• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, November 19, 2010

Only a small portion of U.S. consumers are banking via mobile phone, but that group is starting to grow to become a measurable presence, according to a new study from Nielsen. The research firm found that 13.2% of households accessed their bank account through a mobile device in second quarter 2010 compared 20.8% who accessed their account using the bank's customer service call center. The mobile share is up from 11.6% in first quarter while call center access has remained relatively flat quarter-over-quarter.

Mobile bankers tend to higher average balances ($64,303) versus ($48,384) for the average customer and greater net worth ($341,017) versus their online banking counterparts ($313,346) or the market average ($281,263). Nielsen identifies the largest proportion of people banking through cell phones as "mobile office workers", who are aged 35 to 54 and also the largest smartphone-owning group.

The study also concluded mobile banking drives customer loyalty, opens up banking to underserved groups or the unbanked, and provides a vehicle for offering products at the exact time people need them.