Popularity of online banking continues to grow

Fiserv Inc. announced that more than 2 million U.S. households adopted online banking and bill payment during the last year, according to a new consumer survey.
A total of 69.7 million households, representing four out of five households with Internet access, now use online banking services, primarily to access balance and account history and transfer money between accounts. In addition, 64.4 million households pay at least one bill online, either at a bank website or directly at a company website.
The Fiserv-sponsored survey – which reflects the habits of the 88.2 million households in the United States with Internet access – was conducted by The Marketing Workshop and Harris Interactive. Brookfield-based Fiserv has conducted the Consumer Billing and Payment Trends survey since 2001.
"We believe that consumers will continue to conduct more and more of their financial activities online," said Geoff Knapp, vice president of online banking and consumer insights for Fiserv. "Online banking and bill payment is a free service, and a convenient and environmentally friendly way to bank. Consumers are actively becoming fans of the user-friendly, secure services financial institutions are implementing."