In Brief: Canadian Bank's Unit Called Best on Web

Gomez Advisers has awarded first place in its quarterly Internet banking scorecard to Security First Network Bank, an Atlanta-based subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada.

Security First has been No. 1 for three consecutive quarters, ahead of 57 other Internet banks. Winning features included superior customer service, applications that could be automatically filled in, and a written guarantee against fraud.

NetBank, another Internet-only institution in Atlanta, came in third. The on-line operation of Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio, ranked fifth.

Wells Fargo & Co. retained its second-place ranking, and Citibank came in fourth, highlighting the movement of traditional banks to the Internet.

Other major banks in the top 20 were Bank One Corp. (No. 7), Bank of America Corp. (No. 8), and First Union Corp. (No. 19).

Houston-based Internet-only CompuBank placed ninth in Gomez's survey but took first place in a ranking by SmartMoney. The consumer magazine liked CompuBank for its "non-existent fees, smorgasbord of services, and cutting- edge Web site" design.

CompuBank scored lower in the Gomez ranking because it does not yet offer credit products.

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