Bank of the West Launches Mobile Banking

San Francisco-based Bank of the West ($61 billion in assets) announced Tuesday the launch of its mobile banking platform, which enables a several account functions through SMS.

San Francisco-based Bank of the West ($61 billion in assets) announced Tuesday the launch of its mobile banking platform, which enables a several account functions through SMS.

The free service is available to Bank of the West's online banking customers, who can send simple text commands to check account balances, transfer funds, view transaction history and receive account alerts.

“Our new texting and mobile web banking services put us on the leading edge of mobile banking, and they provide a powerful foundation for future innovation,” said Phillip Rogers, Head of Mobile Banking for Bank of the West. “Our mobile service was built to optimize the customer experience -- from best-in-class rendering that supports thousands of devices, to a full suite of applications that allows customers to manage their money quickly, easily and conveniently.”

Bank of the West said it will make available a native app for the Apple iPhone next month.

“Our mobile banking services – including mobile web and text messaging – are part of our commitment to make banking even more convenient. We want to empower customers to manage their finances whenever, wherever and however they choose,” said Matt Macomber, Bank of the West Channel Executive.

Along with its new mobile banking service, Bank of the West also announced POPMoney, a peer-to-peer payments service that allows online banking customers to make direct payments to individuals.