Andera said its client list includes credit unions and top-10 banks and represent a total of nearly $450 billion in assets.

CRI Systems to Beta Test Solutions

ELKRIDGE, Md. — CRI Systems said it plans to soon start beta testing at credit union clients a new software platform the company is currently developing.

The provider of the CRIterion and Interlend workflow and loan origination solutions to about 250 credit unions said it recently held focus group sessions in Maryland and North Carolina to help guide the development of the new platform.

The new platform will be designed to significantly increase fee income for credit unions, further automate the lending process and provide staff with innovative tools to help deliver products to members, the company said.

"Credit unions are constantly searching for ways to grow revenue and operate more efficiently. Our job is to fully understand the needs of credit unions and work in partnership with them to maximize these goals with our growing technology solutions," said Brooke Strohman, president of CRI Systems (www.crisystems.net).

The April sessions allowed credit union clients to evaluate screen layouts, workflow, product quoting concepts and performance tracking. The first CRIterion snap-in component will go into beta testing at credit unions by the fourth quarter of this year, the company said.

FIS Offers Three-Way Mobile Banking

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fidelity National Information Service Inc. is now offering a mobile banking suite that offers all three interface modes of delivery.

The combination of SMS/text, mobile Web and downloadable applications allows financial institutions to target segments of their market with the appropriate solution, the company said.

FIS partnered with ClairMail Inc. of Novato, Calif., and mFoundry of Sausalito, Calif., to create the offering.

ClairMail and mFoundry already had been integrating ClairMail's two-way mobile banking and payments platform and SMS/text and mobile Web solutions with mFoundry's downloadable Spotlight application, the companies said.

"When deciding among mobile banking and payments solution providers, we selected ClairMail given their unique, best-of-breed capabilities, including two-way functionality across all three mobile user interfaces and their innovative Event Engine," said Anthony Jabbour, executive vice president for FIS Core Processing and eBanking.

"Our previously announced alliance with mFoundry for mobile banking and payments via an advanced downloadable application rounds out the triple-mode solution, which will provide all of our clients, regardless of size, with an affordable, state-of-the-art mobile solution," Jabbour said.

FIS is the only core processing vendor currently offering a mobile banking solution in all three modes, according to Virginia Garcia, research director at TowerGroup.

"Core processing vendors are uniquely positioned to drive best-in-class mobile banking solutions because of the role they play as technology integrators and ecosystem conductors," Garcia said.

Jacksonville-based FIS (www.fidelityinfoservices.com) provides core technology services to more than 9,000 financial institutions, including credit unions, in 80 countries, the company said.

Department

FCU Buys

Capture

Solution

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — State Department Federal Credit Union plans to deploy a new Web merchant capture solution from VSoft Corp., the company and credit union said.

The Agile Merchant solution will allow the $880 million credit union's business members to electronically submit check images. The 66,000-member CU plans to first roll out the solution to organizational accounts across the United States and then to State Department facilities globally, saving time and international courier fees associated with paper processing.

State Department FCU (www.sdfcu.org) serves more than 250 embassies and has more than 100 organizational accounts at schools, commissaries and recreation associations across the country.

"The demand for merchant capture services arose predominantly from our overseas members," said Charlie Roberts, the CU's chief information officer. "Using the VSoft system, we can now offer immediate deposit to all of our international members, and by eliminating international courier expenses, we have drastically cuts costs."

The new solution will make funds available more quickly and allow business members to consolidate deposits, according to Atlanta-based VSoft (www.vsoftcorp.com), a provider of image-based exchange and processing technology to more than 1,700 financial institutions worldwide.

"Paper lag means added cost and lost float. This is accentuated for the large number checks from outside U.S. borders," said Vijay Balakrishnan, the company's chief operating officer.

"This deployment of remote capture on a global scale is an excellent example of the tangible benefits of straight-through image processing by shrinking the distance between capture and clearing," Balakrishnan said.

Symitar to Re-Sell

Encryption Appliance

MILPITAS, Calif. — Symitar will be a re-seller of a storage encryption appliance from nCipher, a British provider of identity management and data protection solutions.

The CryptoStor device intercepts backup/restore communications between hosts and tape libraries, centrally managing and fully off-loading tape media security functions, the company said.

The device already has been deployed at a number of credit unions, the company said, including $2.6 billion Lockheed FCU in Burbank, Calif.

"Our off-site media is now safe with this device," said Joe Gates, the credit union's data processing manager.

Compliance and security mandates require that credit unions encrypt sensitive information throughout the entire data lifecycle.

"nCipher's CryptoStor allows us to offer a risk management solution that delivers unprecedented security and superior key management capabilities all in one easy-to-deploy appliance that helps minimize potential business interruptions," said Kathy Hooker Burress, president of Symitar, a provider of core processing services to more than 600 credit unions.

Teres Client List Hits 1750

AUSTIN, Texas — More than 175 credit unions and other financial institutions are now using the direct and indirect lending automation solutions from Teres Solutions Inc., the company said.

The six-year-old company said four new credit unions who have signed on to use the SAIL platform are $1 billion ORNL FCU in Oak Ridge, Tenn., $421 million Insight Financial CU in Orlando, Fla., $177 million Gulf CU in Groves, Texas, and $140 million Heritage CU in Madison, Wis.

The company said it also now is managing approximately $58 billion in annual direct and indirect loan volume on the SAIL software.

The SAIL software supports multiple loan types — from home equity to motorcycle loans — and integrates with major credit union core systems such as Summit, Symitar, UltraData, USERS, IntegraSys, XP Systems and Open Solutions.

It also offers electronic integration with RouteOne, DealerTrack and CUDL finance platforms for automobile dealerships;

"By listening closely to our customers' changing needs, our SAIL family of products has continued to stay one step ahead of lending market demands," said Tim Kelly, CEO of Teres Solutions (www.teressolutions.com) in Austin.

–[email protected]