Hoping to bolster protections against cybercrime, Downtown-based Dollar Bank is set to launch a new website today that switches from a “.com” to a “.bank” web domain, an address with enhanced security designed exclusively for the banking industry.

Customers who visit the old www.dollarbank.com site will be automatically redirected to the new www.dollar.bank site.

Roughly 2,600 financial institutions nationwide have applied for a “.bank” address since registration began nearly a year ago, according to the American Bankers Association. Dollar, with $7.4 billion in assets, is among the first roughly 160 banks in the country and the largest bank in the Pittsburgh region, to start using the new domain.

The new virtual real estate was formed by about two dozen banks, insurers and trade associations — including Dollar, Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank and the American Bankers Association — with the goal of beefing up security.

The insurance industry will use the “.insurance” domain.

Enhanced security measures include strict registration and verification requirements designed to thwart impostor sites.

Dollar’s new domain is being launched in conjunction with a redesigned website that includes faster navigation and the ability to personalize settings. The new site will be compatible with all digital screen sizes including smartphones and tablets.

Dollar previously had expected to convert to the .bank domain by the end of last year, but it took longer than expected to work out the kinks, spokesman Joe Smith said.

The redesigned website will be rolled out in phases, with all sections converting to the new format in the near future, the bank said.

PNC, the region’s biggest bank, has acquired a .bank address but currently has no plans to make the switch, a spokeswoman said.

Patricia Sabatini: PSabatini@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3066.

First Published: May 18, 2016, 4:00 a.m.