How banks and credit unions are responding to the need for technology

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Banks are keenly aware of the need to invest in the latest technology, whether to combat the increasing sophistication of fraud or to streamline the customer experience in the account opening process. At the same time, finding talented tech workers to fill the numerous open positions in the industry remains a challenge.

Read more about these issues and other tech news in our roundup.

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Banks use AI to play cat and mouse with fraudsters

Investment in artificial intelligence and machine learning to combat fraud is nothing new, but with online fraud becoming more sophisticated, banks are putting more resources into AI tools to stay ahead.  

"AI promises to keep the scammers working hard and forcing them to innovate, while the AI technology developed for financial institutions is becoming smarter, faster and cheaper," said Mike Sekits, managing director of Btech Consortium, an investor in technology for community banks.

With the overall cost of fraud on the rise, banks are keen to take advantage of the latest advances in AI and ML, as well as improvements in basic tech, such as faster computer chips and better connections via the cloud. 

Read more: AI has taken over imaginations. It's also taking over fraud.
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Bridging the tech talent gap via recruitment and training

The dearth of tech talent in the banking industry means that training existing tech employees is fast becoming as important as recruiting them as a way to bridge the gap and build a skilled tech team.

"The more that we're adding the talent, the more that we're developing the talent that we already have, that creates a workforce that wants to work with strong talent, and expects to work with strong talent," said Jason Strle, CIO and head of enterprise functions technology at Wells Fargo.

With hundreds of open tech roles across the industry, this combination of training and recruitment may be the most effective way for banks to gain the in-house tech knowledge and experience they need.   

Read more: Wells Fargo, Truist turn to upskilling to gain cloud, programming expertise
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Lack of tech investment stunts growth for small credit unions

Offering low rates with great service and being part of the local community have enabled smaller credit unions to rival their larger peers, but the inability to compete on technology investment is costing them members.

While larger credit unions have the resources to invest in the latest tech to give members the customer experiences they desire, such as streamlined new account opening and loan origination, small credit unions are unable to do the same.

And it may get worse for small credit unions. "We'll likely see greater dichotomy between the haves and have-nots, unfortunately," said Vincent Hui, managing director at Cornerstone Advisors.  

Read more: 'Mom and pop' credit unions are losing the tech race — and members
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Account opening revamp bears fruit for Alliant

The days of software patches and quick-fix updates to its account opening process are over for Alliant Credit Union following a successful partnership with fintech MANTL.

Recognizing the need to streamline the member's onboarding experience with a "true modernization," Alliant worked with the fintech to develop and roll out MANTL for Credit Unions, a new automated process for opening an account for consumers and businesses.

Alliant is already seeing the benefits of the switch, with new members requiring less time to open an account and more of them funding their accounts immediately on signing up.   

Read more: Digital-only Alliant Credit Union overhauls account-opening
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MDIs push to upgrade technology, despite obstacles

The minority depository institutions that make up the National Bankers Association are keen to upgrade their technology capabilities, but are being held back by a number of factors.

Chief among them, according to NBA president and CEO Nicole Elam, are cost, the in-house capacity to address tech issues, core integration and change management.

Undeterred by such difficulties, MDIs are pursuing a variety of initiatives and implementing new solutions to help them to compete more effectively with their larger rivals. 

Read more: The tech challenges facing minority banks and how they can solve them
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