Headlines:
Huntington Handily Tops Sign-Up Goal
Huntington Bancshares Inc. was hoping to enroll 1,000 customers for Business Online within a year; in just four months it has signed more than twice that number.
Huntington unveiled Business Online on May 9, and by Sept. 15 the service had enrolled 2,400 businesses, including some that had already been Huntington customers but had never banked online with it.
The secret: a one-size-fits-all approach. "The online channel should be sold to every business," said Pam Erickson, the manager of Business Online.
"We always believed in having one application online for business," Ms. Erickson said. Customers can "grow within that application" - they pay for new services as needed, and they never have to upgrade to a new online banking application.
Huntington, of Columbus, Ohio, developed the site in-house after concluding that no vendor met its needs. Ms. Erickson said customer feedback during the design process prompted Huntington to simplify certain functions.
She said the single-application format also helps Huntington upsell certain services. All users see the same links to various banking functions, and as smaller businesses grow they can start using additional services (and paying for them) without having to convert to a new e-banking system.
One more plus: the salespeople love it. "They said the application is easy and it sells itself," Ms. Erickson said.
NetBank's Freeman to Head BAI Board
Douglas K. Freeman, the chairman and chief executive of NetBank Inc. of Atlanta, has been named the chairman of the Bank Administration Institute's board.
The Chicago-based educational group said last week that Mr. Freeman's two-year term heading the 16-member board would begin Oct. 1. He succeeds John D. Lewis, the vice chairman of Comerica Inc.
