If You Want to Win at the Point of Sale, Start at the Core

TL;DR

Financial institutions risk losing relevance if they can’t support real-time financial decisions at the point of sale. Core-integrated platforms like Valiify simplify account opening automation and loan origination, enabling faster decisions, better service, and fewer manual tasks—without sacrificing trust or compliance.

Start at the core

You don’t need convincing that financial institutions are worth betting on. Account holders still trust you more than they trust big banks or fintechs. They want you to win. The question is: are we giving them a reason to stay?

In branches across the country, staff are spending more time on manual tasks—keying data, tracking documents, and juggling disconnected systems—than actually serving users. Account opening still feels slow. Loan applications? Even slower.

Meanwhile, users are completing loan applications on their phones while waiting in line at the pharmacy, at the dealership discussing financing, or in a tuition office. By the time they’re home, a fintech has approved and funded it—with no paperwork or calls.

This isn’t about keeping up with the latest tech. It’s about showing up for your account holders in the moments that matter, without losing your identity along the way.

The point of sale is the new front door

Consumer financial decisions now happen where life happens. Not in-branch. Not even on your website.

They’re happening:

• At the car dealership, when an account holder gets quoted a double-digit rate and wonders, “Could my financial institution beat this?”

• At the hospital billing desk, when a parent needs help managing an unexpected deductible.

• At a checkout screen, when a buy-now-pay-later option feels easier than walking into a branch.

If your financial institution isn’t present with real-time decisions and a clear path to funding, you’re not just missing a transaction. You’re losing a relationship, often permanently.

Core integration isn’t an IT challenge. It’s a growth strategy.

Every bank and credit union leader has heard the pitch: “Better lending. Faster onboarding. Less friction.” And every leader has asked the same thing: Will it actually work with our core?

That’s the right question.

Because if it doesn’t connect directly into your core systems, it won’t scale, it won’t comply, and it won’t last.

We’ve seen this play out:

• A credit union rolled out a slick digital loan app. Members loved the UI, but behind the scenes, staff had to rekey everything into the core. Application times doubled.

• Other banks try to integrate niche point solutions. This ends up creating five new workflows—none of which played well with disclosures or audit trails. Compliance flagged it before it could launch.

What’s needed isn’t another tool. It’s a platform layer that speaks your core’s language in real time.

That’s where platforms like Valiify come in. Not as middleware, but as a core-aware infrastructure layer. When the integration is built right:

• Approvals happen while the user is still at the point of sale.

• Account data syncs instantly.

• Document trails are generated, tracked, and stored without staff intervention.

That’s how one CU using Valiify saw a 41% reduction in application processing time and a 22% lift in point-of-sale loan conversions, without adding headcount.

Free your staff to do what only they can do

Account opening automation and integrated loan origination systems aren’t about reducing headcount—they’re about elevating human impact.

When decisions are automated and underwriting logic is built in, your team doesn’t get replaced; they get re-centered. Less time spent chasing signatures and rekeying applications. More time is spent following up with members, reaching out to underserved groups, or connecting families with products that fit their needs.

That’s the difference between adopting tech and building a modern bank or credit union.

Don’t Compete by Becoming a Fintech. Compete by Being a Better Financial Institution

Let the megabanks overbuild. Let the fintechs race to the bottom.You already have what they can’t buy: trust, mission, and proximity to the people you serve.

But holding onto that advantage requires tools that match your ambition. That means:

• Tightly connected systems, not vendor silos.

• Automated, audit-proof workflows, not manual checklists.

• True core integration, not clever workarounds.

One CU saw a measurable drop in manual tasks after unifying onboarding, disclosures, and funding into a single workflow. Another gained real-time visibility into digital lending partners, bringing dealer-channel volume up significantly.

This Is Your Road to Pave

We know how hard this is. The integration backlog is real. Budgets are tight. Staff is already stretched.

But when the infrastructure is designed for your reality, not a generic tech stack, you gain speed without losing stability.

You gain relevance without losing what makes you different.

And once you do, you won’t just meet your members at the point of sale.You’ll meet them where they are, whenever they need you, and bring them home to something better.

Learn more about how we support banks and credit unions like yours.

FAQs

Q1: What is account opening automation? 

Account opening automation streamlines the process of opening new accounts using digital tools, reducing manual input and improving customer experience.

Q2: How does a loan origination system help at the point of sale? 

A loan origination system enables real-time loan approvals and funding where decisions happen—like dealerships or medical offices—without delays or paperwork.

Q3: Why is core integration important for financial institutions? 

Without integration into your core system, automated workflows can't scale, audit trails may fail, and staff ends up rekeying data manually.

Q4: Can account opening automation reduce staff workload? 

Yes. By eliminating redundant data entry and document chasing, staff can focus on member relationships, not manual tasks.

Q5: What’s the difference between fintechs and financial institutions using automation?

Fintechs prioritize speed, but financial institutions offer trust and service. With the right tools, banks and CUs can compete by being better, not faster.