FRB Releases Study on Use of Mobile Financial Services

Mobile Banking

On March 14, the Federal Rserve Board (FRB) released the results of a survey on the use of mobile financial services in the U.S. The findings, as summarized in the FRB release and report, include: (i) one in five Americans with mobile phones used their mobile phone to access financial accounts last year; (ii) mobile banking is poised to expand further over the next year, with usage possibly increasing to one in three mobile phone users by 2013, (iii) mobile banking use is highly correlated with age, (iv) underbanked consumers were relatively heavy users of mobile services, and widening use of mobile technology can expand access to financial servicers for underserved populations, (v) reviewing account balances was the most common activity, followed by account transfers, and (vi) consumers with mobile devices that do not use mobile banking cited either a lack of need or security concerns.