San Francisco-based Bank of the West has tripled account logins with the release of a significant update to its mobile app in early February, adding features to its existing iPhone app and introducing an iPad app and an Android app.

The update introduced key features such as mobile check deposit and bill pay.

The apps all received another, smaller update February 28.

Another major feature introduced with the updated app is Quick Balance, an opt-in feature that allows users to view account balances by just opening the app and swiping downward, rather than entering their username and password and navigating to account balances within the app.

Quick Balance resulted from Bank of the West looking at its mobile data and drawing a clear conclusion. “80% of users are going into the app to look at their balances,” said Matt Krogstad, VP of mobile banking and payments. [Krogstad will be presenting on mobile banking at our FinAi News 2013. See here.]

Quick Balance will save them the trouble. “5% of users have opted into Quick Balance with no marketing,” Krogstad added. “Three fourths of users check their balance at least once a day.” Marketing for the service will begin later this month after branch and call center personnel are trained to use the service.

The training method is straightforward: “We get them to use the service,” Krogstad deadpanned.

In the two weeks following the Feb. 10 update, the bank saw the number of regular app users increase by 50% and a three time-increase in account touches, a number that includes account views using Quick Balance.

Bank of the West is also working to integrate mobile into the branch experience, and to bring mobile to small business customers.

Bank of the West has 700 locations in 19 states. Its mobile app first launched in June 2011.

Learn more about mobile banking trends at our upcoming invitation-only FinAi News 2013. Click here to register or for more details.