How technology has given banking a modern makeover

There was a time when banking required a trip to the neighborhood branch office, or a visit to the main bank downtown, Monday through Friday, during business hours. People dressed accordingly, and there was almost an unwritten protocol about the experience. It was truly a different time. Today, modern banking can be done with the click of an app on a smart phone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some people rarely, if ever, visit their local office. It’s amazing how far the industry has come in just a short time. Take a look at some of the advantages technology adopted by Fidelity Bank affords today’s clients that previous generations never could have imagined.

The Modern Checking Account

Many people grew up watching their parents and grandparents write checks to buy groceries at the local market, clothing at their favorite department store, or household items and tools from the corner hardware store. With pen in hand, they would stop to record the expenditure in their check register book to make it easy to “balance the checkbook” at the end of the week. It was the only way to know how much money was in the account prior to sitting down for the weekly bill-paying session. This ritual often took place on a Saturday afternoon at a desk in a home office, or at the kitchen table. There would be a stack of paper bills on one side, a checkbook and calculator front and center, and envelopes and stamps on the other side. It wasn’t really that long ago — online banking was introduced in major cities in the 1980s — but it all seems so archaic now.

For some people, technology has made it possible to eliminate the checkbook altogether. With unlimited access to account information and balances online, the need to record and calculate expenditures and deposits manually has drastically diminished. Today, it’s all available with the click of a button, from a desktop, tablet, or smart phone with Online Banking or a mobile app. Opening a checking account can be done online, too — no personal visit to the bank required. Today, most people swipe debit and credit cards at the store, track their accounts online, and pay bills electronically.

Modern Banking is Digital Banking

Let’s face it: life moves fast! The “slow times” that once existed on lazy afternoons and summers are a thing of the past. Digital banking is a great tool for consumers to keep up with the demands of balancing work, family, and finances. Most financial institutions, including Fidelity Bank, offer digital features to make banking efficient and easy. Here are a few worth exploring:

• Online Banking — Customers have access to all of their accounts (personal checking, savings, business) every day, all day, and transferring funds from one account to another is done in seconds. A big advantage to monitoring account activity online is that everything is done in real time. Clients always know what’s happening with their money, and that gives them peace of mind. The ability to download monthly statements comes in handy when it’s time to update budgets or file taxes too.
• Mobile Banking — Consumers spend more than 5 hours per day on their smart phones. With statistics like that, banks and credit unions are wise to invest in technology allowing people to conduct financial transactions using smart phones. With Fidelity Mobile Banking, customers can securely manage their accounts from smart phones and tablets just as they would from a desktop at home.
• Mobile Deposit — This Fidelity Bank feature allows customers to make deposits simply by taking a photo of the check with their smart phone. In 5 simple steps, funds are deposited into the desired account, and this can be done anywhere, any time.
• Digital Wallet— S. News offers a simple description of what a digital or e-wallet wallet is: “a payment system that protects users’ banking information and passwords, and allows consumers to make safe transactions without using cash.” Since personal information is encrypted, Digital Wallet from Fidelity Bank offers a high level of security for transactions.
• Card Manager – Card Manager from Fidelity Bank gives clients tighter control over their debit cards. Turn your card “off” when you don’t want anyone to be able to use it, and turn it back “on” when you’re ready again.
• Web Bill Pay — This feature allows clients to make one-time or recurring payments on pre-scheduled dates, any time.
• Opening loans and deposits – it’s not even necessary to come to the Bank to open an account. Most products can be opened online using Fidelity Bank’s online applications. Our Customer Care Center is available 7 days a week to assist, as well.

Modern Banking with a Personal Touch

 Mobile and digital technology is a great time saver, but there are times that clients just need to talk with a Banker.  Fidelity Bank has two ways to connect.  Stop by a local branch office or call our Customer Care Center. The expertise of today’s bankers far exceed the role of traditional bank tellers in the past. Fidelity bankers are highly-trained professionals who can assist customers in a variety of financial functions, from creating new personal, savings and business accounts, to assisting with loan applications, budgeting, and more. Perhaps that is the true beauty of modern-day banking: it can be whatever the customer needs it to be.

Learn More

Fidelity Bank has multiple local branch offices throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, and our full-service Client Care Center is at your service 7 days a week. Call or visit your local branch office today.