Published by Ian Lundahl on 10 Aug 2010
Firms have been hard at work through a blistering hot summer. A number of firms recently announced forthcoming site revamps and a number of credit card issuers revamped their rewards sites.
Published by Ian Lundahl on 14 Jul 2010
Summer is finally here, and credit card firms have added some new rewards programs to help defray the flight costs of summer travel. New retirement themed marketing campaigns were also introduced this June, and Merrill Lynch introduced a new site (Merrill Edge) with a focus on self-directed investing.
Published by Ian Lundahl on 03 Jun 2010
“Mobile” has been on the minds of many this May, as a number of firms across our different Monitor coverage groups introduced or improved mobile features.
Wells Fargo introduced a new set of account alerts that notify clients via SMS when an alert is triggered. Six new alerts were added, including alerts that inform customers if transactions occur outside the U.S., if charges were made at a gas pump, if a transaction exceeds a designated amount, if a transaction was declined. The new alert service is available only to customers who are enrolled in Online Banking. Similarly, Bank of America now allows customers to request their account balance, transaction history and customer service phone numbers via SMS. Chase and KeyBank provide similar text command capabilities. Continue Reading »
Published by Ian Lundahl on 10 May 2010
With financial issues on the minds of many investors during tax season, firms utilized the opportunity to promote new online retirement-focused ideas. April also brought with it Earth Day, and a few firms highlighted their various environmental incentives, especially electronic document delivery. Mobile was also once again a hot topic with Apple’s iPad taking center stage with one e-Monitor firm rolling out an iPad app. Continue Reading »
Published by Ian Lundahl on 16 Apr 2010
We were recently granted access to view an account display for Fidelity’s MetLife Growth and Guaranteed Income variable annuity (MGGI), released in late November 2009 and reviewed in the November 23, 2009 Annuity Monitor Update.
Published by Ben Pousty on 13 Apr 2010
AXA Equitable recently became the first Annuity Monitor firm to implement digital document delivery. Annuity policyholders received their 2009 annual reports - normally a bulky, hundred-plus page paper booklet - on a single compact disc. This convenient distribution method will help save not only the environment but also millions in operating expenses. Continue Reading »
Published by Ian Lundahl on 09 Apr 2010
A recent Ignites article suggests that one excellent cost saving opportunity being overlooked by annuity providers is the promotion of eDelivery to investors. This conclusion is based on the NewRiver survey, which polled over 500 variable annuity or variable universal life insurance policy owners, aged 45 or older. The article raises some excellent points as to the possible reasons for the lack of promotions, including the high degree of compliance regulation applicable to annuities that may impact the streamlined delivery of electronic documents.
However, after taking a closer look at our Annuity Monitor coverage firms, we found that 79% of the firms we track are currently promoting electronic delivery to their clients. Continue Reading »
Published by Ian Lundahl on 08 Apr 2010
March was a busy month for the Corporate Insight tracked firms. Perhaps the most notable changes this month took place in the credit card space, as every firm in our Credit Card Monitor coverage group made announcements about changes relating to the CARD Act. Every firm posted notices alerting customers that their statements had been made available online. Additionally, several firms, including American Express, HSBC and U.S. Bank, either updated or announced updates to their monthly statements. HSBC also removed its Rush Payment service, which allowed customers to post same-day payments for a fee of $15. Prior to eliminating Rush Payment, HSBC had been the only Credit Card Monitor firm to charge customers for same-day online payments. Continue Reading »
Published by Ben Pousty on 08 Apr 2010
By Ben Pousty, Corporate Insight, March 03, 2010
TIAA-CREF’s TC Listens website is an innovative new medium for obtaining client feedback online.
Financial services firms have always coveted feedback and opinions about their websites and online services. This information offers an invaluable blueprint for improving the user-experience for three key audiences—prospective investors, clients and financial professionals. It also sheds light on the practices of competitors.
Published by Ian Lundahl on 19 Mar 2010
Firms that are looking for the blueprint on how to create an informative and focused product video should look no further than Prudential’s new HD Lifetime 6 Plus video. Available on the firm’s publicly accessible Retirement Red Zone page, the HD Lifetime 6 Plus video explains the inner-workings of the HD benefit rider that targets investors in the “Red Zone”, or critical years immediately before and following retirement. Firms have long been utilizing web demos to highlight new product releases; however, Prudential’s new video offers a wealth of basic product information on a visually enticing platform, without getting too complicated. The result is a video that is useful to both advisors and clients alike.
