Latest news
Piedmont Advantage Credit Union members have officially approved the proposed merger with Truliant Federal Credit Union, with the legal combination set for Sept. 1, 2026. The combined organization, led by Truliant President and CEO Todd Hall, will serve more than 355,000 members across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, operating over 40 locations under the Truliant name. Piedmont Advantage will temporarily operate as a division of Truliant while full integration is targeted for the end of Q1 2027. Members will gain access to a larger branch network and expanded services.
BlastPoint's Banking Scorecard, refreshed with second-quarter 2026 FDIC call report data on all 4,221 active U.S. banks, reveals a sharp divergence: while industry profits rose 12 percent and aggregate asset-quality ratios improved, credit quality slipped at nearly half of institutions. The noncurrent-loan rate rose year-over-year at 2,036 of 4,213 banks (48 percent), and the median bank's noncurrent rate climbed from 0.40 percent to 0.46 percent. Half the industry holds a smaller share of noninterest-bearing deposits than a year ago. Banks with $100M-$1B in assets run a typical net interest margin of 3.99 percent, 1.05 points above banks over $250B, yet typical return on assets is nearly flat across size groups above $100M. Loan growth was broad-based, up 1.8 percent from the prior quarter and 6.8 percent year-over-year, with domestic deposits growing for the eighth consecutive quarter. The free scorecard scores every FDIC-insured bank against peer groups by asset size, state, and nation.
KreditIQ, Inc. has become an associate member and preferred solutions partner of the Independent Bankers Association of New York State (IBANYS). The partnership aims to help community banks reduce commercial loan decision time by approximately 75% using KreditIQ's agentic AI underwriting platform, which keeps credit policy, fair lending, model risk, and audit controls institution-owned. The platform integrates with core and origination systems such as Fiserv, Jack Henry, FIS, nCino, and Plaid. IBANYS member banks can request a scoped assessment. The announcement cites a $875 billion commercial real estate maturity cycle over the next four years and typical 30-45 day intake-to-decision timelines at community banks.
Narmi, a digital banking platform for banks and credit unions, announced a partnership with GrailPay, a risk and data network for bank payments. The integration brings a real-time payment check into Narmi's platform, powered by GrailPay's technology, to verify whether a linked account is real, active, and belongs to the person using it before a transaction occurs. This aims to reduce payment failures and fraud losses while allowing institutions to move money faster. The bank or credit union retains full control over its approval process, and the customer experience remains unchanged. The check covers same-day ACH, RTP, wires, and FedNow.
ServiceLink's 2026 Loan Officer Report, based on surveys of over 500 loan officers and 1,500 recent homebuyers, uncovers a disconnect between borrower expectations and industry perceptions. While 82% of borrowers would be swayed by virtual closing options and 87% would switch lenders for self-scheduling convenience, 45% of loan officers cite lack of borrower interest as a barrier to offering more digital closings. The report also reveals fee education gaps: 53% of borrowers believe they fully understand application and document fees, but only 39% of loan officers agree. Originators are advised to focus on innovation and education to meet borrower needs.
Narmi announced that Valley Isle Community FCU, a $170 million credit union based in Maui, Hawaii, has selected Narmi One, including consumer and business digital banking, account opening, and lending solutions, to modernize its member experience. The credit union, which serves members through three branches, will use Narmi One to offer a connected experience from account opening through everyday banking and lending, and to manage its digital offering on a single platform. Valley Isle Community FCU is Narmi's first customer in Hawaii and the latest Corelation credit union to choose Narmi One and Narmi Lend.
Narmi announced the launch of Digital ID Prefill, a capability that lets eligible consumers securely populate account applications using information from a digital ID stored in Google Wallet. Built on Google Wallet's digital credentials infrastructure, Narmi is the first U.S. digital banking platform to bring Google Wallet digital ID prefill directly into consumer account opening. On supported Android devices, applicants can select 'Autofill from ID,' review the requested information, consent to share it from Google Wallet, and populate personal details such as name, date of birth, and address without manual entry. The feature is available through Narmi Consumer Grow in an increasing number of jurisdictions.
Credit Union 1 CEO Mark Burgess explains how the Anchorage-based credit union serves Alaska’s ‘banking tundras’—areas lacking financial services. With 39 banking deserts and 20 potential deserts, covering 25% of the state’s population, the credit union uses interactive teller machines, remote loan officers, and technology workarounds to reach remote communities. Burgess highlights the high costs of communication infrastructure, the need for tailored products like auto loans, and the importance of local presence. Credit Union 1 opened three branches in 2025 and plans more, including Homer in summer 2026.
Narmi released usage data and initial performance results for its AI DecisionAssist account opening solution, showing record adoption and an 83% reduction in the time to decide on the slowest account opening applications. In the first six weeks, at six financial institutions, 90% of decisions now finish within three days, compared to as long as a month before. The median decision time was nearly halved from about 8.5 hours to 4.4 hours, and hands-on review time dropped to under 2 minutes from 8 to 12 minutes per application. Sixteen financial institutions have gone live since the late August launch, the fastest adoption of any Narmi product, with review volume growing 51% in a single week.
Narmi announced that Clearway Federal Credit Union, based in Malvern, Arkansas, has selected Narmi One for consumer digital banking and consumer account opening. The credit union aims to use digital innovation to connect with the next generation of members, strengthen the member experience, and position itself for growth. Narmi One integrates with Fiserv Portico, Clearway's core provider, allowing member and account data to flow between systems without disrupting operations. Clearway President and CEO Tammy Passafiume called the partnership an intentional investment in members' future, while Narmi Co-Founder Nikhil Lakhanpal said the platform keeps pace as members' needs evolve. The selection reflects a broader shift among credit unions to invest in digital experiences that attract younger members.