David Boland reports

ON-LINE banking is now so commonplace as to be simply another form of mainstream financial activity. But there was a time when carrying out banking through the internet was seen as something quite revolutionary . . . and something to be approached with a degree of trepidation, lest cyber fraudsters download your hardearned money into a virtual swag bag. Most people, however, feel perfectly secure about on-line banking, and are comfortable enough with technology to allow them to freely go about their business without pause for thought about the medium for their banking transactions.

One of the leaders of the internet banking vanguard was Ulster Bank, which launched its Anytime Internet Banking product in 1999. The original offering included such services as balances and transaction viewing, as well as transaction search, transaction download into financial packages (such as Quicken, MS Money etc), and money transfer (to both Ulster Bank and non-UB accounts). People could also pay bills, order cheque books or credit books and view standing orders.

The period between 1999 and 2005 saw ongoing improvements to the service, while 2006 involved an end-to-end review of the service; following which, Anytime Internet Banking was given a new look and feel, thereby making it more user friendly. The review also recommended the addition of new functionality, including the ability to log on anywhere, revised security of PIN and passwords, and information on Ulster Bank credit card balances and transactions. Also, customers can now create and cancel standing orders, view direct debits, activate their debit cards; while new security measures include additional fraud controls, and the ability to change PIN, passwords and account names. This development also included the Anytime Banking service being Mac compatible, and a new dedicated 24hour technical helpdesk was introduced.

"Following customer feedback, we significantly improved the service during 2006 with increased functionality and a new look and feel, " said Judy Kelly, channel manager at Anytime Banking .

So how has this increased functionality been received by Ulster Bank customers, many of whom will only now be becoming accustomed to the concept of on-line banking?

"Customer feedback has been very positive regarding the changes, and our customers continue to enjoy the increased benefits that Anytime Internet Banking offers, " said Kelly. "We have in excess of half a million customers logging on per month, and the usage of the service has increased by 47% over the past 12 months."

Of course, security will always be a prime consideration for people and their money, and cyber criminals are ever on the look-out for ways of accessing people's accounts, just as ordinary thieves look for ordinary ways to steal money. But, as criminals become more sophisticated, so too does the general public become more savvy, and less susceptible to on-line fraud.

"Customers are more aware of internet fraud generally and of "phishing" attacks . . . this is where people receive e-mails from fraudsters perpetrating to be their bank and asking them to resubmit their account details, pins and passwords to a specific site (usually due to a system or security update), " said Kelly. "Some of these emails can look authentic, as can the websites to which they direct people. Ulster Bank never e-mails customers requesting details of their security passwords and PINS and encourages anyone who receives such a mail to contact us on 1850 300 365, 24 hours a day."

In addition to vigilance from the public, Ulster Bank has put in place its own measures to ensure security, employing best-in-class industry standards to protect its customers. It can also leverage the expertise of its parent, Royal Bank of Scotland, in this respect.

"We continually review our service and processes as the industry changes to ensure we are on the lookout of new threats, " said Kelly. "We have introduced additional security measures for high risk transactions . . . for example, creating a new mandate in order to further protect customers from fraud."

Despite the specific measures put in place by Ulster Bank to improve functionality and security, the fact remains that the greatest incentive for using Anytime Internet Banking is that it is available, well, anytime.

"Customers can choose to carry out their banking 24 hours a day at a time that suits them with helpdesk support 24 hours a day, " said Kelly."

So, as more and more people switch to using internet banking, either with Ulster Bank or other institutions, could the near future see a situation whereby traditional branch banking is no longer necessary?

"Customers have a choice in how they choose to bank with us, " said Kelly. "That could be in person via their branch, via telephone or via Internet Banking.

Anytime Internet Banking complements our branch network, and our feedback advises us that customers require a variety of banking methods to suit both their individual lifestyle and also their specific transaction or query. Customer service and choice is at the core of the Anytime Banking service, and we will continue to listen to our customers and further enhance the service on an ongoing basis."