Banks Strengthen Mobile Account Opening and Debit Card Controls While Delegated Access Emerges for Retail Customers to Safeguard Vulnerable Populations

U.S. Bank Continues as Overall Leader in Keynova Group's Mobile Banker Scorecard;
Bank of America and U.S. Bank Tie for Top Mobile App

WILMINGTON, Del., March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Keynova Group, the principal competitive intelligence source for digital financial services firms, today announced the results of its Q1 2026 Mobile Banker Scorecard, a competitive evaluation of the 17 leading U.S. retail banks' mobile experiences. U.S. Bank continues to rank in first place overall and for mobile web while Bank of America and U.S. Bank tie for No. 1 mobile app.

"The evolution of mobile banking is no longer just about speed and convenience but reflects a broader shift toward personalized banking experiences that balance accessibility and security for a wider range of customer needs," said Susan Foulds, managing director of Keynova Group. "Banks are refining mobile checking account opening, expanding debit card management options and alternative navigation through virtual assistants, and reinforcing customer security to safeguard against rising scams and elder fraud without sacrificing customer independence."

Key Findings:

Mobile Account Opening Reaching Parity with Desktop
The process for opening a new checking account via mobile has vastly improved in recent years and is now a more seamless experience. Today, 60% of Scorecard banks' mobile checking account applications include a complete list of the required information to apply and display the account funding options upfront, such as debit cards or ACH transfers. These are both best-in-class features that streamline enrollments and reduce abandonment. Immediate mobile banking access is supported by most of the banks to ensure completed onboarding and activation of the account. In addition, nearly one-third of banks provide a turnkey option to select overdraft protection as part of the account opening flow, protecting new customers against declined transactions and unnecessary fees. While 60% of the Scorecard banks' mobile web account opening options include a phone number for assistance—a simple yet essential customer support option––mobile app lags with only 12% of banks supplying a phone number.

Banks Improving Mobile Debit Card Management
Debit card controls and alerts, which can help limit spending and safeguard against unauthorized cash transactions, are beginning to catch up with the controls offered for credit cards. Alerts for debit card purchases that exceed a user-defined amount continue to trend upward (75%) and more than half provide alert options in apps for specific transaction types such as online, phone or foreign purchases. These alerts empower customers to monitor accounts and detect suspicious activity. Debit card controls with transaction restrictions based on location or transaction type are starting to surface in 18% of banks' mobile apps and 12% of banks' mobile websites. Banks are also starting to engage customers to monitor transactions through virtual assistant navigation with inquiries that can identify debit card and other transactions by description, amount, fee, or even duplicate charges.

Delegated Digital Access Fortifies Account Safeguards
With the alarming rise in elder fraud and other financial and digital scams, more banks are implementing additional digital safeguards that enable customers to assign trusted people as contacts, if necessary, for added protection against suspicious account activity. While a common feature in small business banking, delegation of digital banking access for retail account owners to trusted family members, friends or professional advisors is currently available from only 12% of the Scorecard banks. U.S. Bank recently added shared account access and Wells Fargo offers it as well, yet only Huntington enables customers to both assign account access and designate tiered levels of transaction capabilities on behalf of the account owner. Banks are also continuing to add resources to educate consumers on fraud risks. More than half provide prominent links to information on fraud, scams and cybersecurity while nearly 75% feature content to help customers and caregivers safeguard against elder fraud and other scams.

About the Mobile Banker Scorecard
Keynova Group's semi-annual, fact-based Mobile Banker Scorecard, offered for more than two decades, evaluates digital user capabilities, customer experience elements, and best practices to identify evolving trends and insights that drive mobile strategy in banking. The evaluation of approximately 325 criteria organized and scored by categories and tasks encompasses the mobile apps and websites of Bank of America, BMO, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, Citizens Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, KeyBank, M&T Bank, PNC, Regions Bank, TD Bank, Truist, USAA, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. A separate semi-annual Online Banker Scorecard reviews the online banking experience. For more information please visit: https://www.keynovagroup.com/scorecards/#banking

About Keynova Group
Keynova Group is the nation's foremost competitive intelligence firm providing trusted benchmarking insights and analysis of consumer and small business digital financial services, including banking, credit card, home lending and insurance. Since 1999, Keynova Group's Scorecards have served as the go-to source for leading financial services firms to obtain reliable competitive intelligence and actionable insights. The firm's proven methodology and highly detailed results help its clients maximize the value of their digital channels to deliver a premier experience to customers and prospects.

SOURCE Keynova Group