North American Internet-only operators E*Trade and TD Waterhouse have upgraded their respective e-banking and e-broking platforms in an effort to ease the online experience for users.
The new release of E*Trade's online banking platform includes new fund transfer features, allowing customers with brokerage, banking and lending accounts to transfer funds in real time to and from external institutions.
E*Trade has also enhanced its banking site to provide access both to real-time statements and balances projected seven days ahead. The site also features improved expense tracking using transaction categories and a simplified bill payment service.
Arlen Gelbard, chief banking officer and president, E*Trade Bank, says: "By making the Web site easier to navigate and use, we are able to deliver a more comprehensive customer experience, enabling our customers to quickly move their money to where it benefits them most."
Furthermore, E*Trade is also offering online customers a Total Protection Guarantee that includes 100% fraud coverage, online bill payment protection, insurance for deposits up to $100,000 and privacy protection.
Seperately, Canada's TD Waterhouse has released a new version of its Internet brokerage service WebBroker, featuring improved consolidated account viewing, enhanced ordering processes and simplified cash and US currency transfers.
The service now provides customers with one-click access to account details and real-time prices. Customers can now also view consolidated balances for Canadian and US dollar accounts and access real-time quotes and mutual fund prices for up to ten securities/indexes.
Users can transfer cash and make US currency transfers between TD Waterhouse brokerage accounts and TD Canada Trust bank accounts in three steps.
John See, president, TD Waterhouse Discount Brokerage and TD Waterhouse Financial Planning, says: "The new WebBroker is our response to customer requests to make managing their finances, whether banking or investing, simpler and more flexible."