Community Services Credit Union

Company Background

Community Savings is the second largest Alberta-based credit union and sixth largest in Canada.  They offer a complete lins of banking products and services, including registered accounts, financing, investment and insurance.  These are delivered through the personalized service of their modern branch network and electronically through their extensive ATM, telephone and Internet channels.  As a member-owned financial institution with more than $2 billion in assets, Community Savings serves more than 110,000 individuals and businesses with 27 full service locations and 2 service outlets throughout Central and Southen Alberta.  They recently announced plans to enter the Calgary market.  Community Savgins employs 500 people.

Challenges and Business Requirements

The existing computer systems were obtained through a service bureau provider owned by a regional group of Credit Unions, including Community Savings (CS).  The group undertook a project to iidentify and evaluate new core banking and loans origination systems.  CS needed dynamic, scalable and responsive systems suited to their goals for corporate efficiency growth.  While looking at new systems within the group project, CS also considered whether the service bureau model approach could deliver the needed flexibility and rsponsiveness with respect to products, pricing and programs and also support continuous improvement in Customer Service.

This triggered a search for available stand-alone alternatives for both a Loan Origination System (LOS) and a Banking system.

Technical Considerations

• Web-enabled technology
• Electronic document and signature management
• Front to back integration of systems
• Anticipate integration of emerging wireless technologues

White Clarke's Selection and Mandate

Among the fifteen LOS alternatives that were identified and reviewed, the CALMS Solution, backedby White Clarke's reputation for delivering on their service commitments and being responsive to client needs, was confirmed by all references as by far the best.

The flexible, dynamic, user-friendly capabilities of the system meant that it would truly be an anabler to CS. On detailed review, White Clarke's CALMS was the alternative that:

• could be delivered to CS's timeline,
• would meet Canadian operating and regulatory requirements,
• would be easy-to-use, and
• would have the ability to be configured and re-configured as CS needed.

The CALMS implementation would entail integration with the new Banking system as well as numerous outside agencies.