37 million Americans bank online

The drift from bank teller lines to internet banking continues, according to a report from non-profit-making Pew Internet and American Life Project, with estimates that 37 million Americans now pay bills and transfer funds on the web, more than twice the number that did so two years ago. Of those surveyed, 32% did their banking online, compared with 17% in 2000.

For those who have already committed to the online banking concept, it has become a semi-routine activity, as they are almost as likely to check their balances online as use instant-messaging software. Although other activities like online travel reservations and sales remain more popular, they are growing at a slower rate than online banking.

Although a revolution in retail banking has been avidly anticipated for most the last decade, it has failed to materialize and these figures serve to indicate that it will stay that way, and that a gradual movement caused by generational change will drive the market rather than any single catalyst.

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