The private clients of Canada-based Scotiabank can now view their investment portfolios through Scotia OnLine, a new internet banking platform that Scotia hopes will bring advisors closer to those they serve.

"Our clients have expressed interest in having the ability to view their portfolio positions quickly and easily and we are very excited to be able to offer them this service through Scotia OnLine," said Tuula Jalasjaa, managing director and head of investment distribution at the bank’s wealth management group.

"We believe that giving clients the power to keep themselves informed on how their portfolio is performing will strengthen the relationship with their portfolio manager," Ms Jalasjaa added.

Private clients who also have an investment account with Scotia Cassels, the banks asset management arm, will be able to view their details, as well as all the bank’s lending products and holdings, via the platform.

Currently, Scotia Cassels mails quarterly statements to clients and provides monthly statements upon request. This system is more environmentally-friendly, allowing clients to get updates when they want them without the need to mail large paper based statements.

"This is a stepping stone in continuously improving the ways in which we communicate with our clients," added Ms Jalasjaa. "This and future online integrations will allow us to cut down significantly on the number of mailings we make to clients and the amount of paper we use."

 The private client group serves affluent Canadians through experts approach in 13 centers across Canada.   With more than $513 billion in assets, as at 30 April 2009, Scotiabank trades on the Toronto and New York Exchange.