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What if you could cut a
weekly stop from your
errand list—for the rest
of your life? It’s precisely why so
many people are turning to the
Internet, instead of their car, to
conduct their personal banking. In
fact, by the end of 2002, 17 percent
of Americans were using online
banking in some capacity.
Online bill-pay—one of the
most popular features of online
banking—is a great example of
why online banking is becoming so
popular. Instead of writing a check,
putting it in an envelope and
driving to the post office to buy a
stamp—wondering if the bill will
arrive on time—online bill-pay
allows you to complete the same
task on a personal computer with
the click of a button.
Or, let’s say you write a check for
a big-ticket purchase, then wake up
at 2:30 a.m. realizing you don’t
have enough money in your
account to cover it. With online
banking, you simply go to your
bank’s Web site and transfer the
funds. On the Internet, the bank
always is open for business.
"It’s convenient and it’s available
around the clock," says Stacey
Koehler, senior business process
analyst for the retail sales and
development area of Thrivent
Financial Bank. "Our customers
frequently tell us they wonder why
it took them so long to try it."
Online banking at Thrivent
Financial Bank isn’t just barebones
banking, either. Not only
do customers have 24-hour access
to their accounts and the ability
to set up their personal bill-payment system, they can receive
notification that a CD is maturing.
They also can avoid accidentally
overdrawing an account by setting
up e-mail alerts that notify them if
their balance reaches a certain
level. Another popular feature is
the ability to download their
financial his tory to moneymanagement
programs Quicken®
or MS Money®—a great benefit
for budgeting and planning.
And there are other added
conveniences. Koehler gives this
example: You borrowed $100 from
a friend while on vacation. Instead
of writing her a check, you can
automatically transfer the money
to her checking account, even if
she isn’t a Thrivent Financial Bank
customer. You won’t know her
bank account number and she
won’t know yours.
With another online service
available on the Thrivent Financial
Bank Web site, you even can apply
for a mortgage through the Online
Mortgage Center. The bank plans to
round out its online services with
online consumer loan and online
deposit account applications late
this year.
Thrivent Financial Bank is a Member FDIC and
an Equal Housing Lender.
Try It Here
You can take an online demo of
Thrivent Financial Bank’s online
banking services at
www.thrivent.com/bank/online.
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