• by Masha Geller , April 15, 2003

Before I say anything about online banking, I have to say that if I see one more news story about Monica Lewinsky hosting that silly reality show, I'll scream. Enough already! Monica's hosting it. Everyone knows her name and everyone remembers exactly why they know her name. The guys will wear masks. We're all familiar with the concept of reality shows. That's all there is to say, people, so stop giving it ink!

Now, with that off my chest, on to online banking, which is a very hot topic these days, and this report should help those of you with financial clients. Nielsen//NetRatings today reports that 25 million surfers or nearly 20% of the active online population, logged on to banks and credit union websites from home and work in March 2003. Online banking and credit union surfers spent an average of 52 minutes during the month, among the stickiest on the Web.

NetRatings reports that leading the category, Bank of America attracted more than 6.1 million unique visitors and claimed the top ranking as the stickiest banking destination with visitors spending more than an hour on the site last month. Citibank landed at a close second with 5.5 million surfers, representing an increase of 57% from year ago. Traffic to Wells Fargo jumped 34% to 4.7 million unique visitors, securing the No. 3 spot. Rounding out the top five, Chase Manhattan Bank and Bank One recorded 2.9 and 2.8 million visitors, respectively.

Additionally, the banking and credit card category equally attracted both men and women surfers, with men comprising 51% of the total audience and women making up 49 percent. The key 18-49 demographic age group represented nearly 70% of the category's total audience. The highest concentration of surfers visiting bank and credit union sites were middle-income individuals. Those individuals with household incomes ranging from $50,000 to $74,999 represented 30% of all surfers logging on to banking and credit union sites. Surfers with household incomes of $150,000 and higher comprised just 7% of the sector's total audience.