Javelin Strategy & Research Announces 2021 Digital Banking Award Winners

By: Javelin Strategy & Research via Business Wire

June 29, 2021 at 09:10 AM EDT

Bank of America earns “Best in Class” in both mobile and online banking. Chase, USAA, and U.S. Bank also earn top digital banking honors.

Javelin Strategy & Research today announced the winners of its 2021 digital banking scorecards. Javelin’s Mobile Banking Scorecard and Online Banking Scorecard evaluated over 400 digital banking capabilities at 25 of the top U.S. financial institutions.

For the fifth consecutive year, Bank of America was named “Best in Class” for its ongoing innovation in both channels. However, rivals have made strong moves to challenge Bank of America. With a completely redesigned app, U.S. Bank finished a close second in mobile, while Chase climbed three places to finish as online banking runner-up. Chase was also named an “Overall Leader” in mobile, as was USAA in online banking.

Each of Javelin’s digital banking scorecards evaluate financial institutions’ functionality in six common categories: Ease of Use, Security Empowerment, Financial Fitness, Money Movement, Customer Service, and Account Opening.

Nine other institutions were recognized as “Leaders” in at least one of these categories. They include: Ally, BB&T, Citi, Comerica, Huntington, Navy Federal Credit Union, SunTrust, Regions, and Wells Fargo.

Banking Innovation Slows in Both Channels

Javelin’s 15th annual Mobile Banking Scorecard uncovered a worrisome gap in bank-led innovation that well-funded fintechs are rushing to fill. Average scores dropped in four out of six categories, signaling a concerning mobile slowdown.

“This year’s Mobile Banking Scorecard highlights banks’ efforts to meet higher expectations and increased customer demand that have emerged during the pandemic,” explains Emmett Higdon, Director, Digital Banking at Javelin Strategy & Research. “Unfortunately, the incremental changes that we saw this year did little to address consumers’ need for immediate personal attention through mobile banking.”

Javelin’s fifth annual Online Banking Scorecard noted a similar stagnation in online banking innovation. “No bank can count on digital customer satisfaction if they ignore the online channel,” said Mark Schwanhausser, Director, Digital Banking at Javelin Strategy & Research. “The pandemic exposed online weaknesses that are forcing banks to balance investments between the channels.”

Javelin’s Mobile and Online Banking Scorecards are powerful tools for financial institutions of all sizes to benchmark and assess their digital acumen and performance against peers and competitors. To learn how Javelin’s scorecards and benchmarking programs can help elevate your organization’s digital expertise, contact us at inquiry@javelinstrategy.com.

About Javelin Strategy & Research

Javelin Strategy & Research, part of the Escalent family, helps its clients make informed decisions in a digital financial world. It provides strategic insights to financial institutions including banks, credit unions, brokerages and insurers, as well as payments companies, technology providers, fintechs and government agencies. Javelin’s independent insights result from a rigorous research process that assesses consumers, businesses, providers, and the transactions ecosystem. It conducts in-depth primary research studies to pinpoint dynamic risks and opportunities in digital banking, payments, fraud & security, lending, and wealth management. For more information, visit javelinstrategy.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.