Updated Chase App Lets People See Account Balances Without Logging In

The biggest bank in the country now lets opted-in mobile Android and Apple customers view their balances without entering their user names and passwords.

JPMorgan Chase updated its mobile app Wednesday so consumers can see their balance information without logging in. The bank said the enhancement works for most checking, savings, and money market accounts, credit cards and Chase Liquid cards.

In recent months, banks have been exploring ways to let on-the-go people access their data quicker.

Citigroup also lets customers check deposits, credit card balances and recent transactions on its mobile app without entering user names and passwords. Bank of the West, meanwhile, has made available a feature called "Quick Balance" for upwards of a year that lets people see their account balances with a single gesture.

Biometrics is another technology avenue banks have been exploring to make the authentication experience easier — and safer — for consumers.

Most recently, American Express updated its mobile app to work with Apple's fingerprint scanner TouchID. Tangerine in Canada also supports the use of Touch ID in the mobile banking login process.