Late in 2009, the Grand Rapids-based CUSO known for providing core data processing to credit unions, unveiled its plan to release a series of mobile banking features and products for mobile device users.  The first, It’s Me 247 Mobile Web Banking, uses an automatic redirect from the standard It’s Me 247 (online banking) website when being accessed by a mobile device.  According to the CUSO, Mobile Web Banking uses a similar feature set as It’s Me 247 online banking, but is designed to be bandwidth-conscious, focusing on significant details which then provides a subset of important information quickly for mobile users.

In addition to providing this service at no extra charge to its credit unions, CU*Answers has designed a package of marketing materials available to credit unions to advertise the opening of their new “branch,” complete with statement inserts, a web banner, posters, and more.

More CU*Answers clients are anticipated to activate this feature.  CU*Answers plans to launch It’s Me 247 Mobile ‘App’ Banking, as well as mobile banking via text messaging later in the year.

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TBA credit union is one of many credit unions that have opted for website redesign with the recent release of new mobile banking options.  According to the Web Services team at CU*Answers, mobile optimized sites are geared towards showing a subset of information that is important to a mobile user, by being bandwidth conscious, since mobile devices are not broadband enabled.  Offering a mobile website that focuses on significant details important to ‘on-the-go’ users shows that you appreciate their time and business.

To view TBA Credit Unions new website, use a mobile device to access http://www.tbacu.com/.

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Quest FCU was one of the recent credit unions to join the ranks of providing a mobile optimized version of its website for its members.  The mobile-ready websites are built on the WordPress with SiteControl platform, and are geared to providing a subset of information quickly, being bandwidth conscious, focusing on the details that an ‘on-the-go’ user would need.

To read more about the services offered by CU*Answers Web Services, go to http://ws.cuanswers.com/

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The new mobile-optimized site for Clarkston Brandon is geared towards showing a subset of information that is important to mobile users quickly.  According to the Web Services team, this means designing it to be bandwidth conscious, focusing on significant details that a mobile user ‘on the go’ might need, since mobile devices are not broadband enabled.

The Web Services team continued to say that providing credit union members with a mobile website provides a natural lead in to web banking, and shows mobile users that you appreciate their time and business.

To view the website for Clarkston Brandon Community Credit Union, access http://www.cbccu.org/

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According to the CUSO, two major changes will be put in place to add an additional layer of security for member access to It’s Me 247.  These updates are in response to the recent audit CU*Answers underwent by the State of Michigan, which included a review of online banking access risk.  During this examination, it was clear that auditors are going to get stringent with online banking access security.

For credit unions that were not requiring that security questions be asked at login, It’s Me 247 will automatically require them with the 9.6 release.  The option to ask them has been removed from PIB (Personal Internet Branch) layered security and now is a standard automatic part of It’s Me 247 online banking.

Additionally, the minimum online banking password length has been expanded to six characters.  A new “Password Strength Meter” tool has been added to assist members when changing passwords to educate them as to the security level associated with the password they have entered.  Color coding and messaging help the member determine if the password is “too short” or “weak” (red), “good” (yellow), or “strong” (green).

This release also includes changes to protect sensitive member data on e-Notices, providing additional security for these electronic communications.  Members will see the message “Your Personal information is not displayed for enhanced privacy and security” where they would usually see their name and address, and X’s will mask the member’s account base but not the account suffix.

For more information on the upcoming software enhancement, or to view Release Summaries for all upgrades since 1998, go to http://www.cuanswers.com/client_release_summaries.php.

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This CUSO, known for providing its flagship core data processing system to 165+ credit unions nationally, is rolling out mobile banking in three distinct phases.  The first, It’s Me 247 Mobile Web Banking uses an automatic redirect from the standard It’s Me 247 website if a member is using a mobile device.  With a similar feature set as It’s Me 247, but with views optimized for web browsers on mobile devices, and slightly more advanced for the iPhone and Android-based devices.  A mobile optimized version of credit union websites is strongly advised, as this will provided a consistent user experience for the mobile banker.

Down the road, in partnership with Firethorn, CU*Answers will be launching It’s Me 247 Mobile App Banking via a downloadable application installed on cell phones.  Firethorn has developed the front-end application to work on many different devices, and comes pre-installed on many AT&T phones.  The CUSO will provide this free for the first 15 months from the release date to give credit unions time to build and audience.

On the heels of the mobile banking rollout, teams at CU*Answers will be moving quickly into mobile banking via text messages, specifically:  One-way text for e-Alerts (including real-time alerts about balances, instead of the current once-a-day update), and two-way text for interactive banking via SMS text messaging.  The CUSO anticipates credit unions starting text banking programs with their members by the end of the second calendar quarter.

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According to the CUSO, past audits focused on what the software allows, and how it could stress best practices to its credit union clients, and what changes would be considered in the future to mandate compliance with regulated best practice.  However, the most recent visit was a departure from this approach in that the examiners were concerned with what credit unions are doing and selected as tactics.  CU*Answers has identified and contacted certain credit unions, advising to evaluate controls such as minimum password length requirements, and activating a Personal Internet Branch (PIB) setting that requires a member to enter their password and answers one of the previously established security questions.

PIB is CU*Answers’ security tool which supplies multi-layered security and member personalization for It’s Me 247.  This independent application provides multiple, configurable controls that govern how It’s Me 247 behaves and what members can do in online banking.

CU*Answers plans to announce new security access strategies later this year that will mandate a new minimum password length and require that security questions are always active, with or without a credit union PIB strategy, as well as roll out other new security features throughout the 2010 business year.

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According to the CUSO, this is a simple, inexpensive way for credit unions to gather votes from members and take advantage of Online Banking users to increase participation in elections, such as Board Elections or Proposals.

When a member accesses their account online, they will see a “Vote Now” icon at the top of his or screen.  Selecting this option will result in the user being presented with the ballot questions.  To accommodate those users that do not have access to a computer, an option has also been added to the Internet Member Services menu in CU*BASE, to allow authorized credit union staff to manually record a vote on the behalf of members.

The CUSO says that this feature was designed for a controlled ballot process, but could be used to conduct an informal survey for members as well.

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“Very simply put, E-Info is the delivery of content to e-statement members that comes as close as possible to content that is delivered to members inside their statement envelopes,” says Xtend President Scott Collins. “Many members have embraced electronic statements and newsletters as their preferred correspondence with their credit union. We are taking that a step further by presenting marketing content to the member on their way to view their e-statements, similar to tri-folds and hard-copy newsletters stuffed inside the envelopes with printed statements.”

The service is offered in two different forms. The first is what the CUSO calls In Your Face – the enewsletter or marketing piece is presented to the member when they click to view their e-statement. The second is being called a Teaser because the member is presented with a pop-up window after selecting the e-statement link and can click the banner for the full collateral piece. Collins believes that both formats will be popular with credit unions and members. He notes, “Electronic members are used to being marketed to in a different way and our credit union partners are excited about reaching them in as many ways as possible. Its up to the credit union to decide whether it’s In Your Face or Teaser will be most effective for their marketing plan.”

Participating in this initial release are First Trust Credit Union (Michigan City, IN), Focus Credit Union (Wauwatosa, WI), and Western Districts Members Credit Union (Grand Rapids, MI).

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According to Xtend President Scott Collins, the service will leverage the popularity and design of It’s Me 247, the core online banking solution from CU*Answers. Collins says, Since the creation of e-statements, marketers have been looking for ways to electronically emulate the experience of a member opening his or her statement and the collateral material included in the envelope. With e-Info we plan to offer our credit unions two different strategies designed to capture the members attention by pushing digital marketing information to them during the e-statement access process. The first is a strategy we call in your face, which is simply a full version of an e-newsletter or marketing piece presented to the member on their way to e-statements. The second we are calling teaser, which is exactly what it sounds like a snippet of information that entices the member to click through to the full marketing piece. Credit unions will be able to choose the strategy they believe will be most effective.

Xtend plans to be ready for deployment by the time December statements are prepared and is also planning to expand e-Info into other areas of the It’s Me 247 application during the 2010 campaign.

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To allow for paper ballots to still be cast (for members that dont have access to a computer, or who have disabilities that prohibit use of a computer, etc,), the CUSO will also develop a tool in CU*BASE for authorized for authorized users to enter the results of paper ballots to be tallied along with online votes.

The configuration will include controls that prevent a ballot from being changed after the active voting period has begun, and clear the results from a previous election prior to setting up a ballot for the next elections. The voting tools for CU*BASE and Its Me 247 will include controls to prevent members from voting more than once and to ensure that members are eligible to vote (must have par value on deposit in the base share account).

According to CU*Answers, the idea is to create a simple, inexpensive way for credit unions to gather votes from members on things like Board Elections or Proposals, etc., such as for the Annual Meeting.

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To allow for paper ballots to still be cast (for members that don’t have access to a computer, or who have disabilities that don’t use a computer, etc,), the CUSO will also develop a tool in CU*BASE for authorized for authorized users to enter the results of paper ballots to be tallied along with online votes.

The configuration will include controls that prevent a ballot from being changed after the active voting period has begun, and clear the results from a previous election prior to setting up a ballot for the next elections. The voting tools for CU*BASE and It’s Me 247 will include controls to prevent members from voting more than once and to ensure that members are eligible to vote (must have par value on deposit in the base share account).

According to CU*Answers, the idea is to create a simple, inexpensive way for credit unions to gather votes from members on things like Board Elections or Proposals, etc., such as for the Annual Meeting.

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This feature-rich upgrade includes:

• Members will now be able to see their Pending ACH Transactions Online! This will benefit the member by allowing them to better manage their money and anticipate incoming funds, while also reducing the number of calls received by the credit union verifying incoming payroll deposits.
• Members Can Enter a Secondary Transaction Description. When members are making an online transfer, they will have the option to click on “Enter optional transfer description”. These memos will help ensure a member that moving money is described the way they want it, and in general keep better track of why they moved it.
• More Options for Online CD Products. Credit unions will now be able to offer 3 renewal options for online certificate products: Check, auto-renew, and a new third option which allows a certificate to transfer to another account upon maturity. In addition, if online certificate products are configured to pay dividends via a transfer to another account, It’s Me 247 will now let the member choose the account to which dividends will be paid (rather than assuming the base share).
• View Dividend Details for Closed Accounts. Now the Dividends/Interest screen in It’s Me 247 is easier to understand—members can now view the dividends and interest of the accounts they closed last year, in addition to their current accounts. This feature will be useful to members when gathering information during tax season.

For a more detailed description of any of these enhancements, or to view a complete list of previous releases, please visit: http://www.cuanswers.com/client_release_summaries.php.

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CU*Answers makes a quantum leap to next level of online banking with its recent release of It’s Me 247 online banking system. This unique name correlates directly to the premise that online banking is a critical component for how today’s member expects to see themselves reflected in their credit union and their desired manner for transacting business. Several personalization options of It’s Me 247 allow members to access their accounts, their way when they visit the credit union online.

Along with the traditional online banking options, It’s Me 247 includes built-in personalization features that allow members to customize their individual online banking experience. For instance, members may choose themes, page styles, and color schemes. They can select the pictures that will appear from a collection of albums and even receive e-alerts for events such as account balances above or below a specified amount, ACH deposits and/or withdrawals, a loan payment coming due within a specified # of days or that a notice has been mailed.

It’s Me 247 features a battery of security features that are controlled according to each member’s preference via their Personal Internet Branch (PIB) profile. PIB is a layered security option that works in tandem with security features embedded within It’s Me 247. PIB allows members to assume only the risks they are comfortable with and provides additional security layers for selected transactions. Members can setup their PIB profile for where and when transactions may be performed on their account. They may select what day of the week and time of day their “branch” is open and from what geographic location transactions are allowed.

Randy Karnes, CEO of CU*Answers says “From the moment we started envisioning the next generation of online services at CU*Answers we started to push more than just the nuts and bolts related to providing credit unions an online transaction banking site. We wanted to extend a sense of respect for the individual, a commitment to know the member, and to really embrace the best of what the self-service culture expected by member/consumers could offer. For us it is simple — work hard to create an environment where the member sees their reflection when interacting with their credit union. An institution built in their image, and an experience crafted to and by their requirements, even to the point where they become the internet branch manager.”

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In a special Valentine’s Day greeting CU*Answers announced It’s Me 247, a bold new online banking platform, to their clients. It’s Me 247 online banking is a member-centric initiative that provides a new way of marketing services to members, a new way to bank online and a conduit to personalize services to members. It’s Me 247 gives CU*Answers clients the edge in identifying online branching and networking opportunities and will create new targeted avenues of member value.

“Our world is enamored with the idea that the vendors and service firms they choose are paying attention to who they are,” explains CU*Answers CEO Randy Karnes. Marketers are moving across the divide and now focusing their efforts so that when consumers look at their options, they see themselves in the solution. It’s personal to the consumer. It’s tailored to the consumer. And the solution will change as the consumer changes throughout their life.”

It’s Me 247 is scheduled to go live on October 1, 2007. As a resource to help clients learn about It’s Me 247 online banking and to help them in telling their members about It’s Me 247, CU*Answers introduced a new web site www.itsme247.cuanswers.com.

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