"We continually look for ways to make our clients' lives easier, and now with the addition of our mobile banking app our clients will have even greater access to their account information whenever they need it," said Sue Wallpe, Alliance Bank vice president – retail banking manager.
With Alliance Bank’s Mobile App, iPhone® and Android™ smartphone/tablet users can download the app from iTunes or Google’s Play Store.
"We recognize that mobile banking is an important channel for our customers," said Stephanie Parish, Alliance Bank’s marketing officer. Parish added, "We are pleased to offer the latest trends in mobile banking to our banking clients, free of charge. We also have dropped the $1 monthly fee for our Text Banking solution."
Alliance Bank provides these mobile banking services to banking clients free of charge. Internet and phone service provider charges for Web, data or text plans may apply.
Android™ is a registered trademark of Google, Inc.iPhone® is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. All rights reserved.
Don't Be Afraid of Mobile Banking Apps
On the heels of launching their app, Alliance Bank wants to help consumers overcome the security fear of using Mobile Banking Apps, Text Banking, and optimized Web access via their mobile device.
In today's world, people can do almost anything with their smartphones or tablet devices. From checking email, to staying connected via social media, to turning off the lights in the house while out on the town, people rely heavily on their handheld
devices.
Helping users lessen their fears of online banking, bill pay, and now mobile banking solutions is a priority for Alliance Bank. As more users take advantage of mobile banking, Alliance Bank helps educate customers on the security used for mobile
banking apps and explain how customers are protected.
Most users want easier and more convenient access to their bank accounts, but they are not aware of how safe it is to use a mobile banking app. In reality, banking via a mobile app is as safe as walking into a bank and interacting directly with a teller,
and it is actually much more secure than banking through a browser on a personal computer. Why? Because banks can control the security on an app much easier than through a browser.
When customers use their browser to do their banking, they leave themselves open to malware and man-in-the-middle attacks. As we've seen in recent bank breaches, hackers can gain valuable information about users' bank login credentials, even their two-factor authentication credentials in some cases, by keylogging and stepping in between a user and his or her bank's website. Even when a bank has strong security, if users' computers are infected with malware or a virus, they may be vulnerable to attack. This same threat is also possible on mobile browsers.
The Security of a Mobile App
Mobile apps, on the other hand, provide a direct link from the device to the bank, without having to go through any additional browser or third-party application. This means banks have much better control over the security and connection of customer
interactions. Because these apps are built specifically for a particular bank and its customers, the bank can provide a secure connection using SSL encryption and two-factor authentication that meets the institution's unique needs.
A customer may ask: "What if someone gets a hold of my phone? Can't they then access my account?" Even if someone is able to obtain a customer's phone, they will still be required to put in a username and password, and if available, provide a
second factor of authentication, in order to gain access to the accounts.
Another plus to using a mobile application is the fact that most smartphones and tablets can now be cleared or reset from remote locations. Thus, if someone steals or obtains a mobile device, the customer can use his or her computer or any other
device with an Internet connection to clear any data and apps from the device, eliminating the possibility that someone else can use the phone to access thecustomer's account.
“By helping customers better understand these security measures and the safety associated with using a mobile banking application, we can help alleviate the fears these customers experience,” said Tanya Burton, assistant vice president, electronic banking manager. “Customers are comfortable using personal computers and browsers because they are aware of the security available. They also are comfortable using our bank’s website because they assume the site is correct, especially when there are features to the site that show it is the bank,” Burton went on to say.
“As customers become more familiar with mobile banking app security and learn to trust a bank's mobile app brand, they will be more willing to use these tools. Pretty soon, customers will be just as willing to use a mobile banking app as they are an
ATM, benefiting both the customer and the bank,” stated Alliance Bank president Terry Stevens.
About Alliance Bank:
Alliance Bank is headquartered in Francesville, with offices in Monon, Monticello, Otterbein, Oxford, Rensselaer, and Winamac.
