Commonwealth CU’s Longstanding Partnership With Movemint Continues to Generate Big Loan Numbers

By W.B. King

In 2017, Commonwealth Credit Union recognized that members were increasingly expecting seamless, personalized digital experiences, explained Jaynel Christensen, EVP of the $2.7 billion, Frankfort, Ky.-based Commonwealth. This was also a time when traditional lending felt disconnected and cumbersome, she told Finopotamus. “Feedback and engagement trends showed members wanted faster, frictionless access to credit,” she said of the credit union’s 140,000 members who sought an “Amazon like experience.”

When seeking an embedded finance platform partner, Movemint (formerly CuneXus) landed on Commonwealth’s radar. Christensen said the New York City-based finetch represented the “gold standard” for delivering personalized, embedded offers within digital banking.

“Commonwealth is one of those partnerships that makes you better as an organization. They've been with us since 2017 and have evolved with us through multiple phases. What sets them apart is how they think about the platform. It's not just a tool to them; it's a core component of their growth strategy,” said Movemint’s Head of Growth and Client Success Gabrielle Champine. “Their leadership connects what we do directly to lending volume, member engagement, and competitive positioning.”

Potential clients that contact Movemint, Champine explained, are seeking ways to grow loans, diversify income, and deepen member relationships—all at the same time. Members, she added, expect a seamless, fast experience where they can see what they qualify for and shop within their limits. “They don’t want to respond to a generic ‘apply now’ message and hope for the best,” she continued. “The gap we see most often is between the data credit unions already have about their members and the ability to turn that into personalized, pre-approved offers that drive action.”

Measurable Performance From Day One

To date, Commonwealth has added $246.5 million in loan value across more than 25,000 loans powered by Movemint. Using the platform, Christensen noted the credit union has enhanced its digital experience for members, delivered relevant, pre‑approved offers through streamlined digital interactions, and maintained appropriate risk management. The latter standards were especially critical.

Jaynel Christensen

“Concerns were alleviated by Movemint’s ability to deliver pre-approved offers within institution-defined criteria, maintaining strong eligibility, risk, and oversight controls. This ensured responsible growth, while still improving speed and member experience,” said Christensen. “Movemint worked with us to evolve as we did. When we moved to Zest AI underwriting in 2021, Movemint allowed us to incorporate this technology into our firm offers.”

Since Commonwealth and Movemint have had a long, successful relationship, Finopotamus asked how much time it normally takes to from contract signing to launch. The short answer is four to six weeks, said Champine.

“We run a structured launch process with training, configuration, and a full validation cycle before anything goes live. There's no formal beta test; we validate everything end-to-end as a standard part of every launch,” she noted. “We bring the credit union’s marketing, lending, and IT teams into the process early so everyone is aligned, and our clients see measurable performance from day one.”

Christensen shared that from the start, the partnership has been collaborative. “We worked alongside our entire organization to roll this out not just through digital but through our branches and created a seamless process for our members accepting offers and our team members,” she said. “This approach proved very fruitful and our campaign right out of the gate exceeded our expectations.”

Not a Heavy IT Lift

From a technology standpoint, Christensen added that the implementation required a minimal lift, as the platform integrated into existing digital channels and can be managed without “significant technical” resources. “This made it more of a light integration than a heavy IT build.” 

Champine further explained that the platform was designed so IT can focus on internal priorities. To this end, IT's involvement is primarily in the onboarding phase, providing API credentials, coordinating connectivity with your core, LOS, and digital banking providers, and supporting UAT.

“We take care of configuration, integration, and campaign setup. Once live, the platform is managed by the credit union’s marketing and lending teams,” she continued. “And as part of every implementation, we work with the credit union’s team to align lending, marketing, and data strategies around the platform, because that's where we drive the most value for our clients. The technology is straightforward, and the strategic partnership is what accelerates results.”

Strategy not Software

At nearly a $3 billion organization, Commonwealth is among larger credit unions. Finopotamus asked if Movemint’s platform is scalable. Champine said “yes,” and added this is a frequent query from credit unions of all sizes.

Gabrielle Champine

“A $200 million credit union’s members deserve the same quality experience as those of a $2.7 billion credit union. The platform is identical. What changes is the support model. For larger organizations like Commonwealth, they often have the internal teams to be more hands-on with campaign strategy and optimization,” she said. “For smaller credit unions, our managed services model means we’re operating as an extension of their team—handling configuration, campaign setup, optimization, and reporting on their behalf.”

Smaller credit unions, she added, often have “deeper member relationships” and thus more agility. “Pairing that with enterprise-level tools is a powerful combination.”

For those credit unions interested in pursuing a similar solution, Champine suggested that a best first step is scheduling a “strategic conversation” with Movemint. This is not meant to be a “sales pitch,” she added, but rather a “real conversation” centered on the credit unions goals and current infrastructure.

“We’ll help you define the right priorities, whether that’s loan growth, deposit growth, member retention, increasing products per member, or driving new membership through non-member and indirect campaigns,” she continued. “The best partnerships start with strategy, not software, and that’s how we approach every engagement.”

With the benefit of hindsight, Christensen advised interested credit unions to start the discovery process by clearly defining member experience goals and identifying where friction exists in the lending process.

“Then prioritize solutions that embed into your existing channels and make it easier for members to act on offers they already qualify for. Create a collaborative approach that utilizes technology and your team,” she said. “More than half our accepted offers come from our team members offering the product on our phones, at the teller line, and in branch offices.”