Among consumers, online banking has assumed a deep primacy, according to new Bank Innovation Monitor data released today.

Certain online banking functions have become widely embraced by consumers. In fact, some online banking functions are used by nearly all retail banking consumers. If you walk into a bank branch and wonder where all the consumers are, the answer is likely to be at the bank’s online portal.

The third quarter Bank Innovation Monitor that we make public today found evidence of a deep-seeded embrace of three online banking applications, in particular: “check account balance,” “pay bills,” and “transfer funds between accounts.” Each of these services show awareness of at least 77%.

Only 3.8% of Americans over the age of 18 are not aware of online banking. However, it is not just that the vast majority of consumers are aware of online banking or using many online banking functions; consumers “love” online banking, the Monitor found. Consumers have not historically “loved” anything their bank offers. Which online banking service is most “loved” by consumers? That would be online bill pay, the stickiest and most-killer of all banking features.

Despite this widespread acceptance of online banking, there is evidence that adoption has plateaued. Certain online banking tools, most notably “check account balance,” appear unlikely to find more users beyond the 84.9% of Americans over 18 years of age who have ever used the tool, according to Monitor data. Where there is room for greater adoption is for such tools as text or email alerts and those that are related to payments, such as online currency.

At one point, the branch was where banks “touched” their customers. Not anymore. That touch point comes at the bank online portal. On average, consumers are visiting online banking portals nearly three times a week. In fact, 15.3% of consumers aware of the ability to check an account balance online (the vast majority of consumers) do so once a day “or more.” Was there ever a time when consumers interacted with their banks more than once a day?

Some other highlights related to online banking from the Q3 Monitor:

• Of all alternative banking sites, like social media sites, banks’ Facebook pages are the most likely to be visited by consumers;
• While only 11% of consumers have ever visited a personal financial management site, like Mint or Yodlee, 20% said they were interested in doing so;
• Among all the tiers of household income, we see the most change in terms of awareness and usage of online banking among those consumers earning $20,000 to $39,999 per annum; and
• Awareness of online currency spiked higher in Q3 among consumers aged 18 to 30 years old. The spike implies that usage of online currencies, like Facebook Credits, could jump notably in upcoming quarters.