Mobile banking gaining steady acceptance among U.S. consumers.

• Position: MARKETING NEWS

MOBILE BANKING and the use of mobile devices such as cell phones, smartphones, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) for financial transactions and payments are increasingly gaining acceptance among U.S. consumers, according to results of a survey recently conducted by KPMG LLP.

The results of the company's fourth annual Global Consumers and Convergence survey show that 19 percent of U.S. consumers have conducted banking transactions on a mobile device, compared to only 9 percent during the last survey done 18 months ago. More than 5,600 people in 22 countries worldwide participated in the survey, which examines trends in the use of mobile technology.

Among age groups, U.S. consumers age 16-24 conducted mobile banking the most often, with 33 percent of the respondents in this bracket indicating they have conducted banking on a mobile device. Among all U.S. respondents who have not conducted banking through a mobile device, 52 percent cited security and privacy as the primary reason.

"To continue to spur adoption, banks may need to continue to educate consumers about the security of the mobile banking environment...