From stagecoach to space age, Wells Fargo is entering 2001 with a banking odyssey that will feature a bus that would make the Jetsons envious.
The west coast bank is taking the anytime, anywhere banking ethos to its natural conclusion with a hi-tech tour bus designed to bring its Internet banking operations to a national audience. Wells Fargo says the bus is the first coach to be custom-built with business-grade satellite-enabled Internet access and a virtual private network.
With 16 Internet terminals on board and two outside Internet terminals, Wells Fargo customers and non-customers can enroll for Internet access to personal accounts, pay bills, trade stocks or mutual funds online and apply for a variety of other online products and services. Customers can also apply online to open their first cheque or savings account, apply for a credit card, home equity loan, online brokerage account or a retirement account with Wells Fargo.
"From the original stagecoaches to the inception of online banking, we have been at the forefront of bringing the bank directly to the customer," says Clyde Ostler, group executive vice president of Internet services at Wells Fargo.
The 45-foot long, 26-ton Wells Fargo.com Bus has three servers and 15 miles of wiring. After its launch in Eugene, it will travel along the I-5 freeway to Seattle (a former Wells Fargo stagecoach route) and on into the mid-West.