Financial institution U.S. Bank is expanding its line of mobile products with an optimized site that targets on-the-go business clients.

The company claims that after seeing an increased need from all clients, it developed a mobile version of the SinglePoint solution for business clients. The mobile site is the latest addition to U.S. Bank’s mobile platforms for consumers, which include iPhone, Android, BlackBerry applications and a mobile-optimized site.

“We saw the trend of more and more consumers using mobile devices for their everyday needs and wanting to apply mobile devices to their everyday business needs as well,” said Michelle Darsow, vice president and mobile channel manager for the U.S. Bank, Minneapolis, MN.

“We surveyed our business customers to see if mobile banking would be beneficial to them, and we had a great response from our customers,” she said.

U.S. Bank operates 3,086 banking offices in 25 states and more than 5,000 ATMs in the United States. It offers banking, brokerage, investment, insurance, mortgage and trust and payment services.

Taking care of business
The mobile tool is the optimized version of U.S. Bank’s SinglePoint and SinglePoint Essentials services, which are marketed towards business owners.

U.S. Bank’s clients can access their account at m.singlepoint.usbank.com.

Consumers can then view account balances and view transactions.

Users can also transfer funds and approve payments.

Business clients can view their accounts via a mobile portal

According to U.S. Bank, the new mobile offerings are an extension of consumers’ demands that they have seen from elsewhere.

“[Our clients] might not always have a laptop with them at lunch or when they are in a meeting, but they are sure to have their mobile device, Ms. Darsow said.

“We developed a mobile business banking product to give our business customers access to functions they need the most when they are otherwise away from their desks, she said.

“We want to ensure we take the steps necessary to fit the changing needs of our business customers.”

Banking ahead
By adding mobile products for businesses, U.S. Bank is bolstering its already extensive portfolio.

For instance, the bank recently upgraded its iPhone app to include mobile deposits (see story).

Mobile banking is nothing new to the industry, especially with national institutions similar to U.S. Bank, and companies are starting to think outside the box on how to give consumers access to their finances.

For example, Citibank recently rolled out an app that used iPad-specific features (see story).

Additionally, banks of all sizes have started to target both consumers and business clients as a result of seeing more mobile activity.

“Mobile technology allows us to put sophisticated banking services in the hands of our business customers when they need them – it’s quick and convenient,” Ms. Darsow said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York