John Adams

Mobile banking's of little use as an innovation if apps can't ensure the identity of the user, creating a lucrative security market in which Tyfone just scored a pair of patents.

While most bank mobile apps are focused initially on iPhones, then move to Blackberry and Android in subsequent rollouts, it would appear that Android and iPhone are the way to go as BlackBerry falls behind its two rivals in sales.

Looking to boost resources to meet an expected spike in demand for mobile financial services, ClairMail Inc. has received $13.9 million in funding.

Banks are betting PFM's mix of analysis and peer comparisons will prove just as sticky in the small-business market as it is for retail online banking.

MasterCard Inc. is trying to reach the small but growing number of people who might be ready for mobile payments by sending them time-sensitive offers that can help them save money and become more comfortable using their phones to make purchases.

For New American, of Virginia Beach, using Facebook and Twitter in much the same way that consumers use the popular social media websites is the doorway to relationship building, branding and image marketing.

In an attempt to ensure quality service, improve monitoring, anticipate the need for adjustments and take full advantage of upgrades to image-enabled machines, the 650,000-member credit union has licensed an ATM management product from NCR Corp. that provides online operational information, performance measurements and inventory analysis.

As banks expand their technology teams they are especially interested in people who are good at managing new data technology or have project management skills for integration initiatives. But it's not yet time to party about robust job prospects.

TD Bank was one of the last top 10 North American financial companies to offer mobile banking, but is hoping to leapfrog the competition by introducing some unusual services.

A growing number of banks and technology companies are offering tools that can help corporations trim their travel and entertainment costs.

A quick online search of "Citi" and "blog" will call up hundreds of blogs about the banking giant, most of which are entirely beyond Citigroup Inc.'s control and many with decidedly critical posts.

An increase in data breaches and online fraud has security vendors betting that banks will embrace systems that use text messages, voice biometrics or secure browsers to better authenticate people and transactions.

EDIE's been part of the Gulf Coast Educators Federal Credit Union for decades, and she's getting a makeover that will make her a fixture in the credit union and its public persona for years to come.

Bank of New York Mellon's treasury services unit hopes that offering MasterCard's Payment Gateway service will entice some of these Luddite corporate clients to implement electronic payments.

Banks and online payment companies are moving more functions to their main Web pages and limiting the amount of navigation needed to access bill presentment, information and payment features.

Banks are using advanced collections systems to spot troubled loans before they go bad and to help their employees determine which borrowers might be receptive to modification offers.

Reliance Bank can't do without the services of its hired loan auditors. But it is not keen on having them fly in and stick around its Athens, Ala., offices for several days four times a year.

Banks are taking a tag-team approach to attract customers in the increasingly automated health-care market, bundling commercial lending services with payments, technology management and other services.

Though analyst projections and spending totals differ depending on the definition of what constitutes an IT investment, they all paint a trendline of slow or stagnant growth.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA's experience with personal financial management software bolsters the argument that the technology could be an important new component of online banking sites.