WASHINGTON — Big news out of the BAI Retail Delivery conferenceat the Washington Convention Center this week is that two majormobile banking apps developers – mFoundry and Intuit – announcedthey were opening their apps to allow incorporation of third-partycontent chosen by individual financial institutions.

Although similar in their openness, the two models are differentunder the hood.

At mFoundry, CEO Drew Sievers said his Larkspur, Calif., companyhas struck deals with “around 30″ developers — among them paymentspioneer Dwolla and gift card vendor Blackhawk Network – who haveagreed to work with mFoundry in creating apps that work seamlesslyinside the basic mobile banking app.

To the user, the functions would be “white labeled,” Sieverssaid, meaning there would not necessarily be brandidentification inside the app for say, Blackhawk.

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The institution would also revenue share with mFoundry and withthe app developer. Sievers gave as a for instance sale of a giftcard that generated $10 in revenue. In his hypothetical, $5 wouldgo to Blackhawk and $5 would be split between the institution andmFoundry.

Sievers stressed that participating credit unions would controlwhich content to offer their members, and which to exclude.

At Intuit in Calabasas, Calif., spokesperson Tobin Lee painteda different vision of openness where the Intuit mobile banking appis opening up to accommodate content – widgets, apps, whatever aninstitution might want – developed by the institution, eitherinternally or through third parties.

Lee held open the option that Intuit might itself offer contenttailored to certain institutions but, in the main, he talked in aninterview at BAI of a blank slate built into the mobile app thatwill let the institution better serve its members.

“No single vendor can have all the answers,” said Lee. “That iswhy we are opening the platform.”