With the nation's top banks facing a historic backlash fromconsumers frustrated over the deluge of new fees and accountchanges, there has never been a better time for credit unions toattract new members.

Whether it's free checking and savings accounts, or morepersonalized and competitive offerings for mortgages, automotiveand retail lending, 2012 will provide credit unions with manyopportunities to expand their business.

However, these opportunities could pass many credit unions bybecause new members will expect credit unions to provide the sameonline and self-service conveniences they've grown accustomed towhen working with larger banks.

To compete, credit unions need to take a close look at theircurrent technology infrastructures and evaluate how they canquickly and efficiently make improvements and fill in any gaps.

Most credit unions' core systems provide some online bankingfront-end applications. Some credit unions also have onlineapplications for automated lending and loan processing.

Yet, surprisingly we've found that many applications used bycredit unions are missing fundamental components that coulddrastically improve operations while providing improved support andservices to members.

Credit unions should evaluate their technology stacks to see ifthey have the right foundational technology elements to meet theneeds of their potential new members in 2012. Here are three areasto examine closely:

1. Seamless Member Experience: Do yourapplications talk to one another and provide members a seamlesslyintegrated view of all their accounts, activities and preferences?Members are more comfortable when an online experience isconsistent regardless of whether they are browsing services,applying for loans, or managing their accounts. The credit union'sdifferentiating mantra of doing what's right for the member appliesequally to the online channel. This places a burden on the creditunion to integrate not only the look and feel of online systems,but also back-end systems. Behind the scenes, important enablingtechnologies range from single sign-on access across applicationsto Web services that cost effectively connect multiple systems
2. Advanced Business Intelligence: This is thetechnology that does the analysis that can tell management, “who'sbuying what and where.” This is how credit unions can understandwhat's happening across different online systems and offlinechannels to determine how to best reach and market to members.Business intelligence is crucial to making sure you're effectivelyserving the preferences of your new members.
3. Online Authentication and Electronic SignatureServices: Verifying that a new member applicant is “who hesays he is” is a critical component to your account openingprocess. New authentication services from the leading creditbureaus are helping credit unions solve the identity challengeonline, on the phone and in the branch – all with products that usesecure information to authenticate the identity of new members.Electronic signatures can be combined with authentication servicesto help members authorize changes without having to visit a branchin-person. These capabilities help provide a win-win for creditunions and their members. They allow members to conduct businesswhen and where they want, while helping to enable cost-effectiveself-service.

When it comes to making the most of the new member acquisitionopportunity in 2012, the window is wide open for credit unions.Taking stock and making sure the right technology is in place cansignificantly improve how credit unions attract and serve their newmembers next year and beyond.

AndrewMontz is San Antonio and public sector general manager forCatapult Systems of Austin, Texas.