BBVA Compass Introduces NBA-Branded Online Accounts

Kevin Durant and James Harden are new BBVA brand ambassadors


BBVA Compass launches NBA Banking, leveraging the bank’s recent core technology system upgrade and its sponsorship as the Official Bank of the NBA in the U.S. BBVA Compass has announced the introduction of its NBA-branded online account, NBA Banking, which leverages the bank’s digital platforms to expand beyond its geographic footprint and capitalizes on its role as the official bank of the NBA in the U.S. to reach fans and customers nationwide.

BBVA Compass also said it is signing two of the NBA’s biggest stars — All-Stars Kevin Durant and James Harden — to global, multiyear deals as brand ambassadors for the bank. Durant and Harden will be featured in themed advertising that will tip off during NBA All-Star 2013 in Houston and run through the end of the NBA season.

The NBA Checking and Savings accounts are the first products built on the bank’s new core technology system, which provides the integration required to support a wholly digital banking product.

“Consumers want the same convenience in banking they find in other industries, and that’s exactly what this new account offers: banking anywhere, anytime and using a device they choose,” said Manolo Sánchez, president and CEO of BBVA Compass. “But what truly sets it apart is that the experience is as much about the NBA as it is about banking"

NBA Banking accounts must be opened online and can be maintained online or with a smartphone using the bank’s mobile app, which allows eligible users to upload a photo of a check to make a deposit. Combined with access to the nationwide surcharge-free Allpoint® ATM network, NBA Banking allows customers to conduct almost any banking transaction without visiting a branch.

NBA Banking also lets fans display their favorite NBA team logo on the accompanying debit card, view game scores and headlines via the online account interface, and check schedules and scores via mobile devices. It also adds a layer of gamification, giving customers the chance to earn NBA merchandise by processing transactions online. For example, three qualifying online bill payments from an NBA Checking account within a 90-day period earn a $100 NBAstore.com electronic gift card.

“Sports is about passion, and this is a way to tap into that,” Sánchez said. “NBA Banking is more than just a way to bank. It’s a way for fans to show their team pride and love for the game.”

BBVA Compass and its parent company, BBVA, share a growing reputation as the Bank of Sports, identifying with sports that offer global appeal and highlight teamwork and fair play. BBVA Compass has been an official sponsor of the NBA since 2010, hosts college football’s BBVA Compass Bowl, and last year opened BBVA Compass Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo.

BBVA Compass announced the implementation of its new core technology system in November 2012, making the bank one of the largest U.S. banks in recent history to implement such a change. Streamlined processes created by the new technology are critical to the account’s multi-channel functionality.