LOS ANGELES -- Transactions specialist VeriSign is exploring the future of commerce with mobile banking as more transactions occur on the mobile phones.

The company is entering the mobile channel with an eye on the potential for mobile phones to increase security, an audience of mobile marketers was told at the Mobile Marketing Forum.

"If you think of your mobile device, next to your wallet and keys, it's always with you and the banking industry is looking toward this device to thwart identity theft," said John Mavraides, senior business manager at San Francisco-based VeriSign, at the Mobile Marketing Association-organized event.

Bank of America N.A. has partnered with VeriSign to enable mobile banking offerings and leverage the safety of its online platform. Using VeriSign's SafePass second authentication service, Bank of America will offer a two-factor authentication methodology that Verisign launched in 2005 for ATM and credit card customers.

Through SafePass, customers at the bank's Web site will be prompted to enter their mobile phone number in order to receive a one-time password that they must enter before accessing account information. The measure decreases the likelihood of hackers who may already have access to a user's personal information.

"Even though they can come in and mimic what you know, they won't have your mobile device," Mr. Mavraides said.

VeriSign has also partnered with J.P. Morgan Chase to allow its bank customers increased control over its accounts with tools such as mobile alerts and text commands. Users can text bal +, a nickname that the user defines to Chase's 24273 shortcode. It will return the customer's current account balance or text hist to receive the last five account transactions, Mr. Mavraides said.

VeriSign's intelligence and security enables transactions, protects data and delivers information across myriad protocols and devices. The company's layered security solutions serve consumers, brands and more than 900,000 Web servers worldwide.

The company also offers an integrated platform for provisioning and managing all types of two-factor authentication credentials.

"A big driver is enhanced security measures and real-time information," Mr. Mavraides said