June was a busy month as firms, now well past the seasonal crunch of tax season and the radical market swings from earlier this year, made changes across the board, introducing new products and marketing campaigns, and some unique new tools as well.

Capital One Introduces (Another) Card Customization Tool

The month began with the introduction of Card Lab Connect, a unique new feature from Capital One that allows non-profit organizations – both big and small – to set up a co-branded affinity card benefiting their organization. Using the Card Lab Connect interface, users can create a custom card design and build a card information page that is hosted on Capital One’s site. The firm also sends users a marketing toolkit that contains tips and tools for marketing their organization’s new benefits card, both online and off.

Card Lab Connect is the first card customization interface we have seen dedicated exclusively to non-profits, and stands as one of the most comprehensive card customization options we have seen overall. In many ways, Card Lab Connect is a product of its time – influenced by the personalization options afforded by social networking sites and inherently customizable devices like the iPhone, consumers today increasingly demand products designed for or by them. Card Lab Connect speaks to that demand, allowing Capital One to reach out to new customers in a more focused, and perhaps more meaningful way. To be sure, many of the personalization options afforded by Card Lab Connect are ultimately superficial – each card, regardless of its design, comes with the same basic rewards program. The uniqueness of Card Lab Connect, then, is not inherent in the card product itself, but rather the scale at which the firm allows users to set up affinity-based rewards programs.

Student Banking Suddenly Hot

Remember college? Digging for loose change in the couch cushions, just to buy a burger? If anyone needs help with finances, it’s students, and in June a number of firms introduced new resources to help keep kids out of trouble, at least financially speaking.

Fifth Third Bank released a new series of videos on its website called “Don’t Be That Guy,” which highlight common financial mistakes that college students make, such as wasteful spending. Citizens Bank also added a new Tip Sheets for Students and Parents page to its public site that identifies twelve tips for managing money, financial aid and student loans. T. Rowe Price targeted a younger audience with its new Family Center sitelet, which features an interactive video game for children. Co-designed by Walt Disney Resorts, the firm’s video game teaches the basic principles for saving and managing money.

Big Mergers Continue to Move Forward

Wells Fargo announced on its joint blog with Wachovia that Wachovia Securities had officially been transitioned to Wells Fargo Advisors name. Accordingly, the Wachovia Securities public and private sites now feature Wells Fargo Advisors’ colors and logo.

Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley updated their respective sites with a new Morgan Stanley/Smith Barney logo. While both firms maintain separate private sites for their respective customers, a new Morgan Stanley/Smith Barney sitelet introduced this month offers general information and press releases regarding the new joint venture.