Popularity of Online Banking Tools Grows

Although half of Americans primarily use spreadsheets and checkbook registers to manage their finances, the use of bank and credit union websites that offer money management tools is growing. More than one third of Americans are now managing their finances online — an increase from 27 percent a year ago, according to a survey released by Intuit Financial Services, a Westlake Village-based company that provides money management tools such as QuickBooks and TurboTax. Intuit’s third annual Online Financial Management Survey, found that just over one quarter of Americans have also cut back on visits to their local bank or credit union branch to just once a month, indicating that financial institutions are offering viable online tools to their customers. The survey highlights the growing importance of such online tools. Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they would leave their current financial institution for one that offers better money management capabilities. Nearly half of all respondents said they’d already switched banks or credit unions recently, and one-third of them switched because their financial institution did not provide satisfactory online solutions. “This trend reflects an increasingly competitive banking marketplace in which financial institutions are using technology to capture customer loyalty and increase market share,” the survey said. According to the study, among those people using online solutions at their financial institutions, eighty-four percent feel the most important feature is the ability to pay bills and manage all their finances in one place, regardless of where the account is held. Nearly half expressed interest in using tax preparation tools through their financial institution website. The survey also found approximately one in five banking customers currently use mobile banking solutions to manage their finances.