Customization capabilities in small business banking are an essential tool that can differentiate leading firms in an increasingly competitive market. For entrepreneurs managing multiple accounts, complex workflows, and time-sensitive financial decisions, personalization features like account grouping, quick link customization, and privacy controls directly impact productivity and operational success.
In a recent Small Business Banking Monitor report, Corporate Insight analyzed customization capabilities across 11 firms to uncover how well these platforms support small business operational needs through authenticated desktop and iOS app experiences.
Platform disparities persist despite robust desktop features
Leading firms demonstrate the competitive advantage of comprehensive customization by offering extensive homepage tile management, account privacy controls, and cross-platform consistency. However, significant platform disparities persist across the coverage set, with many firms offering robust desktop customization while severely limiting mobile options, or vice versa. Currently, only 50% of firms offer desktop account display management, while just 25% provide relevant mobile functionality—creating operational friction for business owners who depend on both platforms throughout their workday.
U.S. Bank exemplifies this disconnect: the firm provides robust desktop homepage tile customization options—including the ability to hide account balances, condense tile information, group accounts by type, and reorder account display—but excludes these same capabilities from its mobile app. Similarly, Wells Fargo offers comprehensive account display management on desktop but limits mobile users to basic product filtering options.
Core customization features address fundamental business needs
Account display management forms the foundation of effective small business banking customization. The ability to group, reorder, and hide accounts allows business owners to organize their financial dashboard in ways that match their internal structures and processes. For entrepreneurs managing multiple entities or department-specific accounts, these features streamline account reviews and surface key information efficiently.
Wells Fargo leads in desktop account display management with a dedicated Customize view that allows users to reorganize accounts within firm-defined product type groups and hide categories or category balances—helping users streamline the homepage view and focus on key accounts. Chase excels on mobile, offering the ability to reorder accounts, permanently adjust the expansion of account tiles, and show/hide individual accounts, with convenient home screen access to frequently used features.
Privacy controls represent another critical customization need. The option to hide account balances proves invaluable during client meetings or presentations when business owners need to reference their banking app without revealing sensitive financial information. U.S. Bank’s desktop Customize Account List feature allows users to hide balances entirely, while Brex enables dynamic homepage updates with toggle switches for displaying or removing financial insight tiles. Yet many firms overlook this fundamental feature, forcing users to either avoid accessing their accounts in public settings or risk exposing confidential data.
Multilingual support and mobile optimization create competitive advantages
Cross-platform language switching between English and Spanish (offered by 50% of firms) serves diverse business communities and multilingual teams. Business owners frequently need to discuss banking details with Spanish-speaking customers, vendors, or employees, making seamless language switching an operational necessity.
Chase stands out by offering not only the ability to view the authenticated site and app in Spanish but also allowing users to choose the language customer service representatives use when speaking with them. Stripe leads in the number of languages supported with 16 different options plus a unique Auto-Detect feature—particularly important for businesses with international sales. Capital One ensures any language changes are automatically reflected across both desktop and mobile platforms, eliminating the need to update preferences separately on each device.
Mobile-specific features like widgets and app icon customization (available from only 33% of firms) enable quick access to key functions without requiring full app login. Capital One offers straightforward account balance widgets in multiple sizes, providing immediate visibility of available funds without navigating to the app or signing in. U.S. Bank, Bank of America, and PNC all provide Zelle quick link widgets that conveniently direct users to their peer-to-peer payment interfaces. As peer-to-peer platforms become more mainstream payment methods for small businesses, these widgets make client transactions more seamless.
Feature parity between platforms remains the ultimate goal
The most successful firms maintain consistent customization experiences across desktop and mobile platforms. Capital One exemplifies this approach by ensuring that account nicknames, display reordering, and language preferences sync automatically across devices. This consistency creates a familiar interface regardless of device choice, allowing business owners to maintain their preferred organizational structure throughout their workday—from managing detailed financial analysis on desktop during office hours to approving urgent payments on mobile between meetings.
Learn more about CI’s research in the small business banking space, and check out our Insights section for the latest trends in UX and digital across the financial services, insurance and healthcare industries.
Patterson Deppen
Patterson Deppen is an Analyst on CI's bank and cards team.