Jack Henry supports TruStone Financial Credit Union through merger of scale

By Pavithra R

Jack Henry & Associates, a leading provider of technology solutions and payment processing services primarily for the financial services industry has announced that TruStone Financial Credit Union is leveraging its Symitar division’s open technologies to maintain a personal touch with members throughout its merger and beyond.

“It’s clear that Jack Henry considers feedback and strategic direction when innovating on behalf of their clients, which was an influencing factor for our decision to partner with them throughout the merger and into the future of our credit union. This merger was a huge milestone in the history of our credit union and we needed a partner who can support the needs of our business as well as our members with modern technology. We are confident in working with a partner who is proven to listen, value our business, and constantly innovate on our behalf,” said Dale Turner, president and CEO of TruStone.

“We’ve learned many lessons during Covid-19 about rapid adoption and use of digital services. Dynamic systems are table stakes – we need to be quick and responsive to a rapidly evolving digital landscape,” added Turner.

Previously operating as TruStone Financial Credit Union and Firefly Credit Union, the credit union merger integration was completed in March. The CU uses Symitar’s core as well as the Banno Digital Platform, inclusive of payments and other complementary features. Leveraging Jack Henry’s technology was a critical component in the transition. TruStone serves on Banno’s Customer Advisory Board and participates in pilot and beta testing.

Firefly was previously on a competitor’s core before the merger, but the newly merged credit union decided to continue its relationship with Jack Henry because of the efficiency gains and established infrastructure. TruStone was already leveraging the Banno Digital Platform; now that the merger is complete over 100,000 members benefit from this digital experience. Members can experience better feature functionality such as live, secure human chats and faster speeds, including the app-launch-to-transaction view of 1-2 seconds, as well as human-centered digital banking experiences, but will have direct and open access to popular third-party applications.

“Mergers can be challenging regardless of the circumstance, and this merger was the largest of its kind in credit union history. We’re honored that TruStone and Firefly trusted our decades of experience to make the transition as seamless as possible. This time is often when partnerships are re-evaluated, but for us, it’s a true testament to the strength of our relationships and the value our technology brings to both the institution and its members. We look forward to growing our relationship with TruStone and continuing to support their journey,” said Shanon McLachlan, vice president of Jack Henry & Associates and president of Symitar.