $50,000 (see Note 2).

Everbank launched a microsite called <whyruwaiting.com> with direct comparisons to ING Direct (see screenshot below).

Clicking the large Compare Banks button in the lower right leads to a comparison to ING Direct and several other major competitors (see screenshot below):

The campaign has not been extended to the Everbank website, which shows a banner for the 6.01% offer, but no mention of "Why are you waiting?" (see screenshot below).

Clicking through the banner leads to the following page:

Notes:

The 6.01% is a promotional "teaser" rate is good for three months, then resets to the "regular" rate which are currently as follows:
Under $10,000 = 3.25%
$10,000 to $25,000 = 3.30%
$25,000 to $50,000 = 3.60%
$50,000 to $100,000 = 4.00%
More than $100,000 = 4.41%
The minimum deposit is $1,500 and the maximum that earns 6.01% is $100,000.
ING Direct customers can also easily transfer funds into the companion savings account which pays 4.5%. ING's Electric Orange account began rolling out in waves to its 4 million savings account customers in December (see coverage here). Coincidently, I received my invitation yesterday (see screenshot below).

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HSBC Direct Attracts 350,000 Accounts

By Jim Bruene Posted on January 26, 2007
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Direct Banking, HSBC Direct

In a Jan. 1 case history published in Direct Magazine (article here), HSBC Direct says it has attracted 350,000 customers since the launch of its high-yield savings account just over a year ago (Nov. 2005).

Assuming typical high-yield balance levels of $8000 to $10,000 per account (our estimate), the bank has attracted more than $3 billion in deposits. The bank has marketed its 5%+ APR account heavily, so it's not likely that the new business is making much of a profit contribution yet.

Based on the bank's reported online ad spending, its acquisition costs were $75 per account from the online spending only, not including what it spent in other media to support the direct business unit (see note 1).

The bank said it is working on new products to offer through the direct bank. This is a crucial step in the evolution. There just aren't enough customers with $10,000 savings balances to feed all the financial institutions looking for new deposits. HSBC's ability to sell other services to its 350,000 new customers will determine the long-term success of the direct banking initiative.

Thanks to former Forrester senior analyst, Ron Shevlin, now VP at Epsilon, for the link in his Marketing ROI blog.

Notes:

According to data from TNS published in American Banker here, HSBC spent $20 million online during the first three quarters of 2006. To calculate the acquisition cost we annualized the online spending and divided by 350,000. This calculation excludes the portion of non-Internet advertising that went to support the direct unit. The bank's total ad spend was $42 million during the first 3 quarters of 2006.

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WT Direct takes on ING Direct at Kiplinger.com

By Jim Bruene Posted on January 23, 2007
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Direct Banking, ING Direct

Kiplinger published an article on the state of online banking (see article here). It's an interesting read, but it's the WT Direct ad in the upper-right corner that I found most interesting (see screenshot below). WT Direct is the new direct banking arm of Wilmington Trust (see coverage here).

It's a Flash animation that's part parody of the whack-a-mole banner ad and part a direct shot at ING Direct.

Viewers are directed to:

"Hit the ball and get a really great rate."

That's when the humor begins. Attempting to move the cursor over the ball causes the ball to move away. So there is no way to actually click on the ball. After a few seconds a new screen appears with two words, "Give up?" It's a not-so-subtle dig at ING Direct rates which are revealed on its homepage usually after an orange ball bounces across the screen. ING Direct is currently paying 0.75% less than WT Direct on a $10,000 balance (see note 1).

Then finally, it's revealed who is sponsoring the ad, WT Direct:

The landing page reinforces the banner ad with a direct comparison to ING Direct's payout with the animated graph in the lower-left corner (see screenshot below).

Nicely done.

Notes:

1. After the first 60 days, balances of less than $10,000 earn just 0.6% at WT Direct. ING Direct pays 4.5% on all balance levels.

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Key Bank Uses TV Advertising to Promote Deposits in its Saveday Promotion

By Jim Bruene Posted on January 22, 2007
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Key Bank

Thursday night, as my son was Tivoing his way through the commercial breaks on The Office, I noticed a Key Bank logo at the end of the commercial break. I had him go back and play the 5-second spot which was teaser style with a brief voiceover, logo, and the URL:

KeyBank.com/saveday

Expecting to see an interesting web-based savings account marketing effort, I typed "key bank save" into Google and came up empty handed (see note 1). The first link was to a Key Bank loan application, and there were no sponsored results.

Next, I tried connecting directly to the bank using what I remembered of the URL show in the TV spot, <keybank.com/save>. I realized that was the wrong address when all I saw was an error page, which unfortunately contained no guidance on what to do next (see inset). Finally, I went to the Key Bank homepage and found a large banner announcing the program aimed at encouraging users to curtail their discretionary spending on a designated day (your "Save day") each week (see second screenshot below).

Analysis
I'm like the idea of creating an interesting program to spur savings. For example, even though I didn't much like it initially (see post here), Bank of America's Save the Change does have a certain amount of appeal, at least from a marketing standpoint (see note #2).

And Centra Credit Union's <centra.org> new prize-based savings plan deserves a second look (thanks Doug True for the original post on this, here; see screenshot in note #3 below).

However, there isn't much to like about Key Bank's Saveday effort. The television spots may work as image advertising, but the website execution left a lot to be desired. Not only did the bank fail to support its television buy with search advertising, the landing page has little of interest besides the standard suite of savings calculators (see screenshot in note #4 below). There are no incentives, contests, or benefits to motivate a consumer to do something as unpleasant as giving up their daily latte.

While the bank does offer a handy PDF worksheet that can be printed out to calculate a monthly budget, there are no links or discussions of automated savings plan. Putting savings on auto-pilot is a much more powerful saving system than trying to get customers to sacrifice their caffeine one day per week.

There's also no interactive elements that might help get someone started. For example, why not send customers a text message to their phone or email each Saveday to encourage them to save.

However, the biggest blunder, is calling attention to the bank's incredibly low savings rates. For example, for a $10,000 saving balance, a typical amount in high-yield savings accounts, Key's three options paid a paltry 0.10%, 0.20% and 1.24% (see note #5). And no, those are not typos, that's two-tenths of a percent, in the KeySaver account, or a grand total of $1.66 per month, before tax. Not even enough to buy that cup of coffee the bank wants you to forego on your Saveday.

It takes a $25,000 balance to get above 1.24% in any of Key's savings accounts (note #6). And anyone who's managed to stash away that much in liquid savings probably doesn't need a Saveday.

Notes:

1. Later we tried, "key bank saveday" and the first link was a press release on the promotion, but it was at a csrwire.com URL (see release here). Searching from a Seattle WiFi IP address in Seattle.

2. Bank of America has recently been touting the Save the Change debit card benefit in its usual excellent television ads.

3. Centra Credit Union Super Savings page

4. Key Bank Saveday landing page

5. Rates quoted on Keybank.com for zip code 98115 on 22 Jan 2007

6. Update Jan 30: According to a bank employee, a $25,000 deposit now pays 3% in Key Ultra Money Market which I confirmed online. And in markets where Key Bank doesn't have a branch presence, the rate is as much as 5.25% through Key Direct (see screenshot below).

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First Direct Bank’s Holiday Pop-up Marketing

By Jim Bruene Posted on December 14, 2006
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Citibank, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, First Direct, Website Usability & Design

I am a sucker for holiday graphics on websites. It doesn't have to be dramatic, a few snowflakes or candy canes in the background is fine. For example, Citibank's e-Savings banner on its homepage today (see inset, click to enlarge). Just like a holiday wreath on the door of the branch, it shows your customers and employees that you have some holiday spirit.

Unlike two years ago (see prior post here), this year many banks and credit unions are running holiday promotions for gift cards and other products (see rundown here) and/or have dropped holiday sprinkles into their websites. The most dramatic is the popup from U.K.'s First Direct <firstdirect.com>. This is over-the-top, but it brings a grin, not a bad thing during the end-of-year rush.

First Direct homepage with popup showing (click to enlarge)

Close-up of popup after choosing "let it snow" option
The loud holiday music that accompanies the snow globe can be turned off with the button in the lower right. Selecting "all snowed out" or "bah humbug!" from the first screen displays a brief "seasons greeting" message before automatically closing the popup.

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USAA Offers Nationwide Remote Deposit Capture for Consumers

By Jim Bruene Posted on December 7, 2006
Categories: Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Remote Deposit Capture, USAA

In a press release yesterday, USAA, which serves many of its 5.6 million members remotely, announced the availability of its Deposit@home remote deposit capture service. It's the first major remote deposit capture service geared towards consumers. There are no fees for the service.

Previous services have been targeted to businesses who could justify the $300 to $700+ cost of a dedicated on-location paper-check scanner (see prior coverage here). USAA's service works with any 200 dpi or better scanner hooked to a Windows 2000/XP computer, so households with a dedicated scanner or multi-function printer will not be required to add hardware.

Deposit@home has been rolling out to selected customers since mid-November. To reduce risk, the service is only available to credit- and insurance-qualified checking account customers.

It's being positioned as a replacement to the UPS/NetBank QuickPost service that was abruptly discontinued by NetBank in a cost-cutting move (previous post here). QuickPost allowed USAA customers to overnight deposits free-of-charge from any UPS Store. There is no word on when or if it will be available to all USAA checking account customers.

Because of its limited availability, it has not been featured on USAA's website. Invitations were sent by email and the option was added to the menu within online banking. However, the feature was used in an online promotion for the Lackland Airfest 2006 a month ago (see mention in upper-left here).

Here's a screenshot posted on the USAA thread at FatWallet:

Analysis
Assuming the service works as promised on in-home scanners, the ability to submit deposits remotely should help financial institutions compete for checking accounts outside their geographic footprint.

Winners: Direct banks, credit unions, and smaller banks with limited branch networks; also, remote deposit technology providers and printer/scanner manufacturers

Losers: Any financial institution that doesn't offer remote deposit options; branches

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Yet Another Direct Bank: WT Direct from Wilmington Trust

By Jim Bruene Posted on December 5, 2006
Categories: Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Direct Banking

It may be premature to give the direct banking trend a cynical acronym such as YADB, meaning "yet another direct bank" (see Note 1). However, it's getting more difficult to distinguish one 5% high-yield offer from the 27 others (see Note 2).

The latest top bidder on Google (see End Notes) is WT Direct <wtdirect.com>, a new direct banking brand from Wilmington Trust. Its sole product is a 5.26% APY savings account. To encourage trial, the bank pays the advertised rate on any balance for the first 60 days. On day 61, the rate drops 466 basis points to 0.60% unless you've stored $10,000 or more in the account. The bank clearly discloses both rates.

The homepage is direct and to-the-point (see Note 3). While not as flashy as ING Direct or iGObanking, it communicates the benefits in an efficient manner. The landing page from its top-ranked Google ad (see Note 4) is better, with a chart showing how it beats ING Direct.

The application is well conceived (see below), with few of the problems identified in our earlier critique of iGObanking's online app (see previous post here). The one improvement we'd recommend: Divide the personal info section into two steps, first getting the "public" info (name, address, email address), then asking for the private stuff (SSN, driver's license, etc.).

End Notes

1. Modeled after YASN, a term used in tech circles for "yet another social networking site."

2. In BankDeals' weekly high-rate summary, 27 banks were identified as offering 5% or more APY on online savings accounts (see post here).

3. WT Direct homepage screenshot (click to enlarge)

4. WT Direct search ad on Google (4 Dec. 2006 search on "savings account gifts" from Seattle P.I. at 3 PM PST)

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The iGoBanking/CashEdge New Account Application Needs Improvement

By Jim Bruene Posted on December 1, 2006
Categories: CashEdge, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Forms & Loan Applications

As mentioned earlier this week (previous post here), Flushing Financial's new Internet offering iGoBanking features a great price, modern homepage design, visible rates, and an overall good user experience.

At least until prospective customers decide to buy. Once the user clicks the grammatically challenged link, "iGo Open a New Account," things go downhill quickly. The application (see screenshots right and below), hosted by CashEdge (see related post here), fails to maintain the user experience from the bank's homepage.

In fact, the application is a circa 1999 all-text affair that leaves you wondering if the graphic designers at CashEdge are on strike. Here are a few of the problems:

No Customer Service or Help on the application
No telephone number
No way back to the homepage, the bank's logo is NOT clickable
Overall lack of design and graphics, even the logo in the top looks like a low-resolution version
The application steps are hardly visible because the white font is too thin to be easily read through the blue background
Social security number required on first page
Application is massive in length for a simple savings account (see screenshots below); we realize the need for regulatory compliance and security, but it should be either shortened or broken into smaller steps to maintain

For more on best practices in application design, refer to Online Banking Report (#104).

Screenshot: iGoBanking application page 2 (click to enlarge)

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E*Trade Bank and Flushing’s iGoBanking Join the 5% Online Savings Account Club

By Jim Bruene Posted on November 29, 2006
Categories: Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Direct Banking, E-Loan, E*Trade, Search Engine Marketing

<Updated 12/1/06 with more details>

Two new entrants in the so-called high-yield savings market launched this week:

E*Trade Bank <etradebank.com>: Its new 5.05% Complete Savings Account was advertised in the Wall Street Journal today and took next-to-top honors in Google search results for "best savings accounts" (see end note 1, screenshot below).
iGoBanking <igobanking.com>: The new online brand from Flushing Financial launched Monday with a 5.3% rate on an online savings account (see end note 2, screenshot below).

iGoBanking (click to enlarge)

As previously reported, Flushing Financial launched its entry into the online savings market. The 5.3% APY no-minimum account ranks as the fourth highest in the nation according to the Bank Deals blog (see list here). The rate leader continues to be E-Loan's at 5.5% (see our coverage here).

However, iGo can claim the highest no-minimum rate in the nation since E-Loan and the others require at least $5,000 to qualify for the higher rate.

The bank will focus on deposits, CDs, and savings in 2007 and may expand to home equity and mortgage lending in the future.

Analysis
The website is attractive and relatively well designed. The online application is hosted by CashEdge (see related post here). Unfortunately, the outsourced application fails to maintain the look and feel of the main website and may cause a few applicants to second guess their decision to sign up (click here for a more thorough analysis of its application design).

E*Trade Bank (click to enlarge)

E*Trade's Complete Savings account builds on the direct bank's lineup of award-winning products (see previous coverage here). The bank flat-out understands the market and the medium.

The landing page for the new savings offering is brilliantly laid out with Google-like simplicity using just 25 words of copy (other than the table and the below-the-fold fine print). Notice how they show specific competitive prices, including high-yield market leader ING Direct. But what most consumers will remember from the chart is the "6X national average" rate.

Finally, the "Open an Account in Minutes" and "Free, one-click transfers to and from any institution" address user concerns on both those issues. And the small padlock with E*Trade's protection guarantee helps users understand security issues.

End notes:

Search conducted at noon PST, Nov. 29 from Seattle IP address (see screenshot below).
Source: American Banker, 29 Nov. 2006 (article here)

Google search results for "best savings account"

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ING Direct to Launch Online Checking Account in February

By Jim Bruene Posted on November 27, 2006
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Direct Banking, ING Direct, Strategies

As previously reported here, direct-banking giant ING Direct (U.S.) <ingdirect.com> will soon be in the checking account business with the Feb. 1 launch of Electric Orange.
(No word on whether the German band of the same name will be part of the launch event.)

In an interview published yesterday in Delaware's The News Journal, CEO Arkadi Kuhlmann revealed important details about the effort:

It would be made available to about 10% of the bank's 4.4 million customers in December
The nationwide launch is scheduled for Feb. 1
ING Direct is planning to add 500 workers at Wilmington's headquarters to support the product, an expansion of more than 50% from its current headcount of 900
The account will NOT have paper checks, but it will allow customers to print one from their home computer if necessary
The interest rate will be 3%, about a third less than its savings rate of 4.4%
Surcharge-free ATM access will be provided through the Allpoint network of 32,000 machines

Product postioning
While the account sounds relatively standard for an online-only checking account, the ability to print a check from home is an interesting feature we haven't seen before. It sounds like ING Direct will be marketing ease-of-use benefits, most likely centered on the bill payment function.

The catchy name combined with ING Direct's marketing flair (see picture right from its Chicago cash-cow promotion) should make for an interesting product launch. We'll be paying close attention here and testing the account as soon as possible.

Analysis
There is little reason for most consumers to choose a branchless bank for their main checking account when they can get free checking PLUS branch services at their local financial institution. ING Direct has long understood this and has not squandered resources on a limited-appeal product.

However, with more than 4 million customers, they have a large enough base to make a profit on a checking account, even a (relatively) lightly used one.

Due to the bank's ease of use and well regarded brand, it should be able to convince a portion of its base to use Electric Orange checking as an auxiliary account, perhaps as the household bill-pay account.

If the bank moves 5% of its $47 billion in savings deposits into the checking account, it would save $3.5 million annually in interest expense. Add another $3 billion in net new deposits at a 3% spread and Electric Orange pulls in $10 million per year, enough to cover expenses anyway.

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Texans Credit Union Offers Free Identity Theft Insurance

By Jim Bruene Posted on November 21, 2006
Categories: Credit Reports & ID Theft Protection, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs, Security & Privacy

Texans Credit Union <texanscu.org> has added complimentary ID theft insurance and help services to their checking accounts. The new service is promoted through a somewhat confusing "Upgrade Now" call-to-action near the bottom and a large graphic (which rotates with two other spots) in the middle section of its gorgeous homepage (see screenshot below; notice how they use drop shadows to highlight the page).

Analysis
It's an OK perk, but doesn't do anything to help members prevent ID theft. To do that, members need credit report monitoring, which is available for $70 to $140 per year from the credit union's co-branded program with Identity Fraud Inc. (see screenshot below; read the full terms and conditions here).

However, it's not clear on subsequent pages whether members must take action to get the free service and which options they should choose to upgrade to credit report monitoring. We'd like it better if the credit union were more upfront about what is and is not included, and what the member must do.

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Bank of America’s $250+ Premium: Richest Ever?

By Jim Bruene Posted on October 30, 2006
Categories: Bank of America, Deposits, Checking, Savings, CDs

Bank of America is offering $250 for new customers willing to open a checking and savings account. And customers willing to play the "Keep the Change" debit-card game could easily rack up another $20 to $50 or more in freebies with the bank's three-month, 100% match (bonus averages $0.50 per debit card transaction). See our previous coverage here.

Wow! Even adjusting for inflation, that's about 10x the free toaster deal of the 1960s. Here's the link (screenshot below).

There is only one "catch" to the offer. It applies only to consumers outside the bank's sprawling branch network; however, we were able to see the offer no matter what state we entered into the initial screen.

But as long as you live in Nebraska, North Dakota, or other non-BofA states, it's very easy to earn the $250. Just drop $100 in savings and $25 in checking and the bank will triple your outlay. There's no direct deposit or online bill payment requirement, the norm for most online offers. However, the MyAccess checking account is only free if direct deposit is used, otherwise it costs $5.95/mo.

Credit for first posting the offer goes to SlickDeals.net. We saw it first at BankDeals.

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