BofA Talks Mobile Strategy

Last week, Bank of America rolled out a mobile banking application for Android tablets and another one designed specifically for Amazon's Kindle Fire. The move is part of the bank's continuing mobile strategy, which Mark Warshawsky, senior vice president and mobile channel executive, says is "really about maximizing our reach to customers and providing the best experience possible on any device that they choose to use."

Bank of America launched its first mobile services in the spring of 2007. Now, more than 9.5 million customers are active users of the bank's mobile channel, which includes a mobile website, text banking and downloadable applications. Warshawsky says that this success in customer adoption of its mobile apps is due in part to the bank's focus on creating user experiences that are tailored to each device.

Prior to the rollout of the Android and Kindle Fire tablet apps for banking, Bank of America already had released apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, as well as BlackBerry, Android and Windows smartphones. Although each of the mobile banking apps offer the same functionality, including account overviews, bill pay and fund transfer, each user interface is slightly different and made to work with certain screen sizes and operating systems. "We think it's important to take the time to invest in these unique experiences," Warshawsky notes. "We don't just port the same app from one device to another."

[For more on best practices for creating mobile banking apps for tablets, download the April digital issue of Bank Systems & Technology.]

Warshawsky says that Bank of America will continue to roll out new apps as new devices come out. "Whether it's new capabilities or new devices, we're always going to invest in things that make the experience better for customers," says Warshawsky of the bank's continuing mobile strategy. He adds that customers can expect additional features for its mobile apps in the coming year.