CIBC has become the first of the major Canadian banks to launch a check remote deposit capture service for smartphone and tablet users. The Toronto-based bank says its eDeposit service enables personal and small business customers to deposit checks to their CIBC account by taking a photo of the check with their mobile device.

CIBC said its 11 million customers now have the choice of depositing checks at its branches, its 3,500 ATMs or via smartphone.

CIBC customers access eDeposit via the CIBC mobile banking app, which is available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices and all 4.x Android smartphones and tablets. Customers need to endorse checks they want to deposit, and then scan both the front and back of the checks using eDeposit. After scanning their checks, CIBC said, customers must retain the paper checks for five days before destroying them.

According to CIBC, adding a mobile check deposit feature was the top request identified by clients.

In May 2012, CIBC partnered with Canadian mobile operator Rogers to enable CIBC credit cardholders to make NFC payments with Rogers smartphones. The service launched in Toronto on Nov. 2, 2012 — the partners billed it as the country's first NFC credit card payment — when the Canadian triathlete Simon Whitfield used a CIBC mobile payment app on a Rogers smartphone to make a purchase at a Tim Hortons.

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