First Niagara launches new mobile-app functions

First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FNFG) on Tuesday announced that it has launched new capabilities for its mobile-banking application available for smartphone users.

Buffalo–based First Niagara Financial Group is the parent of First Niagara Bank.

The banking company initially released the app in January 2013. The app is available on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry phones, according to First Niagara.

First Niagara now has more than 140,000 unique mobile banking users, the company said.

The new features include remote-deposit capture and one-swipe balance.

Remote-deposit capture allows customers to take a photo of the check they wish to deposit with their smartphone and securely make the transaction through the mobile-banking application, the bank said.

One-swipe balance gives customers the ability to quickly view their account balance on their mobile device without logging in, according to First Niagara.

No account information is available through this feature other than balances, and account holders can’t make transactions from this mode, so customer accounts “remain secure,” the bank noted.

As an example, customers might use this feature if they want to double check the balances in their accounts when making a purchase, First Niagara said.

The next phase of its mobile-banking services emphasizes a focus on enabling its  customers to bank when, where, and how is most convenient for them, Jay Clark,

First Niagara’s retail-planning director, said in the news release.

“More and more customers are using a variety of online and offline methods to manage their finances. These new mobile features are the next steps to making that experience seamless,” Clark said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com