Pioneer FCU Expands Partnership with Tyfone, Adds Business Banking and Payments Solutions

Marcell King

Tyfone, the preeminent force in digital transformation, account holder engagement and back-office efficiency for community financial institutions (CFIs), today announced its long-time customer, Pioneer Federal Credit Union (Pioneer, $746 million in assets and 50,000 members), is adding the nFinia® Business Digital Banking solution; as well as its Skip-a-Pay, Quick Pay and FedNow Instant Payments Xchange (IPX) payments products, to grow engagement and improve the digital experience for members.
 
Headquartered in Mountain Home, Idaho, Pioneer first partnered with Tyfone in 2021 and successfully migrated from its legacy digital banking platform to Tyfone’s nFinia Retail Digital Banking solution. Its previous platform limited Pioneer’s ability to adapt to evolving member needs and requests, and Tyfone’s nFinia Retail Digital Banking solution was the clear choice for exceeding current member needs and providing a more personalized, engaging experience.
 
According to Tracey Miller, SVP of Operations at Pioneer, Pioneer and Tyfone began their engagement during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so the two had to virtually complete the platform conversion. “Tyfone was invested in our success before we signed the agreement. During the implementation, Tyfone never missed a beat – it felt like they were onsite the entire time. That feeling is what a true partnership is all about and was one of the primary reasons we knew they would be the best choice for other digital services including Business Banking and payments tools.”
 
Most recently, the credit union extended its partnership with Tyfone to further build on this success and provide its small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB) and members with the same advanced functionality and feature-rich platform its members use for retail banking.
 
As a designated low-income credit union, Pioneer supports a range of businesses in its community and was looking for a scalable and configurable omnichannel platform that would deliver an intuitive banking experience. Tyfone’s nFinia Business Digital Banking solution enables members to quickly access both personal and business banking accounts with a single login. Business owners and administrators can efficiently manage user account access and create custom roles from more than 150 permissions. The platform’s open, API-driven infrastructure allows Pioneer to easily integrate with existing third-party business applications to support its specific technology needs and goals.
 
“We are always seeking member-centric tools that will offer convenience and efficiency,” Miller said. “Tyfone supports this vision and has been instrumental in accelerating our digital strategy; we consider them an extension of our team. Tyfone’s nFinia Business Digital Banking solution was the obvious choice to reach community businesses and enable them to compete in the digital age.”
 
Tyfone’s Chief Commercial Officer, Marcell King, said, “Tyfone is committed not only to building innovative technology but to also fostering collaborative relationships with our partners. We are proud to have supported Pioneer in its digital journey thus far and are thrilled that its team trusts us for our business banking and payments tools.”
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In addition to the nFinia Business Digital Banking platform, Pioneer is implementing Tyfone’s two loan payment solutions, Skip-a-Pay and Quick Pay, and instant money movement via the FedNow network with Tyfone’s IPX solution. Skip-a-Pay is a fully automated loan payment deferral solution that allows members to control their loan payments when they are seeking financial relief. Quick Pay enables members to easily pay loans through a multitude of funding sources with or without logging-in to the Pioneer app. IPX offers a direct connection between CFIs and the FedNow Service for credit transfer send and receive, enabling members to access instant payments with real-time settlement. These payments products are entirely self-service, digital banking and core banking agnostic, eliminating manual procedures while driving growth and generating new revenue opportunities.

Miller continued, “Making money movement easier to navigate for members and staff is incredibly important to us. Skip-a-Pay, Quick Pay and IPX offer seamless, secure options for our members to manage their money more confidently in Pioneer’s existing digital banking app, and we are thrilled to introduce these solutions to our members.”

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