Consumers Want Low-Balance Alerts from Their Banks: Survey

About two out of three consumers believe their banks are responsible for alerting them to when they have low balances or insufficient funds to pay bills, finds a study released Tuesday by Varolii Corp., a company that sells communication technology to banks.

Banks aren't adequately fulfilling that consumer want, the survey found. Indeed, 68% of the more than 600 consumers surveyed say they have never been notified of a low balance or reminder to pay a bill.

Younger consumers have a stronger appetite for receiving alerts, according to the research. The data showed that 73 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds believe they should receive bank alerts, while 56 percent of those over the age of 55 say the same.

Where do consumers wish to receive the alerts? According to the study, 47 percent want notifications and reminders by email, while 22 percent want to receive the content through text messages, and 13 percent want them delivered through smartphone applications.

The research was conducted by Wakefield Research, an independent market research firm, in December.

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