Today's mobile banking world is all about performance, userexperience and interfaces. However, just as there isn't one mobilebanking user type, no single solution fits all credit unions.

So, what is the best way for credit unions to mobilize theirbanking? That depends.

“For us it's not so much about age or member segmentation as itis functionality and the ability to keep our members,” SteveErvolino, chief information officer for the $1.4billion Dupaco Community Credit Union, whose primarymember concentration centers around Dubuque, Iowa and eastern Iowa.About 20% of the credit union's members live outside a branchservice area.

“We want them to have their credit union in their pocket, andwe're constantly looking for ways to sustain membership over timeeven if they move away,” Ervolino said. “Obviously, the bulk ofDupaco's membership lives within a branch area, and mobile for themis all about convenience.”

In 2011, the credit union enlisted the help of FI-Mobile toexpand its mobile banking functionality and provide a brandedDupaco app. FI-Mobile (now part of Sync1 Systems, a CUSOlaunched in December out of Austin, Texas) provided an interfaceallowing the credit union to implement any mobile banking serviceinto a single, unified mobile banking app. Popular Dupaco featuresinclude mobile deposits, which are now up more than $1 million amonth.

“That exceeds the deposit traffic at three of our smallestbranches,” Ervolino noted. Recently, the credit union launched anoptimized picture pay/bill pay system.

“Sync1 Systems is an entirely new technology platformarchitected from the ground up to help credit unions succeed inthis new world,” Steve Maloney, CEO of Sync1 Systems, whichanticipates launching its integrated digital banking, mobile andloan origination platform for credit unions in the first half of2017, stated.

CHROME Federal Credit Union, a $137 million, 18,000-memberinstitution based in Canonsburg, Penn., started to adapt severalyears ago as its members turned toward digital.

Recently, CHROME selected the Miami Beach, Fla.-based NYMBUS'SmartCore to help the credit union realize its digital-firsttransformation with a secure online and mobile banking system,rapid digital onboarding, lending services and remote depositcapture.

“A critical pillar of our transformation is redesigning theholistic digital experience for our members,” CHROME President/CEOChristopher George said. “NYMBUS' core banking platform is yearsahead of the legacy vendors that have traditionally owned themarket.”

George explained the credit union is scheduled to transition toits new core by mid-2017. NYMBUS' SmartCore unifies all functionswithin one system and with a single data set. This allows CHROME toautomate and simplify workflows while modernizing its existingsoftware and hardware infrastructure. Additionally, SmartCoreintegrates with CHROME's third-party partners such as Geezeo,MeridianLink, Zendesk, Payveris and PSCU.

“A big advantage NYMBUS' cloud-based platform has versus alegacy provider is that our digital solutions connect to our coreservices via an API. This enables the customization of the userexperience per financial institution,” David Mitchell, NYMBUS'president and chief revenue officer, said.

CHROME is looking to deliver a superior digital engagementexperience by utilizing HTML5, which allows for a more diverse andpowerful experience, as well as a responsive design that adapts tothe screen of any device. NYMBUS allows CHROME to meet thesegoals.

“A number of the cores are not responsive so they cannot be usedon all kinds of devices,” George said. “A lot of them are workingto get that fixed, but it is hard using architecture that wasn'tdesigned to do that.”

CHROME executives also expect the mobile experience to appeal totheir target market, “soccer moms,” who fall in the 35 to 65 agerange and are predominately female, as well as millennials andother mobile/online users.

Derik Sutton, co-founder and president of the Dallas-basedBecome Labs, which helps financial institutions build customexperiences, worked with CHROME as an advisor to design the creditunion's user interface and experience for its mobile platform andwebsite.

“We help design where the digital experience has to be movingforward, partner up with the technology providers and provide somelevel of support to deliver that,” Sutton said. “I don't thinkcredit unions are doing a good job with differentiating forspecific niches or markets in the digital channels at all.”

He added that most financial institutions just want a bank in abox. That results in taking a very generic set of tools tomarket.

“CHROME has a specific vision for how digital is going to fitits credit union model,” Sutton said.

Three credit unions – the $142 million, Jackson,Miss.-based Magnolia Federal Credit Union; the $90million, Savannah, Ga.-based Georgia Heritage FederalCredit Union and the $113 million, Hamden,Conn.-based Wepawaug-Flagg Federal Credit Union –selected the Detroit-based Bankjoy to navigate the tricky mobilelandscape. Bankjoy, founded in 2015 by two former credit union ITemployees, offers digital direction and solutions.

“Our goal is to provide a full omnichannel experience thatcredit unions can provide to their members,” Bankjoy CEO MichaelDuncan said.

Bankjoy also offers its REST-based banking API, which suppliesflexibility to customize technology based on needs and core system.Duncan explained it's an easier way to access functionality anddata from multiple systems including core, as well as third-partysystems such as bill pay, remote deposit capture, loan processingand account origination systems.

Magnolia previously used two other mobile vendors: One formobile banking and another for mobile deposits. Members had to signinto two different apps to complete routine transactions.

“We wanted a one-stop shop for our mobile app that had acompatible interface with its online banking counterpart. We wantedour members to have the same experience from their phone thatthey'd have if banking online,” Magnolia President/CEO MichaelWaylett said.

“By providing a fully-branded omnichannel experience that offerscrucial services like check deposits, loan applications, travelnotifications, financial goal management and lost/stolen cardblocking, Magnolia can continue to differentiate itself from thecompetition in its market,” Duncan stated.

Magnolia uses Symitar's Episys core system and is aiming for anearly 2017 launch for its new mobile/online system.

Because Georgia Heritage serves more than seven colleges inthree counties, its mobile capabilities must targetmillennials.

“Mobile optimization is important. You can go from a tablet to aphone to a regular PC, and the display doesn't change from onedevice to the next,” Tim Beeson, director of information technologyat Georgia Heritage, said.

Duncan said Bankjoy specializes in tailoring products to deliverthe clean user experience and interface that millennials seek.

“We've applied our millennial research to create digital bankingservices that produce the best brand experience for credit unionmembers,” he said.

Bankjoy also provides Georgia Heritage with most of its digitalaccess technology, including online and mobile banking, bill pay,e-statements, and electronic account and loan applications, whichBankjoy develops on its own or through other technologypartners.

“We're pretty agnostic when it comes to our vendorrelationships,” Duncan admitted.

Beeson explained, “They work well with third parties, and I wantto leverage those relationships. It means less vendor managementfor me.”

Bankjoy plans to develop Georgia Heritage's digital member andloan apps and directly integrate them to the Corelation core. Thecompany also partnered with Payveris to provide a customized billpay product for credit unions. In addition, Georgia Heritage willaccess Microsoft's Azure cloud service platform for data backupthrough Bankjoy and is beta testing the Detroit firm's voice userinterface.

Wepawaug-Flagg, which will utilize Bankjoy's mobile banking anddeposit services starting sometime this quarter, primarily servesteachers and municipal employees and has two colleges in itsmembership field. It runs on ShareOne's NewSolutions coresystem.

“Our membership needs to get younger, and they requireelectronic access. This positions us well for attracting andretaining the millennial generation,” Wepawaug-Flagg President/CEOMichael Hinchey said.

Some industry experts acknowledged the difficulties creditunions and technology vendors face.

“There has been a lot of talk around credit unions targetingmillennials, but how do they actually do that? Millennials are nota homogenous segment,” Steve Shaw, vice president, strategicmarketing for the Brookfield, Wis.-based Fiserv, observed. “We'reseeing a kind of targeting by lifestyle versus age or gender orthings like that.”

Sutton summed up the challenge: “Ultimately, the success ofcommunity financial institutions in the digital channel is going tobe dependent upon taking advantage of unique market niches.” n