NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Urban FT Group, Inc., a core FinTech provider and industry leader, launches Community Access, an agent bank program that delivers an array of unique financial tools for consumer and commercial customers with a mobile first digital banking experience. The official launch of Community Access is taking place at ICBA Live in Nashville in cooperation with ICBA Bancard, the payment services subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America, and Mastercard. Heather Schumacher, newly appointed Urban FT Chief Operating Officer, will oversee the deployment and support of this program as it reaches untapped demographics.
Partnering with ICBA Bancard demonstrates Urban FT’s continued commitment to serve community banks, and Community Access fills a gap many small institutions have struggled to address. The program features a fully managed card service for community banks that includes program setup and compliance, card issuance and fulfillment, instant account opening, and cardholder support. ICBA member banks can take advantage of special pricing and incentives provided by Urban FT and Mastercard. Additionally, ICBA members will have access to Urban FT’s full suite of digital banking and digital payment services, such as consumer and commercial RDC.
Richard Steggall, Urban FT CEO, comments: “Urban FT was born with a mission to level the playing field for community financial institutions, and it’s been our practice from the very beginning to look at things differently to shake up the industry. With Community Access, community banks can truly compete with the bigger, national banks by offering a product that serves their entire communities with tools, features, and support that exceed those provided by the “too big to fail” crowd. This program doesn’t just empower the community banks, it puts them on an entirely new path when it comes to reach and the ability to serve new demographics.”
“We’re excited to partner with Urban FT, a leader and trusted provider in this space, as we bring innovative solutions to market that offer greater choice and convenience without sacrificing the standard of service for which community banks are known,” says ICBA Bancard President and CEO Tina Giorgio.
Urban FT recently appointed Heather Schumacher, previously COO of Sunrise Banks, as Chief Operating Officer. Heather comes to Urban FT with over 11 years experience in card issuing, platform operations, and program delivery. “I am very excited to offer community banks another program for their customers! Not everyone is suited for a traditional bank account, and Community Access is a great option for them. We have created a best-in-class offering that people are going to talk about and want to use, especially the value-added services such as mobile device insurance, free wifi hotspots, and fuel rewards. I look forward to working with our product and technology delivery teams to bring this innovative solution to ICBA member banks, and leveraging my experience with card platforms and programs to ensure the Community Access brand’s impact will be far reaching in the community banking space.”
A passionate advocate for the underdog - Urban FT provides a digital banking platform to over 700+ clients, the majority of which are community banks and credit unions that account for 10% of the U.S.- based market, $20Billion or less in assets. Recognized as one of the most progressive and successful FinTech companies in the financial services industry today, Urban FT empowers clients with service, functionality, and UX that not only competes with but in most cases - transcends those offered by the larger, more dominant institutions. Since inception in 2012, the company has grown to +$3Billion in annualized processing volume.