The Pocket Agent application lets customers use the mobile deposit for their savings, checking, interest checking and Money Market accounts. The service is compatible with iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.

“The strategy is convenience,” said Andrea O’Connor, assistant vice president of bank deposits at State Farm Bank, Peoria, IL. “No more running to the bank or ATM. 

“We offer a safe and secure way to make a deposit so that our customers can spend time doing the things they want to do,” she said.

State Farm insures cars and homes and also offers customers banking, annuities and mutual fund products.

Checking services
To deposit a check, a customer should first endorse it, then enter the amount and take a picture of the check with their handset.

The service sends a confirmation notice from State Farm Bank when a customer’s check is received.

Here is a screen grab of the application:

Additionally, the Mobile Check Deposit service supports scanning of unlimited checks per day, up to $10,000, per State Farm Bank.

The company plans to launch several updates to its application this fall.

The updates will include letting customers view their transaction history and pay their bills.

State Farm is promoting the application via Facebook and Twitter.

Here is another screen grab of the application:

Mobile banking
In June, State Farm introduced a FastEstimate service that lets consumers get an insurance estimate via their mobile device.

The service is available on any smartphone, including Windows Mobile, iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Android (see story).

“For our State Farm bank customers, we will be delivering the ability to pay their bills and view their banking transition history details,” said Todd Zalucha, manager at State Farm Systems Department, Bloomington, IL.

“We will also be delivering the mobile check deposit on the Android platform in the near future,” he said. “This feature is currently offered on the iPhone platform.
 
“We are also updating the current iPhone Steer Clear application and will be delivering the Steer Clear application on the Android platform.”

Final Take
Rimma Kats, editorial assistant, Mobile Commerce Daily, New York