M-Banking: bank transfers from your phone
ANZ Bank has launched a new Java-based mobile banking application to give ANZ customers the opportunity to perform a selection of banking transactions from their mobile phones. Registered ANZ customers will be able to make payments and transfer money from their accounts using M-Banking and request statements as SMS messages. To ensure the security of its customers' accounts, ANZ have implemented SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption similar to regular Internet banking, and transactions from an account can only be performed on a single pre-registered mobile handset and only after password authentication. According to Brian Hartzer, ANZ Group managing director of the bank's Personal Division, more than 95 percent of Australians use mobile phones and he believes the success of M-Banking lies in its simplicity and convenience.
Banking on Mac users
In April 2007, First Direct realised the hard way that not supporting Mac users wasn't a wise move. When an update to its security blocked all Mac users using Safari, Mac users denounced the internet company. Credit where it's due though, First Direct quickly re-worked its system and announced Safari support in January this year. It even goes as far as to proudly proclaim its Mac credentials on the corporate home page. But First Direct didn't just stop there. The bank famous for internet banking went one step further and introduced online banking via the iPhone. I'm aware that this may be de rigour in the United States (where Bank Of America has been offering this service for a while) but let me tell you it's very much a novelty here in the UK.
Kiwis flock to internet banking despite risks
Two out of three internet users now access online banking, despite New Zealand banks admitting the sites are exposed to frequent attacks. Your say: Online banking security Are we becoming too reliant on internet banking? Send your feedback to editorial@stuff.co.nz Figures made public by Nielsen Online Consumer Finance Monitor show online banking has experienced "phenomenal growth" with the proportion of users doubling in three years. Nielsen spokesman Donald Sheppard said online banking had become mainstream with frequently used sites receiving more than half a million unique browsers a month. "Once they use the internet, people of all ages adopt online banking with enthusiasm," Sheppard said. "For younger people with internet access, online banking is the norm." Sheppard said 80 per cent of those under 40 used online banking and it was becoming more common practice for older people, with 62 per cent of those over 55 logging on in the past month.
HSBC website displays security warning
HSBC has reassured business customers that a message on its internet banking site is not a security risk after an SSL certificate on a US server expired. UK business bankers visiting the online banking suite were greeted by a message, which caused concern. It said: "www.ukbusiness.com is a site that uses a security certificate to encrypt data during transmission, but its certificate expired on 04/03/2008 23:59." It then asked if customers would like to continue anyway? But HSBC has reassured customers that there was no security risk for them. A spokesman said the SSL certificate was used only to protect the security message that the bank has on its website. "The certificate is not managing any data encryption or security it just allows the [standard] security message to be displayed and allows us to change this message if we need to." .
Namibia: Banking Week Kicks Off
BANKING Week 2008 kicks off today with road shows taking place at various towns around the country to educate consumers on banking fraud. Cheque fraud, Internet banking fraud, ATM fraud and card fraud are a few of the criminal activities which have led to many consumers suffering heavy financial losses. .
How safe are your savings?
The FSA has told Channel 4 News that consumers should consider other factors, including protection for their deposits in the extremely unlikely event that a bank gets into trouble.Foreign banks are chasing British cash, including two Icelandic institutions. Although they're profitable, how should British people who are investing £6bn in more than 170,000 Icelandic accounts, decide where to put their money?Iceland is booming and is now the most developed country in the world, says the United Nations.An economy more famous for the cod wars, is now the epicentre of a dramatic takeover and banking boom.British brands like House of Fraser and West Ham United, are now owned here. And at the very moment we are all encouraged to save more, Icelandic banks and other foreign bank have shaken up our staid savings market.In the past year this tiny country of 300,000 people is one of the nations that has managed to snaffle £6bn of British internet savings in just 18 months.
(AFX UK Focus) 2008-03-11 01:01 GMT: Australia's ANZ Feb job ads down 2 pct from Jan, first fall since Nov 2006
SYDNEY (Thomson Financial) - The number of jobs advertised in Australia's major metropolitan newspapers and on the internet fell 2.0 percent in February to an average of 268,869 per week compared to a revised 0.8 percent rise in January, a monthly survey conducted by Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) showed Tuesday. Job ads rose 24.4 percent from a year earlier. ANZ head of Australian economics Tony Pearson said the fall is the first since November 2006, while the annual rate of increase cooled to the lowest in a year. "Trend advertisements have now been easing for three months ... it may be that the cumulative impact of interest rate rises and continued volatility on financial markets is leading to some caution on the part of employers," said Pearson. The number of internet job advertisements declined by 2.2 percent to an average 249,677 per week last month, while the number of jobs advertised in major metropolitan newspapers rose by a marginal 0.3 percent to an average of 19,192 per week after declining 9 percent in January.
Wells Fargo to sell online safes
Recognizing not all banking customers want a safe deposit box, Wells Fargo & Co. plans to sell online vaults as a secure and convenient alternative for storing vital records. When the service rolls out this summer, Wells Fargo believes it will be the first major U.S. bank to offer an Internet alternative to the safe deposit boxes that have been an industry staple for decades. Because it can't store jewelry, cash and many other precious assets, Wells Fargo's online version isn't likely to replace the traditional safe deposit box. It's more likely to replace shoe boxes and home filing cabinets, said Jim Smith, who oversees the bank's Internet products. Called "vSafe," the service is perfect for storing digital versions of birth certificates, wills, driver's licenses, passports, family photos and other important documents, Smith said.
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