North America Bytes

KeyCorp, Cleveland, has introduced Complete Picture, a service that allows its online banking and investing clients to view a variety of personal accounts--including those of other institutions--at one Internet location with a single sign-on and password.

Complete Picture, a joint venture with account aggregator Yodlee, is available to all KeyCorp clients who desire the service and set up a personal online account with the bank. The financial management tool gathers information from more than 2,400 sites including banks, brokerages, credit unions, credit cards, mortgages and airlines.

Key has earned a reputation as a trusted financial partner to clients," said Patrick J. Swanick, president and CEO of Key Electronic Services. "This new service for our online customers is designed to provide easy and secure access to the information they need to make informed decisions about their personal finances."

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The Bank of the West is one of many financial institutions that signed up for QualysGuard, an online network vulnerability scanning service provided by Qualys Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.

The service, now used at over 40 financial entities, safeguards the privacy of customer data and protects bank networks from hack, worms, Trojans and other attacks. Delivered over the Internet, the QualysGuard service uses vulnerability detection techniques to assess a network's security exposures and suggest remedies before intruders can take advantage of them. The online delivery model removes the need for specialized customer-premise software and ensures that banks are able to detect the latest network vulnerabilities as they emerge. Currently, more than 1,200 different vulnerability assessment signatures are used to detect and evaluate security risks.

"The Bank of the West continually assesses new information protection technology, and the innovative online scanning technologies presented by QualysGuard help us to be proactive in preventing unauthorized access," said Stephan Shin, group manager of Bank of the West. "By looking at our networks from the outside-in, Qualys provides a very cost-effective and efficient way to stay on top of emerging security exposures."

Financial institutions in the U.S. and Europe that use Qualys vulnerability scanning include Bank of the West, Bremer Financial, Emprise Financial Corporation, Euroclear Bank, Citizens Equity Credit Union, Civic Bank of Commerce, Deer Valley Credit Union, Delrio National Bank, and Julius Baer Bank.

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Sovereign Bank, Pennsylvania, has entered into a strategic partnership with InsureZone, a nationwide "clicks and mortar" insurance agency that enables purchases of small commercial insurance through banks, Web portals, agents and brokers. The new alliance will enable Sovereign to provide access to small commercial insurance products through its Website at www.sovereignbank.com.

InsureZone will develop a Sovereign-branded site for businesses with up to 50 employees. It will provide a completely secure and private online environment in which to compare quotes and bind coverage for Businessowner Policy (BOP), Workers' Compensation, Commercial Auto, Umbrella and a variety of other insurance coverage.

Small-business customers in most risk classes will be able to obtain multiple quotes in a single business day. They also will have access to one-on-one assistance from licensed insurance agents at any point in the process--through phone callback, e-mail, or live online chat. The private-label site for Sovereign will be based on InsureZone's secure, scalable, XML-based technology platform, MarketSecure. Seamless, end-to-end integration of MarketSecure with carrier legacy systems will soon result in an ability to deliver quotes in near real-time.

"Sovereign Bank is very pleased that it will now be able to offer its small-business customers hundreds of classes and coverages from leading carriers in the property and casualty field," said Martin Zoller, senior vice president of Sovereign Insurance Services. "This is an important part of an overall effort by Sovereign to give its small-business customers a comprehensive solution to their financial needs."

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J.P. Morgan Chase tapped technology from Reston, Va.-based Dimension Data to launch Chase Workplace Financial Services Gateway, an account aggregation service.

The Internet-based solution compiles all of a customer's online data to create a complete picture of financial health. By applying account aggregation technology, Dimension Data's technology allows a financial institution to act as the intermediary between the customer and their various accounts, enabling them to view a consolidated statement of assets and liabilities on one page.

"The solution will provide a hub for each customer's unique financial needs, while allowing Chase to offer financial advice through our customers' major life events," said Tom Reilly, vice president for E-Business Strategy for Chase Workplace Financial Services "Eventually, using account aggregation, we will be able to deepen our relationship with our customers by cross-selling products and services based on their complete financial picture."

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ALLTEL has unveiled Mortgage PhD, a Web-based clearinghouse of information and services designed for the mortgage industry. ALLTEL is offering businesses the opportunity to participate as a provider, a user or both, whether or not they have an existing relationship with ALLTEL.

"As our industry shifts more of our processing to Internet-enabled applications, Mortgage PhD will provide one-stop shopping and expedite the procurement and payment of goods and services," said William Glasgow Jr., executive vice president of HomeSide Lending, Inc. and chairman of the Mortgage PhD charter members' executive council.

The recent addition of Cenlar FSB as a participating charter member underscores the collaborative nature of this mortgage industry initiative. Cenlar joins industry leaders Chase Manhattan Mortgage Corp., Countrywide Home Loans Inc., First Nationwide Mortgage Corp., HomeSide Lending, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in helping to steer the course of Mortgage PhD.

Branded as The Smart Exchange, the first phase of Mortgage PhD includes real property information and appraisal, insurance and document services. Mortgage PhD provides a single log-on for gathering information and ordering services from multiple providers.