The modern American banking industry has continued to evolve since the Civil War more than a century and a half ago. A survey of history reveals four periods in which the evolutionary forces in banking accelerated, each marking the start of a new era, starting with the Civil War, followed by the Great Depression, the twin energy and inflationary crises, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Rennie, Chief Digital Officer at Cynergy Bank, knew it was time for the bank to undergo a digital transformation before the COVID-19 pandemic became an influence. He identified the need to replace outdated technology to accommodate changing customer expectations, increase efficiencies and accelerate growth within the competitive financial services industry. He also wanted a product that would allow the bank to pivot quickly when necessary and offer new products and services to its borrowers.

American AgCredit is a proud member of the U.S. Farm Credit System, both founded in 1916. Today, the cooperative serves a diverse clientele of farmers, ranchers and rural customers across its network of 32 branches. American AgCredit offers loans, lines of credit, leasing and crop insurance products and serves capital market customers in all 50 states.Between 2015 and 2019, American AgCredit’s loan portfolio grew from $6.5 billion to $11 billion, reflecting a significant increase in transaction volume. The team at American AgCredit quickly realized that their current loan origination system was struggling to keep up with the volume. Dustin DeBusk, Head of Credit Management, said that the bank’s original loan origination system made entering information a challenge and did not integrate well with the bank’s other platforms.

Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) is one of the largest building societies in the UK and is headquartered in Bradford, England. Since 1864, YBS has focused on fostering relationships with its loyal customers through the concept of TCF – Treating Customer Fairly. For YBS, TCF means providing customers with transparency before, during and after the point of sale and ensuring that their products and services deliver what they promise.

Financial institutions worldwide have felt immense pressure from the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic in terms of supporting their clients amid financial uncertainty. COVID-19 and the subsequent shutdowns of many businesses have had an economic impact across the globe. As a result of the pandemic, 7.5 million small businesses in the U.S. are now in danger of closing permanently. Unemployment rates in 2020 hovered nearly three times the average of the year prior, and as of June 30th, 2020, 4.5 million homeowners faced forbearance.As the prospect of a quick V-shaped recovery receded in many countries, Accenture analysts anticipated higher job losses, limited economic growth and an environment in which many consumers and businesses will be unable to pay their debts, significantly affecting financial institutions even further.

Deploying an end-to-end commercial loan origination system (CLOS) is complex and provides many opportunities for missteps. Understanding the most common pitfalls that can happen during the implementation is the best way to steer clear of costly mistakes.

The decision to evaluate and implement a commercial loan origination system (CLOS) is a big one for a financial institution, giving it the opportunity to leapfrog the competition and truly transform its commercial lending processes for its borrowers and employees. Careful planning and execution are key components of every successful CLOS evaluation, selection and implementation.

Cloud adoption is now a necessity for financial institutions seeking enhanced services, requiring changes in work culture, system integration and regulatory compliance. As the financial landscape evolves into distinct segments, executing effective digital strategies is crucial for long-term success, positioning institutions to prosper in the new age of banking.

As consumers increasingly desire faster banking, more convenient access to their accounts and quicker decisions on their loan requests, financial institutions are hamstrung by a rising wave of financial regulations. Between new and existing regulatory requirements including Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL), customer disclosures and fair lending laws, to the mounting risks of default, fraud and cybersecurity, to the new challenges presented by the global health crisis brought on by COVID-19, financial institutions are stuck between two seemingly mutually exclusive and competing priorities: fast banking and better compliance. At nCino, however, we believe it’s possible for financial institutions to have it all. The key to striking this balance is that banks must be willing to approach their business differently.