First Internet Bank Retains High Ranking In Independent Scoreboard

Company Ranked Highest Among Internet-Only Banks, #2 Overall
First Internet Bank of Indiana (https://www.firstib.com/) continues to be recognized as one of the best banks on the Internet by Gomez, Inc., the Internet quality measurement firm.

First IB, the first state-chartered, FDIC-insured institution to operate solely via the Internet, garnered a second-place overall ranking behind banking giant Citibank and ahead of Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Bank One Corporation in the Gomez Fall 2001 Internet Banks Scorecard(tm). Equally significant, the study rated First IB as the top Internet-only bank for the second consecutive scorecard.

“Being selected as the top-rated Internet-only bank and being recognized for providing top-notch online services when compared with all banks’ online presence provides further validation that we’re delivering the products and services people want and need,” said David B. Becker, Chairman and CEO of First Internet Bank. “With our wide range of products and highly effective services, we are poised to continue to be the online bank of choice for the rapidly growing population of people banking online.”

According to Gomez, there are already 13.6 million active web bankers in the United States, up from 6.1 million at year-end 1999. Another 16.3 million prospective active web bankers are poised to fuel further growth in consumer adoption.

In the Fall 2001 study, First IB for the second time captured the top ranking in the Relationship Services category. The company also raised its standing to second place for Ease of Use and third place for Overall Cost.

In the review of First IB that accompanies the survey, Gomez pointed to First IB’s ability to enable customers to: pay bills quarterly; set up automatic transfers in advance; view outstanding balances when a transfer is made; and access accounts via wireless devices. The review also pointed to First IB’s profitability, highlighting that as a “rare position among Internet-only institutions.”

Gomez Scorecards measure the quality of e-commerce offerings through an algorithmic and data-driven process that produces objective, consistent and reproducible results. The Fall 2001 Internet Banking Scorecard evaluated 30 Internet-only and hybrid Internet and brick-and-mortar financial institutions. Rankings reflect a set of a minimum of 150 criteria assembled during a rigorous data collection process that involves visiting sites, opening accounts, transacting, contacting customer service, and monitoring site performance throughout the day.

First Internet Bank of Indiana is the first state-chartered, FDIC-insured institution to operate solely via the Internet. First IB has customers around the country and more than $235 million in assets. Services include interest-bearing checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs, IRAs, credit cards, and check cards that can be used instead of cash or checks. First IB also offers personal lines of credit, installment loans, unique real-time transfers between accounts, and the ability to display checking, savings and loan information on a single screen.

Gomez and Gomez Internet Banks Scorecard are trademarks of Gomez, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks and brand names are the property of their respective owners.