4 Months into Interactive-TV Pilot, Barnett Has Enlisted 14% of Homes

In the nearly four months that Barnett Banks Inc. has been offering home banking through cable television, 14% of eligible customers have enrolled.

Barnett's interactive television pilot began in late November, when the bank piggybacked on an experiment being conducted by Time Warner Cable's Full Service Network in Orlando.

Time Warner equipped 4,000 homes with digital, interactive cable television services that enabled viewers to use a remote control to shop, order pizzas, and view movies on demand. After much planning and some delays, Barnett added banking capabilities to the network, allowing customers to view balances, transfer funds, and pay bills through local channel 94.

Barnett's market share in the wired neighborhood is 25%, bank officials said.

"We have been tracking the initiative very closely because we are very interested in what the acceptance rate on the TV has been," said Beth Mercier, director of electronic delivery research and development for Barnett.

Ms. Mercier said the bank is encouraged by the percentage of customers who have signed up.

"That has been without an aggressive marketing campaign," she said. "This is really from sort of a 'silent launch approach.' We haven't even begun to contact the non-Barnett customers."

Barnett plans to expand its remote banking offerings this summer. In an announcement last week, the bank said it plans to begin offering PC-based banking through Intuit Inc.'s Quicken and QuickBooks software programs in June or July.

It also expects to become one of the first to introduce Home Financial Network's software programs, Home ATM and Home Pay. Home Financial Network, of Westport, Conn., recently introduced home banking products that mimic ATM screens and are meant to be easy to use.

Barnett also will introduce bill payment via telephone this summer. The bank's existing services include some telephone banking transactions and computer-based banking through the Prodigy network.

"We see what we're doing as really building a total solution set for our customers, so we can address all their needs for convenience," Ms. Mercier said.

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