More than three-quarters of consumers want access to their bank account balances and other information at all times, and many are interested in using their phones to handle their finances, according to a survey report published Monday by Monitise Americas LLC.
The Providence, R.I., joint venture of the Milwaukee banking technology vendor Metavante Technologies Inc. and the London mobile banking software provider Monitise PLC said that 77% of people surveyed say it is important to have access to bank account and credit card account balances at all time, and that 53% said their interest in "always-on" financial data has increased in recent months as economic conditions have declined.
Monitise also said that 90% of respondents are interested in using their mobile phones to keep track of their financial information, such as checking balances, viewing recent transactions, or receiving alerts. Ninety-three percent said they would likely use such services once a week, and 76% said they would use them more than once a week.
The survey of 1,367 North American consumers was conducted late last year by MaCorr Research.
Consumers also showed strong interest in using their phones for basic transactions; 90% said they want to transfer funds between accounts with their phones, and 80% said they want to pay bills and be notified when bills are due. However, only 37% said they were interested in less routine services, such as trading stocks with their phones.
"Today is all about the 'always on' approach to information, with consumers connected in ways that we never thought possible some years ago," Lisa Stanton, Monitise Americas' chief executive, said in a press release. "People see mobile as a way of really helping them to manage their overall finances … and I think it's fair to say that 2009 is the year that mobile money will become one of those things that every American expects as part of their overall account package."
