Unlike American Express, Bank of America seems to have pretty decent account claiming, user id and password requirements. Additionally, BofA allows account holders to set up SMS alerts on various types of account activity.
The login process can be tied to SafePass® SMS based authentication. To complete the login process, BofA sends a six digit code to your cell phone. The code and your normal password are both required for access to your on line account.
Additionally, BofA automatically uses the SMS based SafePass® for changes to the account, including alerts, e-mail address changes, account claiming etc. You also can set up your account to send SMS alerts on significant account activity and any/all changes to account profiles, including on line charges, charges greater than a specific amount and international charges.
The user id and passwords are also allowed to be significantly more complex than American Express, allowing more than 8 characters and permitting various non-alphanumeric characters.
Your Online ID:
- Must be 6 to 32 characters.
- Can also contain these characters: @ # % * ( ) + = { } / ? ~ ; , . – _
- Can contain all letters, otherwise must be a combination of 2 character types (Alpha, numeric & special)
- Cannot contain spaces.
- Cannot be the same or contain your Social Security number or Check Card number.
Your Passcode:
- Must be between 8 - 20 characters
- Must include at least 1 number and 1 letter
- Can include uppercase and lowercase letters
- Can contain the following characters: @ # % * ( ) + = { } /\ ? ~ ; : " ' , . - _ |
- Cannot contain any spaces Cannot contain the following characters: $ < > & ^ ! [ ]
- Cannot be the same as your Online ID
These features, plus the availability of merchant specific temporary credit card numbers (ShopSafe®) makes the banking experience appear to be much closer to what one would think was needed for 21st century banking.
