Online investment firm E*TRADE Group, Inc. is the latest addition to the growing list of Web sites offering users a free e-mail service.
E*TRADE said its Web-based “E*TRADE Mail” solution will feature encryption based on the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, spam-blocking technology, and quick attachment downloads. Premium features such as archiving, certified delivery and a unified message center are also available for a fee, according to E*TRADE.
The free e-mail solution is another offering aimed at making E*TRADE a personal financial communications center, according to Christos M. Cotsakos, President and CEO of E*TRADE.
“E*TRADE Mail will further empower the independent investors who use
E*TRADE’s destination site as ‘Mission Control’ to research and manage their
investments,” Cotsakos said. “With this free e-mail service, E*TRADE becomes
even more convenient as a one-stop home base for the empowered individual
investor.”
The online financial company is working with software firm Critical Path to provide the e-mail service.
E*TRADE joins many of the leading Web sites now offering free e-mail as a way to entice users into return visits. The major “portals” such as Yahoo!, Excite, and Lycos all offer free mail, along with the likes of CNN, Business Week, and
American Express.
Today’s launch follows yesterday’s announcement that E*TRADE signed a
master licensing agreement to provide investor services in Scandinavia.