USAA to Launch Mobile RDC iPhone App

USAA is set to offer customers remote deposit capture (RDC) technology capabilities via an application developed for the Apple iPhone, the San Antonio, Texas-based financial services firm announced Thursday night in a webcast to customers.

The iPhone app is essentially a mobile version of the "deposit a check at home" capability that USAA already offers to customers. In the mobile version, customers take a picture of their checks with the iPhone's built-in camera and then submit the images for deposit. When the capability goes live -- the launch was described as "coming soon" -- USAA is likely to be the first U.S. bank to offer such a technology via a mobile device.

"As long as you have access to a cell phone tower, you have access to this bank," Jeff Dennes, executive director of eBusiness at USAA, said during the webcast.

The announcement comes closely on the heels of the launch of the USAA Mobile App, a free iPhone app that the company introduced in May that allows its customers to manage a combination of banking, insurance, and investment services accounts on a single platform. The new RDC capability will be delivered to users who have the existing USAA Mobile App via an automatic update, Dennes said.