LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

We wrapped up our 15 year anniversary in August and now begin looking ahead to the next 15 years.  We wonder what will the world of banking and technology look like in the year 2026.  I wish I had that crystal ball or vision like our recently departed Steve Jobs seemed to possess, may he rest in peace. No doubt, we will likely be looking back at our current smart phones, laptops and social media and other apps in 15 years as though they are ancient relics, much like we view fax machines and typewriters today. I have no idea how smart phones can get any smarter or smaller or how we can advance more than we already have, but no doubt they will.   I am certain though that the existing technologies will only get faster, more accessible and likely more affordable over time. Think back on how technology has changed how you run your bank and serve your customer?  More importantly, how will it change in the future? At Suntell, we will continue to evolve the Square 1 Credit Suite® to meet your needs and those of regulators.

 

Back to the Future

When we first started Suntell in 1996, email, Internet and networked computers were just coming of age. In that same year we developed the Loan Management System or LMS as the cornerstone of our current Square 1 Credit Suite® with the belief that commercial lending was inefficient and inconsistent in community financial institutions. While the world has made leaps and bounds in technology in the last 15 years and most financial institutions now have networked computers, Internet access and mobile banking etc., the vast majority of community institutions have not advanced their commercial lending underwriting and back office support into a single seamless workflow system and approach. Commercial lending, the primary breadwinner and bottom line contributor, has been placed on the low end of the totem pole to suffer redundancy, errors and lack of solid analytics with data scattered all over the bank in different systems. There are always reasons for this given the many competing internal technology needs within a financial institution, however given the market pressures on net interest margins and the regulatory pressure for more consistent and in depth analysis of a commercial credits and loan portfolios...is this an area that can be overlooked much longer?

 

The Present

If you are already a Suntell customer using the Square 1 Credit Suite®, then you already know the benefit of an integrated commercial lending and document management workflow solution. Are you taking full advantage of all that is has to offer? If not, call one of our trained implementation specialists and let us help you develop a plan to more fully utilize the system to meet your needs. Do you know a fellow banker that could use the Square 1 Credit Suite®?  Then make a referral and make some money for your financial institution in the process through our customer referral program. Suntell will continue to grow with your help.

 

Our Beliefs

In the last 15 years we have also discovered many things and have developed a culture and belief system different than most of our competitors. To align ourselves with community financial institutions, we purposely do not pursue large regional or national banks. We prefer to stay small and nimble with superior customer service and implementation. We believe that community financial institutions have a right to quality, affordable commercial lending and workflow solutions to compete with their larger financial competitors.

 

The Drum Beats On....

We realize that community institutions have many opportunities to spend money on technology; however, the majority of community financial institutions involved in commercial lending continue to operate at pre-1996 processes for underwriting and portfolio credit risk management. I will continue to promote and beat the drum for anyone that listens that good earnings starts with good credit risk and portfolio management performed efficiently. Most institutions that failed since the 2008 economic crash are related to breakdowns in credit risk and portfolio risk management. Please help us get the word out about Suntell and the Square 1 Credit Suite®.

 

Thank you for your business and loyal patronage.

Duane Lankard

CEO