Happy Friday!!!
 
Hopefully everyone enjoyed a GREAT holiday season (I know I did, and my bathroom scale confirms it 😬😅) – and welcome to 2026 🎉!!!  Here is the Uncle Sean Update for 1/9/26 (subscribe here for free):
 

• A virtual fist-bump 👊 to Fiserv for their Bankers Helping Bankers (BHB) sponsorship renewal!!!
  • “Fiserv is more than a sponsor—they’re a force for change in community banking,” said Matthew Smith, CEO of Bankers Helping Bankers. “Their continued support ensures BHB remains a place where bankers can discover what’s next, connect with fintechs, and chart a path to growth—at no cost to them.” 💥

 

• Some quick economic updates now that the data is rolling in post-government shutdown:
  • The BLS Dec Jobs Report showed little change and a mixed bag of results with only 50K jobs added (Dow Jones estimate was 73K; and Nov was downwardly revised by 8K to 56K) while unemployment fell to 4.4% (estimate was 4.5% and last month was 4.6%).  Annual wage growth of 3.8% continues to outpace inflation.
    • Prior revisions were once again material (see revision history) with Oct revised down by another 68K to -173K job losses.  CNBC has a good summary.
  • Coupled with strong 3Q GDP (BLS initial estimate) of 4.3%, this may give the FOMC plenty of “wait and see” ammunition in relation to future rate cuts.

 

• It’s official…  JPMorgan Chase has inked a deal to take over as Apple Card’s issuer replacing Goldman Sachs who has been looking to exit the Apple credit card portfolio for a couple of years.  The transition from GS to JPM is expected to take two years.  The $20B portfolio came with a discount of more than $1B (5%).

 

• And we’re off 🏇!!!!  We have our first announced CU acquisition of a bank this week with Zeal Credit Union (charter 62426; total assets $864M) to acquire The Miners State Bank (FDIC 10928; total assets $145M).
  • Worth noting that Zeal just recently completed (12/29/2025) their previous acquisition of Gogebic Range Bank, first announced 12/30/2024.

 

• PayPal announced the launch of their Transaction Graph Insights & Measurement program giving merchants a full view of consumer personalization / spend habits by connecting search, shop, and share signals across more than 430 million consumer accounts and tens of millions of merchants – allowing brands to “identify high-intent shoppers before they convert elsewhere.”
  • PYMNTS has a good summary article reminding us “this data play follows a partnership with generative AI search engine Perplexity last June.”

 

• Hopefully 🤞 some good news here for the principals of CBW Bank (FDIC 13959; total assets $65M) as the FDIC and CBW have reached a settlement (apologies for the Bloomberg paywall).  Details of the settlement have not been made available.  Case #25-3056 in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Here is the original notice of assessment of civil money penalty for $20.4M.

 

• Coming to America… Again…  Europe’s second largest neobank, bunq, has filed for a US de novo banking license with the OCC.
  • bunq had previously submitted applications with the OCC and FDIC in 2023, but withdrew them in January 2024, due to the complexity of the US regulatory process and regulatory differences between the OCC, FDIC and the Dutch authorities.

 

• De Novo Georgia Skyline Bank (closing in on their capital goal of $25M - $35M) is scheduled to open in Roswell, GA in late Feb or early March. 👏

 

• 👉 Core Bank (FDIC 34363; total assets $1.1B) has partnered with Kobalt Labs to enhance the banks TPRM and compliance at scale via Kobalt’s AI-driven solution as the bank leans into BaaS and embedded finance. 

 

• Fiserv (Nasdaq: FISV) partners with Wink to integrate Wink’s biometric face and palm identity-based payment technology to its Clover platform.

 

• Modulr (real-time payments hub) announced its launch in the US via partnership with FIS (NYSE: FIS) to bring next-gen payments technology to US financial institutions.

 

• Jack Henry (Nasdaq: JKHY) announced that Sanibel Captiva Community Bank (FDIC 57425; total assets $1B) has selected Jack Henry for its core processing platform.
  • Impressive as the incumbent processor has (er… “had”) a strategic position (same vendor for core, online, and mobile) – which is hard to break into from a vendor perspective.  For more info about this, reach out to our own Bobby Button here at FedFis to discuss our Fintegration Ecosystem© vendor tech stack for all banks and CUs in the US. 😊

 

• North Coast Credit Union (charter 66734; total assets $412M) is now live with Mahalo digital banking platform and reporting "substantial enhancements in member experience and internal workflows" since making this connection, enabled by "real-time account visibility, consistent data flow, and unified workflows".

 

• Digital Storefront has rebranded as Movemint.

 

• Wolf & Company, P.C. has acquired The Kafafian Group, Inc., further expanding Wolf’s bank and credit union advisory capabilities.  The Kafafian Group has provided consulting services (emphasis on strategic planning, performance measurement, and operations consulting) for over 500 financial institutions in 40+ states with asset sizes up to $100B. 🚀

 

• Some personnel moves:
  • Plaid picks up Jelena McWilliams as President of Corporate and External Affairs.
    • WOW!!!  🤔 Can’t help but wonder out loud if I’m the only one smelling a potential IPO here with this extremely high-profile hire???
  • ICI Consulting appoints Lance Tappa as Sr. Vice President, Partner Relations.
  • CSI welcomes back Shane Ferrell as Vice President of Product Management per this post on LinkedIn.
  • Marqeta (Nasdaq: MQ) named Patti Kangwankij as CFO effective Feb 9.
  • Panacea Financial (direct digital bank division of Primis Bank) strengthens its executive team with key hires in marketing, compliance, and medical education finance including Anna Khayet as Chief Marketing Officer, Robin Garrison as Chief Compliance Officer, and Tal Frank as Head of Student Financial Services.

 

• Notable FinTech funding for the week:
  • Rain (stablecoin payments infrastructure) raised $250M in Series C funding at a $1.95B valuation.
  • Onsetto (white-label AI-powered platform to help FI’s with commercial account switching) raised $2.2M in Seed funding round.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• 🏈 We are at the peak of football playoffs!
  • The NFL playoff schedule is set with wild-card games kicking off this weekend on the road to Super Bowl LX on Jan 25th.
  • The college football playoff picture is wrapping up after a thrilling semifinal game last night with Miami outlasting Ole Miss 31-27; and another exciting semifinal game this evening with Oregon and Indiana facing off to see who gets a shot at the National Championship game against Miami on Jan 19th.
• And they’re back!!!  Here are the Dad / Bad jokes for the week:
  • The doctor said I need to eat more greens, so I’m switching from French Vanilla to Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream! 😋
  • Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November.  All the rest have thirty-one, except for January which has about 100! 😒😂
  • I don’t know who needs to hear this, but your future doctor is using ChatGPT to pass med school… So you better start eating healthy!!!! 🤣
  • Recent empirical research shows that starting your day with an early morning run is the best way to make sure your day can’t get any worse! 🤠🏃‍♂️‍➡️

 
 
Have a GREAT weekend and please stay safe!
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 

Happy Friday!!!
 
Just a quick PSA to let everyone know this will be the last Uncle Sean Update for two weeks 😲 as I enjoy some family time over the holidays – I’ll be back with a new update on Jan 9th.  Wishing everyone a VERY Merry Christmas 🎅🎄 and a Happy New Year 🎉🙏!!!  But first - here is the Uncle Sean Update for 12/19/25 (subscribe here for free):

• Hey – we finally got a look at some macroeconomic data (post government shutdown)…  Even though many economists are side-eyeing the data 🤔, it’s all we have so let’s take a look:
  • The BLS Nov CPI Report came in a bit on the cool side at 0.2% for the month and 2.7% YoY (expectation was 0.3% and 3.1% respectively).  Core CPI came in at 0.2% for the month and 2.6% YoY (expectation was 0.3% and 3.0% respectively).  CNBC has a pretty good summary.
  • Meanwhile, the BLS Jobs Report was a mixed bag with Nov coming in at +64K (Dow Jones estimate was +45K) while Oct showed a loss of -105K (pretty close to expectations due to government job cuts – DOGE buyouts).
    • Our next FOMC meeting is scheduled for Jan 27-28, 2026.

• De Novo news - PayPal (Nasdaq: PYPL) announced it has submitted applications to the Utah DFI and the FDIC to establish PayPal Bank, a proposed Utah-chartered ILC with a focus on US small businesses.  Per the release, “In addition to providing small business lending solutions, PayPal Bank expects to offer interest-bearing savings accounts to customers. PayPal Bank would also seek direct membership in the U.S. with card networks to complement processing and settlement activities through existing banking relationships.”
  • PayPal’s current embedded BaaS providers are Synchrony Bank, WebBank, and The Bancorp Bank.

• More De Novo news - Mercury announced it has submitted applications to the FDIC and OCC to establish Mercury Bank, a nationally chartered bank “for ambitious companies and individuals.” 
  • Mercury’s current embedded BaaS providers are Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Patriot Bank.

• And MORE De Novo news – Erebor Bank has received conditional approval for FDIC insurance subject to the bank having paid-in capital of not less than $276M (wow), a “Capital Call Agreement” subject to trigger events (out of the ordinary), Tier 1 Leverage ratio of at least 12%, and other customary conditions.

• 💥 Big news for my friends at Atomic as Truist Bank (FDIC 9846; total assets $536B) streamlines digital account opening with direct deposit switching powered by Atomic!

• And more good news for Atomic as F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), the holding company for First National Bank of Pennsylvania (FDIC 7888; total assets $50B), announced the launch of automated Payment Switch technology in partnership with Atomic! 🚀

• LoanPro partners with Mastercard to launch Loan on Card solution (coming early 2026) enabling lenders to deliver installment loan proceeds to borrowers through virtual and physical cards – providing instant access to funds that can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted.

• Stablecoin news – SoFi (Nasdaq: SoFi) announced the launch of SoFiUSD, a fully reserved U.S. dollar stablecoin issued by SoFi Bank, N.A. (FDIC 26881; total assets $41.3B) on the Ethereum blockchain.  “SoFiUSD will enable SoFi to serve as a stablecoin infrastructure provider for banks, fintechs, and enterprise platforms.”

• More stablecoin news – Cross River Bank (FDIC 58410; total assets $8.1B), using its recently announced stablecoin payments infrastructure solution, announced a new stablecoin settlement capability with Highnote as part of Visa’s stablecoin settlement pilot program.

• 👉 And MORE stablecoin news…  👀 But this one is a bit different….  The punchline - A bank run on a stablecoin reserve custodian resulted in contagion in the DeFi sector….  Wow – say that out loud three times (Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice)… 😬
  • The Federal Reserve issued a new report that is definitely worth a quick read - In the Shadow of Bank Runs: Lessons from the Silicon Valley Bank Failure and Its Impact on Stablecoins and shows that stablecoins “represent a run-able liability for their issuers. As with money market funds and bank deposits, stablecoins are susceptible to crises of confidence, contagion, and self-reinforcing runs.” 😲 (bold emphasis added by Uncle Sean).
    • Somehow I missed this during the SVB bank run – “Circle, the issuer of USDC, publicly announced that it was unable to access a portion of its dollar reserves held as (uninsured) deposits at SVB. This announcement precipitated a surge in redemption requests by holders of USDC, causing the stablecoin to lose its peg against the dollar on secondary markets when Circle shut down primary market operations over the weekend.”

• Lumin Digital launches a suite of AI tools in their digital banking platform enabling their clients to adopt AI at their own pace, including: Target Manager Assistant, Secure Form Assistant, and FAQ Assistant.

• MANTL (an Alkami brand) has partnered with Method Financial to embed Method’s real-time liability data “directly into the MANTL Loan Origination platform, empowering financial institutions to streamline decisioning…”

• Fiserv (Nasdaq: FISV) has completed their acquisition of StoneCastle extending greater insured deposit limits, liquidity and digital assets solutions to financial institutions; and introducing deposit liquidity / cash management options for merchants.

• Effective Jan 1, 2026 - Lewis & Clark Bank will become part of Maps Credit Union (Marion and Polk Schools CU; charter 64166) due to the completion of the merger that was announced earlier in the year.

• Mesa abruptly shuts down its Homeowners Card credit card platform that rewarded cardholders for paying their mortgage.  No specific reason as to why just yet, but there are other pending / launching CC rewards platforms focused on homeowners in the last couple of weeks pointing towards a competitive market:
  • Bilt has announce their Bilt Card 2.0 card program launching in early Feb that earns points on eligible residential mortgage payments.
  • Just before Thanksgiving, Made Card announced the launch of their Made Essential Visa Signature Preferred Card (along with $8M in seed funding) credit card allowing homeowners to earn rewards tied to making on-time mortgage payments as well as other everyday homeowner spending.  The launch also coincided with the release of the Made mobile app that goes beyond financial services “by introducing AI-enabled home journal and concierge chatbot functionalities, designed to simplify and enhance the homeowner experience.”

• Notable FinTech funding for the week:
  • Octane (lending platform for powersports vehicles, RVs, boats, personal watercraft, and outdoor power equipment) raised $100M in Series F growth funding at a $1.3B valuation.
  • Thread Bancorp (bank holding company for BaaS focused Thread Bank – FDIC 9499; total assets $823M) raised a $30.5M funding round following significant growth in deposits from embedded finance / BaaS of “more than three times from January 2024 - October 2025, an approximately 75% annualized growth rate.”
  • Imprint (modernized co-branded CC platform for brands) $150M in Series D round at a $1.2B valuation.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• For all the daylight lovers out there (like me 😊), winter solstice is this Sunday so the daylight hours will finally start to increase!!! 🌞
• Okay – lets get to the good stuff!  Here are the Dad / Bad jokes for the week:
  • What do you get when you cross a turtle with a porcupine?  A slowpoke…  🙄🐢
  • Can anyone recommend a good bank account?  Mine ran out of money!!! 😂
  • Sent to me from my friend Mr. Rick Boals is a timeless quote from Peter Drucker – “the most successful people are those who are good at plan B.” 😅
  • Some people drink from the well of knowledge…  Some just rinse and spit! 😆🤣
  • For anyone else that’s getting coal for Christmas – maybe we can get together and get the grill going or something?!?! 🤠😁🍺

 
 
Have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and please stay safe! ❤️
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 

​Happy Friday!!!
 
We made it through another week 🎉!!!  Here is the Uncle Sean Update for 12/12/25 (subscribe here for free):
 

• It’s Fed Week!!!  As was widely expected, the FOMC voted to lower the fed funds rate by 25 bps to 3.5% - 3.75%.  But a divided Fed is evident with three dissents (Stephen Miran dissented in favor of a larger 50-bps cut, while Jeffrey Schmid and Austan Goolsbee favored no cut); and the current SEP showed 6 participants had estimated no rate cut for the current meeting.  Downward pressure in employment data drove the decision; but a “wait and see” approach seems to be the forward guidance.
  • The Fed also announced an increase to its securities holdings through purchases of Treasury bills — and, if needed, other Treasury securities — with remaining maturities of three years or less to maintain an ample level of reserves.
  • For more fun reading 😊, here is Chairman Powell’s Press Conference transcript (26 pages), Press Conference video (51:57), and the Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) shows an increase in 2026 estimated GDP to 2.3% and a median estimate of only one rate cut next year).

 

• Fifth Third Bank (Nasdaq: FITB; FDIC 6672; total assets $212B) announced a multi-year partnership with Brex (corporate card platform) supporting $5.6B in annual commercial card payment volume via Brex’s AI-native and API-driven payments infrastructure, Brex Embedded. 💰  The Fifth Third Commercial Card powered by Brex will become the default commercial card solution for Fifth Third Bank’s Commercial Banking clients. 💥
  • Couple of points worth noting as this is a huge announcement for Brex 🚀:
    • Fifth Third (as an FI issuer, meaning they have their own credit card issuing platform) is one of the sponsor issuers for the Brex Mastercard Corporate Credit Card – so these companies have a history of working together.  It’s impressive that Brex is now going to be a supporting vendor / program manager for Fifth Third’s Commercial Card platform.
    • Recall where Fifth Third is also in the process of acquiring Comerica Bank which will bump them up to about $288B in total assets.

 

• 👉 Cross River Bank (FDIC 58410; total assets $8.1B) expands card solutions with the launch of its proprietary in-house card processing engine joining a select group of FI’s with complete ownership of the card tech stack - giving partners full control over issuing and processing.
  • “Our in-house processing is a full-stack integration, offering a seamless way to launch debit, credit, and prepaid card programs. It enables our partners to scale with one unified solution,” said Andrew Lambert, Head of Product at Cross River. “Our partners have the flexibility to design card experiences around their customers — with instant virtual card creation, spend controls that update in real-time, actionable intelligence, and full lifecycle management.”
    • Hey, ya’lll remember that line from Jonas in the movie 'Twister' regarding the new Dorothy – “Well let me enlighten you people, this baby has satellite comlink, we got on-board pulse doppler, we got nexrad real time, today, we’re gonna make history…”  Yeah, Cross River’s platform is kind of like that, but for cards, not tornadoes! 🤠🌪️

 

• SoFi Technologies (Nasdaq: SOFI; bank subsidiary is SoFi Bank; FDIC 26881; total assets $41B) launched the SoFi Smart Card for eligible SoFi Plus members (subscription based).  The all-in-one card features “the best of debit and credit card benefits” including 5% cash back rewards at grocery stores, up to 4.3% APY on savings, spending control with a dynamic credit limit (based on checking and savings account balances), P2P, and more.  That’s cool! 👏

 

• Mercury announced the general availability of Mercury Personal to US residents (targeting builders and founders bridging business and personal banking) after being in beta for over a year.

 

• Panacea Financial, the direct digital bank specializing in banking and lending services for doctors, dentists, and veterinarians (a division of Primis Bank (FDIC 57968; total assets $4B), partners with Stakk IQ™ Embedded Finance platform enabling Panacea to leverage Stakk’s “mobile image capture, PDF and scanner imaging capabilities, image authentication, OCR, and document/data orchestration capabilities, together with rule-based transaction orchestration, powering deposit acceptance.”

 

• HSA Bank (direct digital bank division of Webster Bank N.A.; FDIC 18221; total assets $83B) has acquired Secure Inc. (dba SecureSave), a leading provider of employer-sponsored emergency savings accounts (ESAs) – further expanding HSA Bank’s emphasis on health and wealth focused employee benefits. 
  • Worth noting that SecureSave savings accounts were previously sponsored by Stearns Bank, N.A. and Wells Fargo.

 

• Another BaaS Sponsor bank gets acquired…  This week it is Enova International, Inc. (NYSE: ENVA) to become a bank holding company with the acquisition of Grasshopper Bancorp, Inc. (FR 5215715; bank subsidiary is Grasshopper Bank N.A.; FDIC 59113; total assets $1.4B) in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $369M.

 

• Engage fi announced its acquisition of Intellectual Dimensions, a company that provides a business intelligence and data automation platform to assist in proactive deconversion and merger preparation allowing FI’s to transfer “clean core data between core systems with confidence” particularly on the CU side.
  • "Institutions need faster, more accurate conversions that reduce manual work and budget strain," Pasantes added. "Intellectual Dimensions' platform delivers these outcomes today across nearly every major core system. Engage fi clients have used the platform over the past 18 months and consistently report faster implementations, higher accuracy, and measurable efficiency gains."
    • Certainly looks to be a nice alignment with these two companies! 👍

 

• New Cumberland Federal Credit Union (charter 8110; total assets $227M) selects Mahalo Banking for phased digital transformation via Mahalo Banking’s Thoughtful Banking® platform – completion of the full digital banking conversion is planned for early 2026.

 

• Murphy USA partners with AtoB to launch the Murphy USA Mastercard Business Fuel Card open loop credit card issued by Celtic Bank.
  • So what???
    • Murphy USA (and QuickChek) have over 1,700 locations nationwide – nice footprint.
    • AtoB is also the program manager for the Uber Freight Card (among others) issued by Celtic Bank… But if you had the FedFis Fintech Analytics© database platform, you already knew that…  Reach out to Bobby Button for more info (see what I did there! 😊).

 

• 👀 ICYMI…  The OCC announced Conditional Approvals for Five National Trust Bank Charter Applications (yes, FIVE 😮).  Keep in mind that these are National Trust charters (NOT an insured depository institution); and all of which are involved in stablecoins.
  • Only two of which are actual De Novo institutions (First National Digital Currency Bank, NA and Ripple National Trust Bank), while the other three (Bitgo Bank & Trust, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Paxos Trust Company) are conversions from State Trust to National Trust.

 

• Notable FinTech funding for the week:
  • Airwallex (global commercial account platform including spend management, cards, and payments) raised $330M in Series G round at an $8B valuation.
  • Esusu (credit builder platform for renters) raised $50M in Series C funding round valued at $1.2B.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• ‘Tis the Season…  For College Football Bowl Games 🏈!!! The annual Army vs. Navy game is this Saturday at 2pm CST on CBS.  The 2025 Heisman Trophy ceremony is also this Saturday on ABC at 6pm CST.  And here is the entire college football bowl game schedule all the way through the National Championship Game on Jan 19th 2026.  Ahhh – I love the Holiday Season!!! 🎄
• And here are the Dad / Bad jokes:
  • I heard they are hiring at the Comb factory – it’s part time… 🙄😄
  • I wonder if the person who came up with the phrase “One Hit Wonder” came up with any other phrases…??? 🤔😉
  • Why couldn’t the lifeguard save the hippie?  (in my best Big Lebowski voice) He was just too far out man! ✌️☮️
  • Dear Santa 🎅 – all I want for Christmas is a fat bank account and a skinny body!  And please don’t mix those up again like you did last year!!!! 🤠😅

 
 
Have a GREAT weekend and please stay safe!
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 
 

Happy Friday!!!
 
Back from Turkey Day – we are now full steam ahead into the holiday season!  Here is the Uncle Sean Update for 12/5/25 (subscribe here for free):

• 💥 Shoutout to Coverbase as they become the newest Premier Sponsor of Bankers Helping Bankers (BHB) in support of BHB’s mission to provide free access to reliable data, strategy, and intelligence to help community banks across the country grow, compete, and thrive!!! 🚀
  • “With AI-native automation, configurable workflows, and continuous monitoring, Coverbase transforms supplier onboarding, diligence, and lifecycle oversight from a compliance bottleneck into a strategic advantage.”  Check them out at coverbase.com!

​

• 👀 Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT; Green Dot Bank FDIC 22653; total assets $5B) has entered into agreements to be acquired by Smith Ventures and CommerceOne Financial Corp.  Smith Ventures will acquire and privatize Green Dot’s non-bank fintech business (Arc); and CommerceOne will acquire Green Dot Bank and become a new publicly traded bank holding company.
  • The new bank holding company will also be the fintech’s exclusive sponsor bank under a seven-year agreement; and will strive to add additional fintech partners going forward.

 

• 👉 Equipifi continues its march across the US with a pair of BNPL announcements (fully integrated in-house solution) just in time for holiday shopping:
  • Advia Credit Union (charter 61503; total assets $3.7B) launches BNPL powered by equipifi to enable its 200,000 members to divide eligible purchases into manageable installment payments directly from their existing Advia Digital Banking experience.
  • Yolo Federal Credit Union (charter 9293; total assets $415M) introduces BNPL powered by equipifi allowing its members to “split eligible debit card purchases into easy, predictable installment payments within Yolo FCU’s secure Mobile and Online Banking platforms. Members can also use Yolo FCU’s BNPL program to instantly receive extra funds in their Checking Account prior to making a purchase.”

 

• Speaking of rapid growth…  InvestiFi partners with Sesimi to enable InvestiFi to deliver compliant, customizable marketing assets for its FI customers at scale, without compromising regulatory disclosure requirements or brand control. 
  • “InvestiFi's customers, including financial institutions and credit unions, require on-brand content that's not only customizable but also fully compliant with industry standards. Sesimi addresses this by embedding locked disclosures and compliance language into dynamic templates, ensuring that every asset meets legal requirements without delaying go-to-market speed and eliminating the need for lengthy approval processes.”

 

• Socure (AI-platform for identity, compliance, and risk decisioning) announced they have acquired Qlarifi (real-time BNPL consumer credit database) creating a compliant risk-decisioning BNPL infrastructure platform that also helps to reduce fraud losses.  Nice!!!

 

• Organizers have filed applications to the OCC and FDIC to establish VALT Bank – a de novo digital bank focused on serving “digitally demanding small to midsized businesses” in the U.S. 👏

 

• Cross River Bank (FDIC 58410; total assets $8.1B) launches stablecoin payment infrastructure solution.  “Integrated directly with Cross River’s real-time core, COS, the offering unifies fiat and stablecoin flows through a single, interoperable system—enabling companies to move value across chains and traditional rails, leveraging bank-grade compliance.”

 

• Klarna launches KlarnaUSD stablecoin to cut costs of cross-border payments – partnering with Stripe (Bridge) and Paradigm on the Tempo payments blockchain.

 

• 🤷‍♂️ In the meantime….  The Federal Reserve Senior Financial Officer Survey Results (Sept 2025) shows a vastly different opinion to the development of digital asset-related products and services over the next three years (ref Part 4: Stablecoins and Digital Assets beginning on page 25) 🤔:
  • Only 8% of US banks surveyed view the issuance of tokenized deposits as a high priority
  • No (zero) US banks view the issuance of their own stablecoin as a high priority
  • Only 7% of US banks place a high priority on offering crypto custody or wallet services

 

• The Fed, FDIC, and OCC have proposed lowering the community bank leverage ratio (CBLR) requirement from 9% to 8%. It would also extend the grace period for community banks that opt into the framework and fall out of compliance to come back into compliance, from two quarters to four quarters.

 

• The Fed’s Nov Beige Book (last one of 2025 and just ahead of the FOMC meeting next week) paints a continuing difficult picture for the Fed with consumers feeling strained (declines in overall consumer spending and employment) while moderate price increases persist…  This will likely continue to divide FOMC participants in their dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment.

 

• Coinstar selects Lithic to power the new CINQ by Coinstar™ Debit Card (prepaid GPR issued by Lead Bank).

 

• Klarna launches Premium and Max memberships in the U.S. – a subscription plan that offers lounge access and premium perks without spending requirements for customers of the Klarna Card (debit card with built-in BNPL installment options issued by WebBank).
  • Per the release, “U.S. consumers who sign up for the Klarna Card can also opt into any of Klarna's four membership plans—Core ($4.99 /month), Plus ($9.99/month), Premium ($19.99 /month), or Max ($44.99 /month)—during the sign-up process.”

 

• 🤔 Hmm…  SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFI; bank sub is SoFi Bank, N.A. – FDIC 26881, total assets $41.3B) is raising capital via an announced public offering of $1.5 billion of shares of its common stock.

 

• Wealthfront filed their Amended S-1 filing making public (had previously filed confidentially in June) they are targeting a valuation of $2.05B 💰 and will list on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker WLTH.

 

• The FDIC released their Quarterly Banking Profile report for 3Q2025.  Some key points:
  • Bank earnings are up due to lower provision expense (yes – even when you back out the large jump in provision expense last quarter related to the Capital One acquisition of Discover).
  • NIM continues to increase at 3.34% (community bank NIM increased to 3.73%) despite COF increasing 2bps even though the FOMC has been reducing rates (points towards continued deposit competition).
  • Unrealized losses on Securities continue to decrease although still way too high...
  • Asset Quality looks “generally” good with Past Due and Nonaccrual Rate (PDNA) at 1.49% - well below pre-pandemic average of 1.94%.  However, PDNA rates for non-owner-occupied CRE, multifamily CRE, auto, and credit card portfolios remain well above their pre-pandemic averages.
  • The number of banks on the FDIC’s “Problem Bank List” (banks with a composite CAMELS composite rating of “4” or “5”) declined by 2 in 3Q25 to 57 banks.
    • For comparison, the number of banks with a FedFis Rating© in the bottom 1% for 3Q25 is 65 with a rating of 3.86 or worse.  Call me!!! 📞🤠😉

 
And did someone mention instant payments???

• Sunflower Bank (FDIC 4767; total assets $8.5B) partners with VerityPay and enhances its suite of Treasury Management services by enabling its business customers to send payments directly to consumers via SMS text message in as little as 90 seconds, without requiring an app download. 

 

• Ferry expands its partnership with Highnote and becomes the first subscriber to implement Highnote Instant Payments enabling large restaurant groups to deliver access to automated, same-day payouts of tips and wages directly to employees.

 

• Aeropay (pay by bank) launches Instant Pay-Ins via Request for Payment (RfP) in collaboration with Cross River Bank and the RTP® network.  Allows businesses to collect consumer bank payments that settle in seconds, even when transactions occur outside of standard banking hours.

 

• Notable FinTech funding for the week:
  • Kobalt Labs raised $11M in Series A funding round to enhance its AI-driven platform for automating risk and compliance processes for financial institutions.
  • Flex (banking app for high net worth business owners) raised $60M in Series B funding.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• This is my new favorite story of the year as I HAVE FOUND MY SPIRIT ANIMAL!!! 🤠 Apparently, a raccoon broke into a Virginia liquor store (scroll through the pics) and “went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything” before passing out on the bathroom floor next to the toilet….  YES!!! 😄  Unfortunately, there isn’t any recorded video of the mayhem as he took out the security cameras when he fell through the ceiling tiles (which makes this even better), but the after pics are priceless – LOL!!!  In an interview, the animal control agency said, “After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices), he was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer.”
  • 🦝 Looks like Rocket has fallen on hard times since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3!!! 😂🤣
• And here we go – here are the Dad / Bad jokes:
  • Still adjusting from the time change as every night around 10:30pm I realize it’s only 6:00pm!!! 🥱
  • I am clearly addicted to eating Thanksgiving leftovers…  You can’t just quit cold turkey…  😉
  • Mariah Carey is opening her Christmas present.  Inside she finds a deed to an undeveloped plot of land that is zoned residential.  Disappointed, she sets the deed down and says…….  “I don’t want a lot for Christmas.” 🎵🎄🙄
  • Psst… Hey Santa - How much do you want for that Naughty List???  😲😅🎅

 
 
Have a GREAT weekend and please stay safe!
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 

Happy Friday!!!
 
We will be pausing the Update next week for the Thanksgiving Holiday. So from our family to yours – I hope you have a wonderful, happy, and blessed Thanksgiving with lots of love, laughter, and full bellies! 🙏🍂🦃 But first - Here is the Uncle Sean Update for 11/21/25 (subscribe here for free):
 

• Mr. Warren Buffett pens his final shareholder letter (but will continue with an annual Thanksgiving message). My personal favorite part of the letter is a message for all of us in this season of thanks – delivered in classic Buffett fashion:
  • “Greatness does not come about through accumulating great amounts of money, great amounts of publicity or great power in government. When you help someone in any of thousands of ways, you help the world. Kindness is costless but also priceless. Whether you are religious or not, it’s hard to beat The Golden Rule as a guide to behavior. I write this as one who has been thoughtless countless times and made many mistakes but also became very lucky in learning from some wonderful friends how to behave better (still a long way from perfect, however). Keep in mind that the cleaning lady is as much a human being as the Chairman.” ❤️ Love this…

 

• The much delayed BLS Sept Jobs Report (data collected prior to the government shutdown) shows the US added 119,000 jobs (expectation was 50,000) and unemployment edged up slightly to 4.4% (previous was 4.3%).
  • However – prior revisions were once again material (see revision history) with August initial estimate of +22K was revised down by 26K to a total of -4K jobs lost; and Jul was revised down by 7K from the second estimate to 72K jobs added.
  • Note that the BLS is stating an Oct Jobs Report will not be released and the Nov report will be released on Tuesday, Dec 16th – 11 days later than usual. Keep in mind that the next FOMC meeting is Dec 9th so the Fed will still largely be “driving in fog” with respect to current (or lack thereof) economic data. 🤷‍♂️

 

• First announced in 2023, LevelField Financial was approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to acquire Burling Bank (FDIC 27556; total assets $196M) to be renamed LevelField Bank with banking services targeting crypto and the digital assets space including loans and credit cards collateralized by bitcoin, bitcoin rewards credit and debit cards, digital asset trading and custody.
  • This Banking Dive article is a good summary including pending Federal Reserve approval (to become a bank holding company), additional capital commitments, and hiring needs to support 24-7 needs of its digital-asset user base.

 

• Traditional Bank (FDIC 2711; total assets $2.4B) selects Jack Henry for core processing.

 

• Lumio and Revio Insight partner together to help banks and credit unions (community financial institutions) to identify customers leaving for competitors and take timely action to win them back. 👏

 

• 👀 And a pair of CU acquisition of a bank this week…  If you are keeping score, these are the 12th and 13th announced CU acquisition of a bank thus far for 2025 (whole bank acquisition).  This compares to 22 for 2024, 11 in 2023, 16 in 2022, 13 in 2021, 7 in 2020, and 16 in 2019 (source: FedFis M&A database).  Both of these transactions are very stereotypical CU acquisitions of a bank that include: much larger CU acquiring a small bank; low-cost deposits; additional commercial portfolio; and market expansion for branch footprint.

 

• GECU Federal Credit Union (charter 24941; total assets $4.4B) to acquire Bank of the Southwest (FDIC 2247; total assets $187M) from New Mexico National Financial Incorporated (PCO FR 2013947).
  • The target bank is profitable and well capitalized (FedFis Rating© of 1.92), but has struggled with any prospect of loan growth since well before the pandemic.  Deposit growth has also been slightly benign, but a huge shift to noninterest bearing deposits since 2022.
  • Target bank NIM is strong at 6.88% with yield on loans at 7.94% and cost of funds at an impressive 0.07% (not a typo).  This is clearly a low-cost deposit grab by the CU; as well as a branch footprint expansion outside of Texas into New Mexico.
  • Loan profile of the target bank is 75% Real Estate with 36% of total loans being CRE (2/3rds of that in nonowner occupied) and 28% of total loans being Domestic 1-4 Family Loans.
    • This pairs nicely with the acquiring CU as they will diversify their existing concentration in Vehicle Loans of 54% of total loans (new vehicle is 22% of total loans and used is 33%).  The CU also has 15% of total loans in 1-4 Family Residential and 12% in Commercial.

 

• Next up is Community First Credit Union of Florida (charter 67290; total assets $2.9B) to acquire First Southern Bank (FDIC 10055; total assets $324M) from FSBH Corporation (PCO FR 5685653).
  • Another stereotypical CU acquisition of a very small bank ($324M total assets) by a much larger CU (total assets $2.9B) with the CU expanding its market (branch footprint) from Jacksonville, FL to include Waycross, GA.  The CU is picking up some commercial loans (CRE) and lower cost deposits.
    • The target bank is profitable (post-pandemic) and well capitalized with a FedFis Rating© of 2.34.  The bank has experienced solid loan growth since 2019 with concentrations in CRE (38% of total loans with mostly owner-occupied) and Home Mortgages of 29% of total loans.
      • Also pairs well with the acquiring CU as they have concentrations in Home Mortgages of 33% of total loans plus 20% New Vehicle loans and 17% Used Vehicle Loans as a percentage of total loans.
    • Target bank NIM is 4.57% with yield on loans (tax adjusted) at 7.18%.  Deposit profile is 34% noninterest bearing with a Cost of Funds of 1.92% (cost of total deposits is 1.27%).  Acquiring CU has a Cost of Shares & Deposits of 1.66%.

 

• And more CU headlines as Gather Federal Credit Union (charter 9381; total assets $889M) has selected Tyfone’s nFinia™ Digital Banking platform to power its next-generational mobile and online banking experience for retail and business members.
  • This is a strong win for Tyfone as the legacy core provider had a strategic position (same vendor for core, online, and mobile) – which can be difficult to break into sometimes.  For more information on Bank and CU vendor / technology stack, reach out to our own Bobby Button and ask about our FedFis FinTegration ​Ecosystem© (nice plug if I do say so myself! 😊).

 

• My friends at Vine Financial continue to sign up financial institutions across the nation – check out their AI-driven enhanced credit and underwriting platform for commercial lending at vinefin.com (tell them Uncle Sean sent you 🤠). This week it’s Ipava State Bank (FDIC 10473; total assets $215M) selects Vine for AI-powered underwriting for its commercial lending business.

 

• More credit news as FICO (NYSE: FICO) partners with Plaid to launch the UltraFICO® Score that maps real time cash flow insights into the proven FICO® Score scale – distributed via Plaid’s Consumer Reporting Agency, Plaid Check.

 

• 👉 Uptiq announced the launch of AI FinServ Launchpad – a platform designed to help fintech founders turn financial workflow expertise into AI-native products — without needing to hire engineering teams, build infrastructure, or secure major early-stage funding.  Includes pilot opportunities through Uptiq’s network of 150+ financial institutions; up to $100K worth of in-kind product development support; and early access to Uptiq’s QORE platform.  Check it out at uptiq.ai/launchpad.

 

• Amscot Financial partners with Green Dot (NYSE: GDOT; FDIC 22653; total assets $5B) to bring modern embedded banking solutions to Amscot’s customers “including a DDA, a built-in secured credit card, a network of more than 25,000 free in-network ATMs, and additional features to come.”  Powered by Green Dot’s embedded finance platform, Arc.

 

• Notable FinTech funding for the week:
  • Kraken raised $800 Million at a $20 Billion valuation and subsequently filed a confidential draft S-1 registration statement with the SEC for a potential IPO.
  • Ramp raised $300 Million at a $32 Billion valuation.
  • Kaaj (agentic AI platform for small business credit underwriting and loan origination) raised $3.8M in Seed funding.
  • Coverbase (AI procurement and risk platform for highly regulated, security-conscious sectors such as financial services) raised $16.5M in Series A funding round.
  • Made Card (credit card for homeowners) launches with $8M In Seed Funding.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• With Turkey Day coming up next week, here is what’s on the menu at our house:  Cajun smoked turkey, deviled eggs, burgundy mushrooms (pairs great with smoked tri-tip which I am certain Parker Mayo will force me to cook at some point over the weekend LOL), mashed potatoes, green bean bundles, garlic bread, and of course a key lime pie and maybe a pecan pie too. Nom, nom, nom!!! 😋 Oh – and lots of football!!!! 😊  Aunt Patty’s favorite is making turkey hash from the leftovers after a couple of days once we are tired of leftover turkey sandwiches – It’s kind of like a turkey and potato stew (but I like to add plenty of sliced jalapeno’s in mine with a side of cornbread). Time to break out the stretchy pants!!!! 😄
• And of course here are the Dad / Bad jokes to kick off the holiday week:
  • There should be a dating app that matches people who are on the same meds… Call it: ‘Relationscripts’ 😜🤪
  • And a holiday reminder – If your birth year starts with a 19, you should probably wrap your presents on a table, not on the floor! 😬
  • Scientists recently combined DNA of a cheetah with the DNA of a crab… Things went sideways real fast!!! 🦀😅
  • Did you know that 14 muscles are used when you open a bottle of wine? Okay – I completely made that up, but be sure to follow me anyway for more holiday fitness ideas!!! 🍷🤠💪

 
 
Have a GREAT weekend, a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING ❤️, and please stay safe!
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 

​Happy Friday!!!
 
Hoping everyone enjoyed a wonderful Veterans Day here in the US; and a happy 250th anniversary of the US Marines being organized under the Continental Congress. Here is the Uncle Sean Update for 11/14/25 (you can subscribe here for free along with 18,000+ of your industry peers):
 

• The Government shutdown is officially over, but don’t expect a flurry of economic data just yet as this CNBC article highlights significant uncertainty as to when, and in some cases if, data will be available. 🤷‍♂️

 

• Uncle Sean loves seeing this - two great companies expanding on an existing multi-year partnership 💥… RiskScout announced they have been selected as the preferred provider of BSA/AML and fraud solutions for Data Center Inc. (DCI).  RiskScout will replace DCI’s BSA Navigator system, which is scheduled to be retired in December 2026.  Very nice!!! 😊

 

• Vine Financial expands its AI-powered document reading capabilities beyond tax returns to include audited and interim financials supporting faster and more efficient loan decisions.
  • As someone who has literally keyed in thousands of financial statements into models and spreadsheets earlier in my career - all I can say is, “YES, PLEASE!” 🤠

 

• ICYMI…  Openbank, Santander Bank, N.A. (FDIC 29950; total assets $98B) direct digital bank, announced that Openbank has grown to more than $6 Billion in deposits since its launch in Oct 2024.
  • Yeah – that’s $6 Billion with a B in one year!!! Holy Smokes!!! 💰

 

• Bangor Savings Bank (FDIC 18408; total assets $7.3B) has selected Helix by Q2 (NYSE: QTWO) as one of its Banking as a Service (BaaS) platform partners to help power its expansion of fintech solutions.

 

• PNC Bank. N.A. (FDIC 6384; total assets $564B) added another 100 branches to its expansion plan stating it would now open 300 new locations by 2030.  As part of the initiative, the bank plans to hire approximately 2,000 new employees; and placed a specific growth emphasis on Nashville (35 new branches) and Chicago (25 new branches).

 

• The Synapse bankruptcy case gets dismissed as per bankruptcy trustee Jelena McWilliams’ request.  This is largely the result of the CFPB coming in and taking over as the option of last resort with Synapse’s estate being insolvent and has had no viable bidders for the firms remaining assets.
  • However… Plenty of eyes are looking at the CFPB's ability to continue as the acting Director has called for its elimination.

 

• Propel Holdings and Column N.A. (FDIC 58224; total assets $1.2B) announce a strategic partnership to expand access to credit across the US. The new product – Freshline, provided by Column - is expected to launch in Q1, 2026. Propel will provide servicing and forward flowing the loan economics to third-party partners.

 

• Everything old is new again… SoFi Technologies (Nasdaq: SOFI) announced the launch of SoFi Crypto, the “first and only nationally chartered bank where consumers can bank, borrow, invest — and now buy, sell and hold crypto – all in one place and on a platform they trust.”
  • This Banking Dive article is a good summary of SoFi’s relaunch of crypto trading.

 

• Serial acquirer (47 acquisitions over the last 52 years 😲) Central Bancompany, Inc. (bank subsidiary is The Central Trust Bank; FDIC 12633; total assets $19.2B) announced the launch of their IPO (Nasdaq: CBC) with their sights clearly set on additional acquisitions.
  • Per the Amended S-1 filing with the SEC (pg 22 of the Prospectus Summary), “This offering is intended to facilitate our acquisition efforts. As we have grown larger, so have our target acquisitions and our potential partners’ preference for stock consideration. Our private company status has slowed our desired acquisition pace. We believe the combination of a liquid public stock and our significant efforts over the last several years to cultivate relationships with high-quality potential partners will position us to substantially accelerate our deployment of capital.”

 

• JPMorgan Chase has officially launched JPM Coin (JPMD), a digital deposit token for institutional clients, on Coinbase's Base network - marking the bank's first deployment of a native payment product on a public blockchain.
  • Meanwhile, the FDIC is preparing new guidance for tokenized deposits and expects to introduce an application process for stablecoin issuers by the end of 2025.

 

• Speaking of JPM…  Yodlee and JPM further strengthened their 20-year partnership through an amendment to their existing Data Access agreement which includes mutual commitments and a pricing structure for “open finance” data access.
  • Per this CNBC article, JPM now has agreements in place “with fintech middlemen that make up more than 95% of the data pulls on its systems. Including Plaid, Yodlee, Morningstar and Akoya.”  (bold emphasis added by Uncle Sean)

 

• Telcoin gets its final charter approval from the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance to launch Telcoin Digital Asset Bank.

 

• Freestar Financial Credit Union (charter 60406; total assets $326M) has implemented Mahalo Banking's digital platform that also coincided with the CU’s core conversion to Corelation Keystone completed in August.  Yeah – they’ve been busy!!!

 

• Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union (charter 67352; total assets $2.2B) partners with Alkami for account opening and onboarding.  The CU will implement Mantl's (acquired by Alkami earlier this year) account opening solution in two phases starting with business accounts and then expanding to retail customers.

 

• SouthPoint Financial Credit Union (charter 68667; total assets $583M) partners with InvestiFi to offer digital investing to its 34,000 members.

 

• equipifi gets a 2’fer this week (they’re on a roll)🤠:
  • North Star Community Credit Union (charter 62563; total assets $459M) launches debit BNPL through the CU’s mobile app via equipifi for its 20,000 members; and is the first CU “to introduce this program on debit cards in North Dakota.” 👏  
  • Velocity Credit Union (charter 68359; total assets $1B) launches their new BNPL program (powered by equipifi) through its mobile and online banking platforms for its 80,000 members.

 

• Reseda Group, a wholly owned CUSO of MSU Federal Credit Union (charter 23279; total assets $8.2B), has acquired Tandem a fintech app that helps couples manage shared finances.
  • Interesting note that Tandem offers a deposit account provided by Third Coast Bank – I am curious to see if this changes going forward…

 

• Some personnel moves:
  • DailyPay hires Andrew Brandman as Chief Operating Officer.
  • FIntegrate Technology welcomes Boyce Adams as Strategic Partner.
  • Fiserv picks up Rob Thatcher as Vice President of Information Technology.

 

• Notable FinTech funding for the week:
  • Crew (high-yield checking and budgeting app) raised $3.8M Seed Round.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• 🤔 According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is nearing a deal to pay roughly $1 billion per year (cha-ching!!!) to use Google’s Gemini AI model to power an upgrade of Siri, due to launch sometime next spring.
• 🏈 Looking forward to some college football this weekend – particularly the Oklahoma Sooners (#11) at Alabama (#4) on ABC at 2:30 PM CST.  Following that is Texas (#10) at Georgia (#5) also on ABC at 6:30 PM CST.
• Okay – let’s get to the good stuff!  Here are the Dad / Bad Jokes for the week:
  • Putting ketchup on your steak should negatively affect your credit score. 🥩
  • I usually don’t’ talk about expensive trips I take… But I just got back from the grocery store! 😬
  • Managing your weight around the holidays just requires a little planning… For example, I took the batteries out of my scale on Monday. 🤠
  • Aunt Patty gave me an envelope that said, “do not open until 2026.” Inside was a list of reasons why I apparently can’t be trusted to carry out simple instructions! 😂🤣
  • Having a weird Dad builds character… At least that’s what I tell my kids!!! 🤪🙃

 
 
Have a GREAT weekend, and please stay safe!
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 

Happy Friday & Happy Halloween 🐈‍⬛🎃🦇!!!
 
We will be pausing the Uncle Sean Update next week due to our annual community bank and fintech conference, The Roundup powered by FedFis data – I hope to see you there 🤠!!!  In the meantime don’t forget to sign up here for free to receive the Uncle Sean Update delivered straight to your inbox.  Here is the Uncle Sean Update for 10/31/25:

• 🎉 I am super excited to announce that Bedel Security has renewed their sponsorship of Bankers Helping Bankers (BHB)!!!  Way back in the beginning - Bedel Security was one of the first to partner with BHB in our shared vision to help community banking – not just survive but thrive. 🫶 💪
  • “Bedel Security believed in us before the world knew who we were,” said Matthew Smith, CEO of Bankers Helping Bankers. “They stood beside us when this mission was just taking shape—and they’ve never wavered. Their renewal reminds every banker that true allies don’t just show up when it’s easy; they show up when it matters.”
    • So definitely check out Bedel Security and tell them Uncle Sean sent you!!! 😉

 

• It’s Fed Week!!!  As was widely expected, the FOMC voted to lower the fed funds rate by 25 bps to 3.75% - 4% and to end quantitative tightening (the reduction of its securities holdings) on Dec 1.
  • A couple of noteworthy comments from Chairman Powell (bold emphasis added by Uncle Sean):
    • “In the near term, risks to inflation are tilted to the upside and risks to employment to the downside—a challenging situation. There is no risk-free path for policy as we navigate this tension between our employment and inflation goals.”
    • “In the Committee’s discussions at this meeting, there were strongly differing views about how to proceed in December. A further reduction in the policy rate at the December meeting is not a forgone conclusion—far from it.”
    • Regarding the lack of data due to the continued government shutdown… “what do you do if you're driving in the fog? You slow down.”
  • And as always, here is the link to Chairman Powell’s Press Conference transcript (27 pages) and the Press Conference video (54:50)

 

• Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has confirmed that the five finalists to succeed Jay Powell as Federal Reserve chair are NEC director Kevin Hassett, Fed governor Christopher Waller, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh, BlackRock's Rick Rieder and Fed governor Michelle Bowman.

 

• 👀 Infinant continues to win big!  This week Valley National Bank (FDIC 9396; total assets $63B; Nasdaq: VLY) announced it is partnering with Infinant to scale the bank’s Partner Banking and embedded finance capabilities by leveraging Infinant’s Interlace platform – infinant.com/platform.
  • I have to wonder – do the folks over at Infinant ever sleep???  They are on a roll!!

 

• LoanPro announced the launch of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) model-agnostic gateway enabling “LoanPro clients and partners to begin testing and developing their AI-powered credit servicing and collections initiatives, while ensuring regulatory guardrails and auditability.” 🚀
  • “Unlike basic chatbot integrations that stop at the recommendation layer, MCP acts as a secure protocol between any AI model and LoanPro’s core platform…”

 

• SkyOne Federal Credit Union (charter 6248; total assets $928M) selects Lumin Digital as its new digital banking provider for its 60,000+ members.

 

• Ascend Federal Credit Union (charter 7397; total assets $4.6B) launched their new BNPL program powered by equipifi for its 260,000+ members.

 

• 👉 Check out Qolo’s big announcement this week as The Huntington National Bank (FDIC 6560; total assets $210B) partners with Qolo to deliver a next-generation treasury solution for Huntington’s commercial clients.  Huntington’s Connected Deposits platform, their new ledgering and Virtual Account Management (VAM) platform, is designed to meet the evolving needs of commercial banking clients by enabling real-time cash visibility, streamlined reconciliation and scalable sub-account management – powered by Qolo’s flexible technology stack. Great win for the Qolo Team! 🤙

 

• Alogent partners with Vine to accelerate commercial lending workflows for banks and credit unions. “The collaboration integrates Vine’s AI-powered lending platform with Alogent’s AccuAccount loan management system, creating a unified document workflow that spans from application to post-close.”  Nice!!! 👏

 

• 💥 Uptiq (AI infrastructure for financial services) had a couple of announcements this week:
  • Tyfone has partnered with Uptiq’s enterprise AI platform to deliver actionable business insights for financial institutions that use Tyfone’s nFinia® Business Digital Banking Platform.
  • Uptiq.ai raised $12M in capital to drive large-scale adoption of Uptiq Qore, the company’s next-generation AI infrastructure platform for banks, credit unions, wealth managers, and fintech companies – enabling “financial institutions to build production-grade AI applications and agents in weeks, not months.”

 

• Carefull announced the launch of GreyMatter, its proprietary AI intelligence layer built to detect, prevent, and predict the complex risks of aging and money (elder fraud prevention) – helping financial institutions support older adults and next-generation financial caregivers.
  • This statistic really caught my attention, “30% of age-adjusted revenue at financial institutions is controlled by depositors and clients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).”  Check it out at getcarefull.com/greymatter! 👏

 

• FinWise Bancorp (Nasdaq: FINW; bank subsidiary is FinWise Bank; FDIC 35323; total assets $900M) announced a program management, network issuer processor and servicer agreement with Tallied Technologies, Inc. to deliver credit card products and card processing solutions to Fintechs, their businesses, and their customers.

 

• nbkc bank (FDIC 35014; total assets $1.2B) enhances its BaaS suite with Interchecks modern payments platform to deliver faster and more flexible payments.
  • “ This collaboration enhances nbkc's BaaS platform by integrating Interchecks' instant payment technology, enabling fintechs and non-bank innovators to deliver seamless "push-to-card" disbursements, sending funds directly to customers' debit cards in real-time, without the delays of traditional payment rails.”

 

• Best Egg (currently servicing about $11B in personal loans) was acquired by Barclays (UK bank) for $800M to expand Barclays’ U.S. consumer banking presence.

 

• Some personnel moves:
  • Integris hires Kyle Wewe as its new Chief Revenue Officer.
  • equipifi names Karen Buell as COO per this LinkedIn post.
  • Dave appoints Parker Barrile as Chief Product Officer.
  • Fiserv announced multiple updates to leadership team and board refreshment including Takis Georgakopoulos promotion to Co-President, the hiring of Dhivya Suryadevara as Co-President, and Paul Todd joins as the new CFO.

 

• Notable FinTech funding for the week:
  • SavvyMoney (consumer financial wellness and growth solutions for FI’s) raised $225M in capital as a minority investment stating it has nearly “doubled its institutional footprint to over 1,500 partners since 2021 while expanding its digital banking capabilities through new product offerings and strategic acquisitions like CreditSnap, which now powers intelligent loan origination, deposit, and account onboarding solutions.”
  • Lettuce (fintech platform targeting self-employed and solopreneurs) raised $28M in Capital to expand its AI-powered operating system; and acquired Besolo, a benefits startup, for additional healthcare options and other benefits.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• PSA – Don’t forget to turn your clocks back 1 hour this weekend (technically at 2AM on Sunday, Nov 2) as we move from Daylight Savings Time (DT) to Standard Time (ST).  Of course, if you are in Hawaii or Arizona you are exempt from daylight savings time – so you don’t have to do anything. 🕰️
• The World Series is proving to be much more competitive than I originally expected.  Game 6 kicks off tonight at 7 CDT on FOX with the Toronto Blue Jays leading the series 3-2 putting the Los Angeles Dodgers in a must-win position (on the road nonetheless) to make it to Game 7.
• And of course, the obligatory Dad / Bad Jokes for the week:
  • Me – I should put a bowl of Halloween candy in my office in case anyone wants some…
    • Also me – Working from home… Alone... 🎃🍬😋
  • For our son, Marshall…😉 They’re called “deviled eggs” because the voices whisper and say... “go ahead and eat 25 of them”… 🤠
  • I got a job as a model…. I’m the “before” picture. 😂🤣
  • They say nothing is impossible, but I’ve been doing nothing all day (crushing it)!!! 😏😎
  • If by free spirits you mean an open bar, then YES – I love free spirits!!! 🍸🍷

 
 
Have a Happy Halloween, a GREAT weekend, and please stay safe!
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis

​Happy Friday!!!
 
Don’t forget to sign up here for free to join 18,000+ of your peers and get the Uncle Sean Update delivered straight to your inbox every week – all the cool kids are doing it 😊!  Here is the Uncle Sean Update for 10/24/25:
 

• A virtual fist-bump 👊 top my friends at FinPro as they renew their sponsorship of Bankers Helping Bankers (BHB)!!!
  • Definitely check them out at finpro.us (and tell them Uncle Sean sent you).  From their time series liquidity and scorecard models, strategic planning, and their consistent work with regulators and policymakers – their impact on community banking is profound.

 

• Speaking of Bankers Helping Bankers…  Be sure to reserve your spot here - https://luma.com/Q32025InsideTheNumbers for the 3Q2025 BHB Inside the Numbers webinar next week featuring special guest, Mr. Dory Wiley from Commerce Street Holdings as we unpack early call report data, discuss macroeconomics, M&A, and anything else we might dive off into!!!  This is going to be great (I hope I don’t geek out too much, but NO PROMISES – LOL!!!). 😊

 

• While we continue to endure the government shutdown and resulting data void (FOMC meeting is next week), we finally get a sliver of macroeconomic data due to Social Security law requiring a CPI measure to calculate cost-of-living adjustments…
  • The BLS Sept CPI data (10 days late due to the shutdown) came in a tad lower than expected (woohoo) at 0.3% for the month and 3.0% YoY (expectation was 0.4% and 3.1% respectively; August CPI was 0.4% and 2.9% respectively) with Core CPI at 0.2% for the month and 3.0% YoY (expectation was 0.3% and 3.1% respectively; August Core CPI was 0.3% and 3.1% respectively). CNBC has a good summary.
  • As a result, the Social Security Administration announced a 2.8% benefit increase for 2026 and has averaged about 3.1% over the last decade.

 

• 👉 Vantage Bank Texas (FDIC 3405; total assets $4.7B) has launched a turnkey and accretive tokenized deposits and stablecoin platform for community and regional banks nationwide utilizing Custodia's bank-grade blockchain platform and Infinant's Interlace platform (Infinant has really been on roll over the last several months!!!).
  • For more detailed info, check out this really cool FAQ page from Vantage Bank - Tokenized Deposits are Coming. 🚀

 

• Academy Bank (FDIC 19600; total assets $3.1B) selects Cable compliance platform to help Academy Bank to effectively and compliantly grow its fintech partnerships as well as its core client base by enabling complete automation of control testing across the BSA regulatory framework. 👏

 

• 👀 Going international ✈️🌎…  Early Warning Services, the network operator of Zelle®, announced a new initiative for Zelle to deliver cross-border money movement by leveraging stablecoins.
  • Early Warning Services CEO Cameron Fowler stated, "Our goal is to bring the trust, speed and convenience of Zelle to consumers' international money movement needs. We're investing where consumer need, bank capability and global opportunity intersect. With improved regulatory clarity in the U.S., we can focus on what we do best: driving innovation to market."

 

• Done deal… 
  • CSI has completed its acquisition of Apiture digital banking solution.
  • Centerbridge Partners completes its acquisition of MeridianLink end-to-end digital lending platform.

 

• Bead (payments company specializing in the acceptance and settlement of digital asset and digital wallet transactions) selects Lead Bank (FDIC 8283; total assets $1.7B) as its sponsor bank.

 

• Suncoast Credit Union (charter 68645; total assets $19B) selects Bloom Credit's "Bloom+" platform allowing its members to report up to five recurring bill payments (such as rent, utilities, phone bills, etc.) directly from their checking account to the credit bureaus to build or improve credit without incurring debt. 👍

 

• Lumin Digital continues to crush it – this week Sierra Central Credit Union (charter 68053; total assets $1.5B) selects Lumin Digital as its new digital banking provider.

 

• More CU news…  Mambu targets US credit unions with “composable banking” core system to help credit unions move beyond legacy core systems, modernize their infrastructure, and deliver next-generation digital experiences to their members.

 

• Treasury Prime and U.S. Bank (FDIC 6548; total assets $671B) announced mutual partnerships together:
  • Treasury Prime joins the U.S. Bank Connected Partnership Network, an online marketplace of “fintech and other third-party payment and treasury solutions that are fully integrated with U.S. Bank systems.”
  • “The partnership also adds U.S. Bank to Treasury Prime’s Bank Network, which now includes more than 15 leading financial institutions. With Treasury Prime’s OneKey product, fintechs and enterprises can seamlessly connect to multiple banks through a single API integration – reducing implementation complexity and accelerating speed to market.”

 

• Worldpay signs an exclusive agreement to power payment processing for Kroger’s in-store, online, and mobile transactions.

 

• 💥 Bank M&A continues to roll full steam ahead…  This week we saw 4 more deals involving target banks over $1B in total assets; and the Texas trend continues with 11 Texas banks being acquired (announced) since 7/1/25 (source - FedFis Bank M&A database):
  • 10/20 – HBT Financial to acquire CNB Bank Shares (bank subsidiary is CNB Bank and Trust; FDIC 3775; total assets $1.8B)
  • 10/22 – Farmers National Banc Corp. to acquire Middlefield Banc Corp (bank subsidiary is The Middlefield Banking Company; FDIC 13716; total assets $1.9B)
  • 10/22 – Third Coast Bancshares, Inc. to acquire Keystone Bancshares, Inc. (bank subsidiary is Keystone Bank, SSB; FDIC 34456; total assets $1B)
  • 10/23 – Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. to acquire Midwestone Financial Group, Inc. (bank subsidiary is MidWestOne Bank; FDIC 14843; total assets $6.2B)

 

• Notable FinTech Funding for the week:
  • Clerq (Pay-by-Bank / A2A checkout platform) raised $21M in Capital including a $12M Series A and showcasing “6x revenue growth” over the prior 12 months.
  • Kard (modern rewards network) raised $15M in growth capital.
  • Ava (consumer credit-builder app) raised $15.5M seed round to scale its platform.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• ⚾ It’s set…  The Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers will face off in the World Series with game 1 starting tonight!

• ICYMI, the 15-hour AWS outage 😬 on Monday is a reminder of concentration risk from a solution that was originally intended (at least in part) to mitigate local disaster recovery risks.
• 🏈 The Oklahoma Sooners college football schedule for the second half of the season may be the toughest in the country as they face #8 Ole Miss, @ #17 Tennessee, @ #4 Alabama, #15 Missouri, and close it out against #20 LSU…  WHEW!!!
• We made it!!!  Here are the Dad / Bad Jokes for the week:
  • Apparently, cats can hear 4 to 5 times farther than humans can – which makes it all the more impressive when they totally ignore you! 🐱
  • I used to teach origami.  Gave it up because of too much paperwork! 😅
  • I want to lose weight, but I don’t want to get caught up in one of those “eat right and exercise” scams! 🏋️‍♂️
  • I’m in big trouble if people find out I don’t really have Tourette’s…. 🤠

 
 
Have a GREAT weekend and please stay safe!
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 
 

Happy Friday!!!
 
It was a shorter week for many due to Columbus / Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but still some notable headlines.  Here is the Uncle Sean Update for 10/17/25 (click here to subscribe for FREE):
 

• ❤️ Uncle Sean is happy to report that Smiley Technologies has renewed their Sponsorship of Bankers Helping Bankers (BHB)!!! 🎉
  • “Smiley Technologies lives and breathes community banking, and their renewal is proof of that commitment,” said Matthew Smith, CEO of Bankers Helping Bankers. “Their support helps us keep building the safe space where bankers connect, innovate, and fight for the future of Main Street.” 🚀

 

• 👀 UFS (core banking, digital, payment solutions, and advisory services) continues their push into managed IT services with the acquisition of BankOnIT in support of the evolving IT needs of community FI’s. Check out their cool video to hear from their leadership on how the partnership brings enhanced value to community banks.
  • This follows the acquisition of Safe Systems (another IT managed services provider) back in Aug of 2024. At that time, Safe Systems served about 260 FI’s and gave UFS a footprint of about 400 FI’s for IT and security services.

 

• 😲 Wow – that was fast!!! The OCC has granted preliminary conditional approval of the de novo bank charter for Erebor Bank, National Association on Oct 15th. Erebor Bank plans to “target its products and services to technology companies and ultra-high-net-worth individuals that utilize virtual currencies. The Bank plans to offer a variety of lending and deposit products and other related services. The Bank plans to hold non-asset backed virtual currencies on balance sheet…” 
  • Based on this Erebor Bank, N.A.: Charter Application dated June 11, 2025, this approval was granted in roughly 4 months (yes that’s super-fast; particularly for a national bank involved in novel activities – i.e. crypto-asset related activities – AML anyone??? 😬). Keep in mind that FDIC approval is still pending…

 

• Okay…  Here comes an Uncle Sean “Off the Rails” moment, so feel free to scroll down… 😊
  • I originally wasn’t going to comment on this, but I will… 😁 I’m already tired of hearing about “cockroaches” in the NDFI / private credit markets.  No disrespect intended towards Mr. Jamie Dimon (who started the cockroach commentary in response to JPM losses stemming from Tricolor and First Brands fraud related bankruptcies), but he is paid extremely well to be the Nation’s Chief Pessimistic Risk Officer. 🙄 And I am assuming that his cockroach comment may have been more directed at his own staff more than the market as a whole.
    • These were instances of fraud – NOT systemic asset quality problems that the broader media seems to be loathing for… Yes, there were two other non-related fraud issues this week as well (I think that makes 4).  The $ amounts are not inconsequential but are also not largely material considering the specific bank equity capital positions, credit loss reserves, and resulting market cap losses this week for those publicly traded banks.  Certainly worth keeping an eye on; and impacted banks (as well as others) are undoubtedly reviewing their NDFI concentrations as well as underwriting processes and portfolio monitoring for improvement (as they should). But this is not a systemic asset quality meltdown moment as the broader media is intent on portraying (in my unsolicited opinion).
  • 👉 The existence of NDFI lending is not within itself a catalyst for alarm as there are many other variables to consider related to credit structure and collateral. Remember your bond underwriting classes – it’s not just Probability of Default (PoD), but Loss Given Default (LGD) that matters.  That’s precisely why loan structure, reserves, collateral, and hedging are so important – and bankers are largely damn good at this. 🏆 But that doesn’t stop knee-jerk market reactions… 🤷‍♂️
  • This Banking Dive article is a great summary of events with a TD Cowen analyst referencing NDFI concerns as the “topic du jour.” This too shall pass… 😊

 
A bit of a deeper dive here as “open banking is dead…  Long live open banking…” but from an aggregator context as a Consumer Reporting Agency:
 

• Plaid announced the launch of LendScore credit risk scoring model (1-99 score) utilizing real-time cash flow data and unique financial account connection insights to supplement traditional underwriting / credit scores. Targeting cashflow analytics for subprime and near-prime “drove a10-20% relative risk reduction” without reducing originations.
  • The big takeaway here (to me anyway) is the inclusion of network insights, “which provides context on the types of apps someone is connected to on the Plaid Network, within a certain time period, and how long they’re active on each service.” Stating that the model picks up on early indicators of changing financial habits and emerging risk.
    • Recall where Plaid already provides Consumer Report powered by Plaid Check, which is Plaid’s Consumer Reporting Agency, allowing lenders to integrate cash flow data into their lending workflows via secure API and no-code dashboard.

 

• ICYMI last week… Yodlee also entered the Consumer Reporting Agency arena with the launch of Yodlee Credit, LLC.

 

• For more info on cashflow analytics, check out Jason Mikula of Fintech Business Weekly recorded episode How Modern Lenders Leverage Cashflow Analytics featuring EDGE and MX (emphasis on sizeable data lake, maintenance, and innovation – with credit bureaus providing look-back data while cash flow analytics is more real-time designed as a supplement; as well as credentialed versus non-credentialed data and some good op-ed at the end regarding open banking). 👍
  • Food for thought… I know this is a little bit of a different spin, but does anyone else remember the launch of Chase Media Solutions by JPMorgan back in early April 2024….??? 🤔

 
And now back to the rest of the Update 😊:
 

• Galileo (Sofi’s tech platform) joins the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network. Businesses across industries can now leverage Galileo’s platform on AWS to build, launch, and scale modern financial experiences.
  • Sandy Weil Chief Revenue Officer at Galileo stated, "By joining the AWS Partner Network, we’re meeting businesses where they already are, making it faster and easier for them to access our financial technology and bring new financial products to their customers." Galileo’s API-based platform handles everything from card issuance and real-time transactions to fraud prevention and embedded payment capabilities. 💥

 

• 👉 Circle K (yes, the nationwide convenience store) leans into embedded finance with their strategic partnership with Car IQ (vehicle-based payment technology) to launch Circle K Pro Digital+, a digital fleet fuel spend platform with virtual cards all accessible from the mobile app (instant driver onboarding and offboarding). Accepted at Circle K, other major fuel brands, toll networks, and anywhere Visa is accepted. 🚚
  • Check it out at Digital+ | Circle K Pro.

 

• More payments headlines… And the flex 💪 of the week… The RTP® network, instant payments system operated by The Clearing House, set a new single-day record by processing 1.8M transactions valued at $5.2B on Oct. 3 reflecting “the growing adoption of instant payments by financial institutions, businesses, and consumers who are seeking faster, more reliable money movement.” 🚀

 

• First Internet Bank of Indiana (FDIC 34607; total assets $6B) partners with Parlay Finance to deploy Parlay’s AI-native Loan Intelligence System allowing the bank’s SBA lending operations to eliminate manual tasks and gain deeper insights for loan decisioning. 👏

 

• BankJoy (digital banking provider for CU’s, banks, and neobanks) partners with InvestiFi to provide digital investing opportunities for BankJoy’s FI customers to offer to their members.

 

• Notable FinTech funding for the week:
  • Nova Credit (credit infrastructure and analytics) raised $35M in Series D funding round.
  • Telcoin (seeking to become the first federally regulated digital assets bank in the U.S.) raised $25M as part of an ongoing pre-series A round. The funding enables Telcoin to meet capital requirements for its conditionally approved Nebraska Digital Asset Depository Institution charter (ref Feb 2025 article - Telcoin Granted Approval to Open Nebraska’s First Digital Asset Bank).
  • Upgrade (responsible consumer credit and banking products) raised $165M in Series G at a $7.3B valuation. The company has been focusing on home improvement and auto financing, areas that surpassed $2B and $1B, respectively, in total cumulative loan originations earlier this year.
  • Deel (global HR and payroll platform) raised $300M in Series E at a whopping $17.3B valuation marking “the company’s third straight year of profitability and its first $100 million revenue month. Earlier this year, the company surpassed $1 billion in annual recurring revenue. Deel now serves 37,000+ businesses and 1.5 million workers across 150+ countries, processing $22 billion in payroll annually.”

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• 🎃 It’s that time of the year!!!  Congrats to Brandon Dawson of Santa Rosa, CA for winning the 52nd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off with a gourd weighing in at 2,346 pounds!  Gonna’ need a chainsaw to carve up that jack-o-lantern!!! 😊
• Okay – let’s wrap it up with some Dad / Bad Jokes:
  • Here lately, my daily exercise routine consists of running out of patience. 🤠🏃‍♂️‍➡️
  • Parmesan cheese is really just spaghetti confetti! 🍝 😋
  • For my daughter, Claire 🫶…  The best place for learning is the hippocampus… 🧠👩‍🎓😅
  • And last but not least a shout out to my IT and developer friends… 
    • “DevOps reality” - no matter how hard you try to make something idiot proof, eventually a better idiot will come along (I feel personally attacked)!!! 😂🤣

 
 
Have a GREAT weekend and please stay safe!
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 
FedFis, LLC disclaimer – The views and opinions of Uncle Sean are of his own and may not necessarily represent the views, endorsements, and/or opinions of FedFis, LLC – we all know he’s a little bit different; but that’s why we love him.
 

Happy Friday!!!
 
Here is the Uncle Sean Update for 10/10/25 (click here to subscribe for FREE):
 

• “Wreck ‘Em!!!” 🤠  Shoutout to E.W. & J. D. Williams Institute for Community Banking at Texas Tech as they renew their Friends of BHB Sponsorship!!! 👏
  • "By renewing our commitment as a Friends of BHB sponsor, we’re further aligning with BHB’s vision to equip future leaders with the knowledge and resources they need to address the challenges and opportunities facing community banks," said Jeff Mercer, Executive Director of the Williams Institute and Executive Director of the Texas Tech School of Banking at Texas Tech. "Our ongoing collaboration is a perfect example of how education and real-world solutions can come together to drive transformation within community banking."  Uncle Sean love’s this!!! 😊🎉

 

• 👀 Another Texas bank gets acquired…  Huge bank merger announcement this week with Fifth Third (FDIC 6672; total assets $209B) to acquire Texas-based Comerica Bank (FDIC 983; total assets $78B) in an all-stock transaction valued at $10.9 billion – WOWZA!!! 💰
  • This  Fifth Third Investor Presentation deck is well done showing the combined entity footprint in 17 of the 20 fastest-growing markets in the country.

 

• 👉 I have written about Charlie before regarding their target niche banking solution which is pretty cool (fintech banking platform targeting the 62+ age group – banking services provided by Sutton Bank).  Now they are definitely stepping up their game.  Check out their new page (https://ai.charlie.com/) that allows you to show your loved ones how easy it is for fraudsters to create a deepfake scam (raising awareness) – by creating your own AI-generated video message.  Very nice!!! 👍

 

• And so it begins…  Bank of North Dakota (the Nation’s only state-owned bank, so no FDIC cert, but listed as $10B in total assets) partners with Fiserv’s (NYSE: FI) digital assets platform (announced in June along with a new white-label stablecoin, FIUSD) to launch the "Roughrider Coin", North Dakota’s first stablecoin.  Fully backed by U.S. dollars, the Roughrider coin will be the first U.S. state stablecoin to launch on the Fiserv digital asset platform. 🚀

 

• FIS (NYSE: FIS) announced a strategic partnership with Glia (AI-powered banking interactions) to deliver “advanced AI-powered customer engagement capabilities across FIS' Digital One suite of retail and business banking products.”

 

• East West Bank (FDIC 31628; total assets $78B) and Worldpay sign a long-term agreement to give East West Bank commercial and business clients access to “Worldpay’s industry-leading payment tools — including point-of-sale, smart terminals, omnichannel, eCommerce, and loyalty solutions — designed to help businesses grow with confidence and operate more efficiently.”

 

• Bud Financial (AI platform that turns banking data into actionable insights) announced the launch of Bud Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server enabling banks to “rapidly deploy AI internal and customer facing systems while leveraging their core customer data.”

 

• Live Oak Banking Company (FDIC 58665; total assets $13.7B) partners with infinant’s embedded finance solution to “deliver an elevated standard for managing partner programs on a bank-grade ledgering platform to meet regulatory and compliance demands.” 👏

 

• West Virginia Central FCU (charter 24888; total assets $316M) teams up with InvestiFi to bring digital investing solutions to its 23,000+ members across West Virginia and Ohio.

 

• Credit Union of America (charter 60062; total assets $1.7B) partnered with equipifi to bring  BNPL to its suite of digital products for its 100,000 members.

 

• Imprint (modern co-branded credit card platform) to power the new Crate & Barrel and CB2 Visa Signature® Card issued by First Bank & Trust (FDIC 3973; total assets $4.7B).

 

• Copper Banking (teen banking platform) rebrands as GenAspire after being acquired by Black Dragon Capital and is now focused on partnering with credit unions as a white-label solution for pioneering financial education for the next generation. 🤙
  • In a separate announcement, Open Banking Solutions (OBS), also a Black Dragon Capital company, announced its partnership with GenAspire to provide white-labeled financial education solution to CU’s that are utilizing the OBS next generation core platform featuring integrated digital banking, account opening capabilities, workflow engines, management dashboards, and reporting tools, designed to grow with its users.

 

• Some big personnel moves this week:
  • ICBA promotes Wayne Miller to Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer – Congrats!!!! 🎉
  • The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano will also serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Internal Revenue Service, a newly created position reporting directly to Treasury Secretary and Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent.
    • Frank was previously President and CEO at Fiserv before being nominated as Social Security Commissioner.
  • Congratulations to Andres Pasantes and his promotion to President and CEO of Engage fi succeeding Jenn Addabbo (co-founder and CEO) as she transitions to Executive Chair of the Board.

 

• Yendo (secured credit card based on automobile equity as collateral – issued by Cross River Bank) raised $50M in Series B round to “accelerate Yendo’s expansion beyond secured lending as it builds an AI-powered digital bank for the millions of Americans underserved by traditional financial institutions.”  The company is preparing for a wave of launches in 4Q2025 as they build out an inclusive digital bank platform.

 
 
Random Uncle Sean stuff:

• 🏈🏈🏈 College football at its finest…  It’s OU vs Texas weekend with gametime set for 2:30PM CDT on Saturday, Oct 11 on ABC / ESPN!!!  The rivals face off for the 121st time in the Red River Rivalry.  The game has been held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas during the Texas State Fair since the 1930s.  UT leads the series 64-51-5, but OU has a 17-9 record in the 21st century.  Check out these video clips to bring goosebumps (the player POV coming out of the tunnel is awesome)!  BOOMER SOONER!!!!

• PSA (the accountant in me had to bring this up) alert…  The IRS released the 2026 tax inflation adjustments including tax tables, limits on deductions and credits, and amendments from the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.
  • Speaking of the IRS….  If you filed an extension for your 2024 taxes, the extension deadline of 10/15/25 is fast approaching…  😬
• Okay – let’s wrap it up with some Dad / Bad jokes for the weekend:
  • Remember – the only thing worse than a bucket full of snakes… is a bucket that was supposed to be full of snakes… 🐍😮
  • Bologna is just hot dog pancakes. 🌭😅
  • For a song called “Piano Man” someone really should tell the guy with the harmonica to chill… 🎹🤠
  • And last but not least….
    • I was staring at my naked body in the mirror and thought. “I’m gonna get kicked out of this IKEA pretty soon.” 😂🤣

 
 
Have a GREAT weekend and please stay safe!
 
Uncle Sean
 
Sometimes known as Sean Mayo – contact me directly for scope and pricing of custom reports / analysis projects at [email protected] | 214-604-6961 – or you can contact FedFis Sales Team at 512-960-0911 | [email protected] #FedFisHasTheData FedFis
 
FedFis, LLC disclaimer – The views and opinions of Uncle Sean are of his own and may not necessarily represent the views, endorsements, and/or opinions of FedFis, LLC – we all know he’s a little bit different; but that’s why we love him.