Alliance & Leicester has utilised inhouse developed middleware to provide customers with single sign-on for multiple account management over the Internet.
The new service, quietly introduced by the UK bank earlier this week, enables customers with any Alliance & Leicester current account or savings account to view and manage their accounts on the Internet - using one log-in and password.
It marks the first live application of new middleware technology developed by Alliance & Leicester for the purpose of multi-channel management. The bank says it plans to progressively deploy the technology to enable different channels (branches, call centres, Internet) to access information across the entire product range.
The new development was previewed in Alliance & Leicester's half-yearly results statement. A&L currently has 1.77 million accounts, with 87,000 new accounts opened in the first six months of this year.
The bank is also crediting a 26% increase in unsecured lending through the branch network to new systems introduced at the tail-end of last year.
In June, A&L also implemented a number of system improvements to the Internet application process, simplifying the online form-filling and enabling the customer to receive a decision on an application via e-mail within minutes compared to 24 hours previously. In the first half of 2002 almost 15% of unsecured loan applications were originated online, says the bank.