FORT WAYNE – Picture this: You can now deposit a check just by sending front and back images to the bank.

If the idea sounds a little too sci-fi, Chase spokeswoman Nancy Norris assures us it’s not. It’s an extension of the same imaging technology banks have been using for years, she said.

When a customer walks into a branch with a check, the teller passes it through a computer that captures front and back images. Allowing customers to snap those photos with an iPhone and use Chase Quick Deposit to send the image merely eliminates the need for the account holder to drive or walk to the bank, she said.

The mobile app saves time and energy, making it environmentally friendly, Norris said.

“A lot of what we do with imaging,” she said, “is all about being green.”

Playing catch-up

Chase is the first major U.S. bank to offer the gee-whiz technology, but it’s far from being a world leader, according to Daniel Burrus, Milwaukee-based speaker, author and CEO of Visionary Apps.

Burrus, who describes himself as a technology futurist, said consumers in some countries pay parking meters and vending machines with smart phones.

Two years ago, Burrus was in Kenya and discovered he could pay someone $20 by accessing his bank account by smart phone.

The other person quickly received a text message from his own bank acknowledging the money had been received.

“Banking using smart phones is nothing new outside of this country,” Burrus said. “We like to think we’re the leaders in everything, but we’re not.”

One reason the U.S. lags in telecommunications is because we have multiple conflicting mobile phone technology standards, he said. Other countries have a single standard everyone builds to.

Burrus compared it to a home having four or five types of electrical sockets.

Consumers would have fewer choices if they were limited to buying cooking items that were compatible with the kitchen plugs, grooming items that fit the bathroom plugs and entertainment items that worked with the family room plugs.

So even though having more options might sound good, it fragments the market.

“It actually hurts innovation, and it hurts the customer,” Burrus said.

But some U.S. banks are forging ahead with developing more smart-phone banking options.

And considering that more than 25 percent of all mobile-phone users have smart phones, it’s not surprising, despite facing higher development costs than foreign companies, Burrus said.

In August 2009, USAA in San Antonio introduced the capability of making deposits via smart phones. The company’s customer base is mostly military members and their families.

But it might take some time before the technology is widely available.

Fifth Third, Wells Fargo and PNC banks, for example, offer mobile websites where customers can check account balances and transfer funds. But they don’t offer a deposit app similar to Chase’s.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo bases its mobile banking strategy on customer requests, spokeswoman Staci Schiller said.

She declined to speculate on whether a deposit app could be in the bank’s future.

Pittsburgh-based PNC doesn’t talk about technology before it officially unveils it, spokesman Fred Solomon said.

Spokesman Jonathan Sharp said Cincinnati-based Fifth Third is looking into a mobile app that would handle deposits.

“Fifth Third is always looking to improve the customer experience, whether that be through technology or service opportunities,” he said.

Making it safe

Chase introduced its free app only after company officials took the time to make sure it met their tough security standards, Norris said.

Customers have to enter a user ID and password to access accounts by smart phone, just as they would by computer.

As with any deposit, the account holder has to endorse the back of the check to make it official. The signature and the account numbers all must be clearly visible in the images taken and transmitted by the iPhone.

Depositors are encouraged to keep the paper check until it clears, but they don’t give it to the bank.

“We just don’t need the check,” Norris said. “The safeguards are the same as when you deposit a physical check at a bank branch.”

If a scammer tried to deposit the same check multiple times, for example, the check number would flag the bank that the images were of the same piece of paper.

“You can only do this with checks written to you, deposited to your account,” Norris said. “If you’re trying to pull a fast one, you’ll be caught very quickly.”

Chase customers can make as many mobile deposits as they like, but the bank limits the dollar amount to $1,000 per day per account and up to $3,000 per month per account. That’s in U.S. dollars only. Other currencies aren’t accepted by mobile deposit.

Chase set the dollar limits to steer customers to the most appropriate technology for their needs, Norris said. If someone is running a small business and depositing more than $3,000 a month, that person should talk to a banker about switching to a scanning device, she said.

The check must be drawn on a U.S. bank. Types of checks accepted include personal, business, U.S. Treasury, traveler’s checks and money orders. No deposit slip is necessary.

Deposits made before 9 p.m. Eastern are processed the same day. When those funds become available to the accountholder depends on the account type, Norris said.

Customers are showing interest.

“We had thousands of users within the first few days,” she said. “It was amazing.”

sslater@jg.net