National Bank of Canada showed the most improvement among Canada’s banks and credit unions when it comes to web sites, according to a report released today by Forrester Research.

While National didn’t take top spot in either the secure site or public site category, Forrester noted the bank’s improvements in both areas.

Forrester evaluated the web sites for the top seven Canadian banks and credit unions for the third year in a row. It examined both the secure online banking areas of their sites and the public areas, where potential customers can research credit card and checking accounts.

For secure sites, the Royal Bank of Canada topped the list. “For the second year in a row, RBC tops our rankings,” reads the report, authored by Brad Strothkamp. RBC scored 68 out of 100, up from 65 last year. “While RBC does not lead in any single category, it scores among the top three Canadian financial institutions in each of the categories under review.”

RBC narrowly beat out National, which improved greatly based on its addition of eStatement capabilities to its secure site, according to Forrester.

For public sites, CIBC took the top stop in the report’s ranking, beating TD Canada
Trust by a hair. “The CIBC web site’s strong presentation, along with a leading credit card site for shoppers, makes it a leader in Canada,” reads the report. CIBC scored 69, up slightly from 66 last year.

“Our focus is on ensuring that CIBC clients have a great online experience,” said Christina Kramer, executive vice-president of distribution services at CIBC. “We continue to invest in providing greater access and functionality to make it as easy as possible for our clients to find the right information to help them meet their needs.”

But again, it was National that showed the most improvement, with the partial redesign of its credit card pages. National Bank scored 53, up from 44 last year. “In particular, the redesign included an addition of a very nice comparison chart that segments credit cards by type, including reward, no annual fee, and gas credit cards,” Strothkamp wrote.

Overall, when it comes to the public sites, the research firm said self-service options are the main problem area. The report shows that many Canadian firms offer only the self-service basics, such as the ability to change addresses.

As well, the report concluded that Canadian firms need to improve their online application processes for both banking and credit cards. Desjardins, it noted, added a checking account application in 2007, which leaves the Bank of Montreal as the only evaluated bank without one.