“Our vendors are finding pricing levels where small institutionscan play,” said Daniel Simon, a regional sales manager with SanDiego, Calif.-based Mitek Systems, owner of a variety of key mobileRDC patents. The Mitek business strategy is to sell throughpartners, which include Brookfield, Wis.-based Fiserv, Henderson,Nev.-based BluePoint Solutions and Monett, Mo.-based Jack Henry.And, suggested Simon, several of its partners have beenaggressively pursuing deals with institutions that might not haveshown up on their radar a year ago. Now, however, as Mitek seeks tobroaden its footprint, the chase is on for more institutions andthat is shining a spotlight on credit unions with assets below $500million and often well below.

At Vertifi, the Burlington, Mass., CUSO operated by corporatecredit union Eascorp., Alan Bernstein, president of the CUSO,indicated that they, too, can claim successful mobile RDCinstallations in smaller credit unions. More proof that thefinancial barriers to entry seem to be eroding.

One case in point is the $108 million Torrance Community CreditUnion, which is based in the Los Angeles suburb. The 7,000-memberinstitution has had mobile RDC since January 2010, said its CEOSteve Stoppel, and that made it one of the country’s first creditunions of any size with mobile RDC.