The new mobile options come from the bank seeing a need from consumers to manage their finances via their  handsets. California Bank & Trust apps are available on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices.

“We wanted to make sure mobile banking was available for all our clients regardless of what platform or device they were using,” said Susan Brown, senior vice president and marketing group manager at California Bank & Trust, San Diego.

California Bank & Trust is owned by Zions Bancorporation and operates more than 100 branches.

Plugged-in payments
California Bank & Trust clients can check account balances and monitor recent activity.

Additionally, consumers can transfer money between California Bank & Trust accounts.

“Our goal is to make our services as convenient as possible for consumers,” Ms. Brown said. “California Bank & Trust is known for strong, one-on-one relationships, so we wanted our mobile options to reflect the same.”

Moving to mobile
Although California Bank & Trust did not see a direct need from consumers, they are rolling out mobile resources after watching how mobile banking has impacted users.

“Our goal is to stay in step with the industry and to provide our clients with multiple ways to interact and grow with us,” Ms. Brown said.

“Technology and services show that the industry is changing with both Internet-based and mobile offerings,” she said.

California Bank & Trust is only the latest in banks offering mobile banking services to consumers.

Many major financial institutions – including Citibank, Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab and ING – now have mobile services. Smaller banks are also taking notice and hopping on board to meet consumer  demand.

Most recently, larger players have been finding ways to reach small demographics.

For example, Chase’s small business payment solution Ink from Chase recently started offering rewards to consumers who sign up for the services. (see story).

“We’ve seen that mobile banking has continued to increase, and in the future we will continue to look for new ways to enhance our mobile functionalities,” Ms. Brown said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York