Biller Survey Finds E-Bill Growth, Mortgage Providers Staying with Paper

BOSTON — Credit unions might like to know that big billers, especially utilities, may be increasingly looking for payment channels other than the traditional online banking site. A recent Aite Group survey of 200 U.S. billers–ranging from those with 50,000 or more bills per month to some with fewer than 10,000–found that “online banking will likely be increasingly challenged by emerging channels in selected verticals.” For instance, 47% of the utilities surveyed say they expect to see strong to very strong growth in e-mail payment over the next two years. However, the Think Firm adds, “More billers (41%) expect to see strong growth with online banking bill presentment than with any other channel. Banks should be wary of discouraging small to midsize billers’ faith in e-bills; those that have not yet jumped on the e-bill bandwagon should take a fresh look at this capability.” Meanwhile, mortgage providers lead the pack in lacking online or other e-bill presentment capabilities.