Huntington has announced that beginning this week, students of The Ohio State University can link their campus Buck-I-D cards to their Huntington checking accounts at no charge.
This will enable them to access their checking account when conducting some transactions including use at Huntington ATMs and for point-of-sale transactions by using their PIN numbers. It will also mean that they can choose to carry one card for their daily campus and banking needs.
The new service is part of Huntington's $125 million partnership announced by bank and Ohio State officials last month. The agreement is the most comprehensive and innovative partnership of its kind in the country.
Under the agreement, Ohio State is receiving $25 million from Huntington, which the university will use for academic scholarships and educational programming. The agreement provides Huntington exclusive access to directly offer products and services to more than 600,000 students, faculty, staff and alumni.
"The ability to link a Buck-I-D to a Huntington checking account is the first of many convenient benefits Huntington will offer the Ohio State community," said Senior Vice President Dave Schamer, who leads Huntington's university banking. "At Huntington, we listen to our customers. We know that with their busy lives convenience is a major factor in choosing a bank."
"Huntington's ability to offer the campus card linkage at no charge and to do so quickly are the kind of services we are seeking for our students," said Geoff Chatas, chief financial officer for Ohio State. "We look forward to working with Huntington on additional initiatives in the coming months."
Currently, Huntington has 12 ATMs on the main campus and is planning to add up to 12 additional ATMS in the next couple of months. It is also planning to add up to four branches on the main campus for easy access by students, faculty and staff.
Also as part of the agreement, Huntington will provide 20 Ohio State paid student internships for each year of the partnership. Additionally, it committed $100 million in dedicated community lending and investments to support the economic development of Columbus' University District and Near East Side.