Fifth Third is Awarded Two-Character Mobile Domain Name

Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank ($120 billion in assets) was awarded one of the first two-character mobile domain names for its recently launched mobile banking service.

The company behind the .mobi domain name, dotMobi, has given Fifth Third the mobile Internet domain https://53.mobi. The bank launched its mobile banking service in select markets in February and continues to roll out the service throughout its 12-state footprint. With Fifth Third Mobile Banking, customers can use their mobile phones to view information such as account balances and pending and posted transactions, to transfer funds, and to find Fifth Third ATMs and branch locations. Enrollees also can sign up to receive text alerts regarding balance levels, statement availability and more. With the introduction of 53.mobi, Fifth Third Bank joins other financial institutions in providing their customers with mobile sites designed to handle their "on the go" banking needs.

"We understand the importance of providing our customers with options when it comes to researching and servicing their accounts," said Paul Moore, VP and director of Alternative Delivery for Fifth Third Bank, in a statement. "We are pleased not only to offer this next step in convenience, enabling customers to bank whenever and wherever they want, but also to do so with an address and site consistent with 53.com."

dotMobi is one of the few registries that have made one and two character names available. According to the company, these short mobile domain names give brands an upper hand in supporting mobile phone users who do not want to type long URL addresses into their phone browser for viewing mobile content.