The recent boom in internet banking has been greatest for people aged over 55, a report suggests, with 3.6 million of them banking online last year.
The Association of Payment Clearing Services (Apacs) said between 2001 and 2006 the number of internet bank users in this age group rose by 350%.
This compared to a 175% rise in the total number of adults banking online.
That means 17 million adults in the UK banked online last year, compared with 6.2 million in 2001.
'Easy to use'
"While younger people continue to make up the majority of online banking users, the greatest proportion of new internet bankers are the over 55s," said Sandra Quinn, from Apacs.
"As a group they have come to embrace the ease and efficiency that online banking offers," she added.
However the growth of telephone banking has slowed down, Apacs noted.
Last December telephone bank customers were outstripped by their online counterparts for the first time, with nearly 16 million adults now doing some of their banking via the phone.
"Our research shows that more and more people are turning to the internet rather than the phone to manage their finances," Sandra Quinn said.
The age group among whom online bank users are most numerous is now 35-44 year olds.
Last year 4.2 million of them had an account of this sort, closely followed by 25-34 year olds, 4.1 million of whom banked online.
Technology News by BBC News
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