Greylock First Local Institution to Offer Mobile Banking
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Greylock Federal Credit Union is the Berkshire’s first local financial institution to offer Mobile Banking to its members. Mobile Banking is a wireless internet-based service that allows members to bank conveniently from their internet-enabled mobile telephone or any other Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).“Consumers want convenient, 24-hour access to their accounts, and Mobile Banking gives Greylock members that access. Whether they’re shopping, traveling or watching a little league game, Greylock accounts are only a click away,” said John Bissell, Senior Vice President of Marketing.
Greylock’s Mobile Banking allows a member to access balance information, review account history and perform transfers between accounts utilizing a simplified “text-driven” platform designed specifically for hand-held wireless mobile devices.
While the Mobile Banking service is relatively new to Berkshire County, the technology is expanding rapidly nationwide. Wireless Week.com says there were an estimated 3.1 million mobile users in the US in 2008, and that figure is expected to more than double to 7 million users by the end of 2009. Bissell predicts rapid adoption by Greylock members.
“Until now, if a Berkshire County resident wanted Mobile Banking, they had to sign up with a huge, national bank which was unlikely to offer a local branch here,” Bissell said. “Now local families can benefit from 24/7 mobile access provided by a trusted Berkshire County financial institution, with 12 locations and 17 ATMs.”
Jim Wojtaszek, Vice President for Market Development added, “Greylock’s Mobile Banking is secure and uses the same high-level server security and data encryption that is available when members access their account information through their personal computer. We plan to introduce Mobile Bill Pay and Mobile Messaging in the near future.”
Wojtaszek said that Greylock will continue to offer its Nice Touch Plus® telephone teller service. “We have about 5,000 active users of Nice Touch and that number has been stable,” Wojtaszek said. “We also have 13,000 active users of our online home banking services, and all of them can readily use this new Mobile Banking feature without new passwords or signups.” There is no cost to Members to access Greylock’s Mobile Banking platform.
Greylock members with Home Banking service can enter mobile.greylock.org in their hand-held’s web browser, click on the Internet Banking button on the Mobile Banking home page and enter their current ‘CU@ Home’ Internet Home Banking log-in information. More information is available at www.Greylock.org.
Greylock was recently rated the top credit union in the United States for total value returned to Members/Owners according to Callahan & Associates, a national credit union research and consulting firm. Greylock Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, attends school, worships or regularly conducts business in Berkshire County. Greylock Federal is wholly owned by its more than 65,000 members and offers full-service branches in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, Lee, Adams, North Adams, and Williamstown.
