Tech Bytes: Fla. Bank Uses Internet To Market Mortgages

BankAtlantic of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has joined the growing number of banks trying to attract mortgage business through the Internet.

The $2 billion bank has linked its home page on the World Wide Web to a real estate site that includes home listings in the southern Florida counties BankAtlantic serves.

The bank's own Web site (www.bankatlantic.com) includes information about moving to the area and mortgages. Internet browsers may order a "newcomer package" with the click of a mouse.

Banks, particularly those in vacation and retirement areas, recently have started working with real estate agents to market their products together through the Internet. By offering information on specific properties for sale or rent, banks hope to pick up new depositors.

One pioneer of this strategy was Salem (Mass.) Five Cent Savings Bank, which began listing Cape Cod vacation properties on its Web site this summer.

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