Mobile banking is a mixed bag

One of the hot topics in banking lately is mobile access.

Banks are abuzz with how customers can use their cell phones to check balances, find branches and otherwise handle their cash on the go. And lots of banks are launching applications for iPhones, BlackBerrys and other smart phones to do even more.

But how well those systems work is another matter.

One researcher recently ranked 29 U.S. banks on how well they handle the mobile customer, and the results in the Tampa Bay area were mixed. Some of the area's biggest banks scored A's; some scored D's or worse.

"It's a really mixed bag with how well some banks did," said Mark Beccue, an analyst in Tampa with ABI Research, which studies consumer and business technology. "They've made some progress, but we're a ways from mass adoption."

Banks getting an "A" grade include BB&T, USAA, Wells Fargo and others. Those banks did well promoting mobile banking with current customers and with people shopping for a new bank, Beccue said.

They also had systems that worked with text messaging, mobile Web pages and applications on the iPhone, BlackBerry and other smart phones.

In the middle of the pack were "C" grade banks, including Citibank, Wachovia and others. Those banks generally had some basic text messaging systems, but had limited mobile applications.

Then there were the "F" and worse grades: M&T, Provident, HSBC and KeyBank either had very limited mobile systems, or none at all, in Beccue's opinion.

"Some of those that failed are really just in the experimenting phase," Beccue said.

None of the banks seemed to have what Beccue expects will be an especially popular system. That is, a service from the bank that sends an alert to your phone that warns that a certain bill is coming due, and presents a way to pay it right from the phone.

Here are the ratings for local banks:

A - Exceptional: BB&T, Eastern Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Northeast Bank, USAA, Wells Fargo

B+ - Very Good: Bank of America, Chase

B - Good: Capital One, US Bank, Huntington Bank

C - Average: America First, Bancorp South, Citibank, PNC, Wachovia

D - Below Average: Carolina First, 1st Bank, IBC Bank, Mercantile Bank, Regions, SunTrust, Synovus

F - Failing: M&T, Provident Bank

No (discernable) mobile banking offering: Citizens Bank, Comerica, HSBC, KeyBank