Consumers can now use their mobile handsets to view up-to-date personal finance information, including bank, brokerage and credit card accounts, while on the move.

The initiative is an extension of the company's Online Account Access programme on Yahoo! Finance, which allows registered users to view their account information from a variety of financial institutions with any PC connected to the Web.

Now, users dialling in by Web-enabled phone can click on Yahoo! Finance to get a quick snapshot of their current financial situation.

The Yahoo! Finance folder also delivers stock quotes, ticker symbols, portfolio status information, and financial markets news to consumer handsets.

Yahoo! says it employs a combination of Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security to encrypt data as it is passed over the airwaves. Additional security is provided through the Yahoo! Security Key, a personal access code, which is checked and verified online.