Leadership at the Helm: CEO Perspectives from GAC 2026

By John San Filippo

The America’s Credit Unions Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) was held in Washington, DC, in early March. In its ongoing effort to bring broad perspectives to its readers, Finopotamus sat down with the CEOs of Lodestar Technologies, Movemint, SWIVEL, and Velera to discuss how their companies are helping credit unions navigate a landscape defined by rapid consolidation, shifting regulations, and the relentless march of artificial intelligence (AI).

Lodestar Technologies: The Foundation of Clean Data

Divya Konuru, CEO of Vancouver, British Columbia-based Lodestar Technologies, believes that while the industry is eager to jump into advanced machine learning, many institutions are still struggling with the basics of data organization. She claimed that a surprising number of credit unions remain in what she called the “operational phase,” where data is siloed and managed primarily through manual spreadsheets. “We start by bringing all of their data together in our data warehouse, including core and loan data, so they can actually start to make decisions on the back of it,” Konuru told Finopotamus.

Divya Konuru

Lodestar’s approach is defined by a refusal to be core-agnostic. Konuru argued that by specializing in specific systems like Fiserv’s DNA, the company can offer a level of depth that generalist providers cannot match. She noted that this specialization allows credit unions to move beyond simple reporting and toward sophisticated member journey mapping. “Probably in the first year, we focus on what their most important data sources are so that we can help them make the most of their data right away,” she remarked.

One of the most salient points Konuru raised was the gap between the desire for AI and the readiness of the data itself. She suggested that many leaders who ask for AI are looking for insights that could be found through traditional reporting if their data were properly indexed and governed. Credit unions, she said, must first see themselves as data institutions before they can truly innovate. “When an organization gets to those later stages where they have good data governance and all their data is in one place, then they can leverage our machine learning options to get to the predictive analytics space.”

She added that those credit unions that have moved everything to the cloud may no longer have the internal expertise to manage their own digital resources. To combat this, Lodestar emphasizes a world-class customer service team that understands the financial industry. “We want to bring that excellent wraparound service with our deep product because that is how we have very sticky customers that grow with us over time,” she noted.

Movemint: Embedding the Future of Lending

Brian Bodell, CEO of West New York, NJ-based Movemint, arrived at GAC with a fresh brand and an expanded vision. Following the company’s spin-out from TruStage in late 2025, the organization formerly known as CuneXus has transitioned into a cloud-native platform designed to automate the member’s entire financial life. Bodell explained that the move to Azure was a strategic decision to remove the hardware burden from credit unions. “By us moving the platform to the cloud, we save them a ton of time, a ton of money, and a ton of headache,” he stated.

Brian Bodell

Movemint has moved far beyond its origins in loan pre-approvals. The platform now features modules for deposits, insurance, and personalized protection products, all designed to be embedded wherever the member is—whether that is in digital banking, social media, or a branch. Bodell shared impressive statistics from what he called “ninja” credit unions that have mastered the platform. “We had one client in a sixty-day campaign generate $40 million in loans through the contact center and branch alone,” he remarked.

A significant portion of Bodell’s focus is now on the rise of agentic AI. He envisions a future where members use AI agents to conduct their holiday shopping or manage their savings, and he believes credit unions must have the application programming interfaces (APIs) ready to interface with those agents. He noted that Movemint is already running proof-of-concept programs where conversational AI can hit their platform to surface next-best-product offers. “We want to make sure that credit unions are prepared for that role because agents will eventually learn about purchasing patterns and make decisions for the consumer,” Bodell said.

Addressing the difficulty of attracting Gen Z, Bodell echoed the common sentiment that credit unions must fundamentally rethink their business models. He referenced his own board’s efforts to pull in diverse, forward-thinking leaders. He suggested that institutions must market their mission of financial wellness more aggressively to compete with neobanks. “If we have got the best product, the best people, and the best mission, I often wonder why we are below ten percent of retail assets,” he mused.

SWIVEL: Streamlining the Payments Ecosystem

Amanda Licona-Crocker, CEO and president of San Antonio, Tex.-based SWIVEL, brought a background from Meta and Microsoft to her discussion on the “sum of experiences” that defines modern payments. As the payments arm of SWBC, SWIVEL’s goal is to serve as the integration glue for credit unions that are often struggling with multiple, disjointed vendors. “We like to say that we make uncomplicated payment solutions in a complicated world,” Licona-Crocker said.

Amanda Licona-Crocker

One of SWIVEL’s primary focuses is creating an “instant” experience without the immediate overhead of real-time payment rails. By connecting directly to the core, SWIVEL allows members to see funds post instantly to their accounts, even if the money moves through traditional settlement channels on the backend. This gives the member the gratification they expect from a digital experience while giving the credit union tighter control over fraud. “We are allowing that instant experience without having to worry about all of those different pieces coming together,” Licona-Crocker noted.

Licona-Crocker was particularly vocal about the rising costs of card processing, which she described as a major pain point for credit union members. She noted that for a $2,000 mortgage or a $1,000 car payment, traditional percentage-based processing fees are no longer tenable. SWIVEL has worked to negotiate flat-rate programs with card brands to keep those costs in the single digits. “A $2,000 payment at a percentage and a half is $30 just to accept that payment, and that is not good for the member or the credit union,” she remarked.

On the topic of AI, Licona-Crocker urged a cautious, “human-centric” approach. While SWIVEL uses AI to drive operational efficiencies in collections and contact centers, she expressed concern about agentic AI that operates without human oversight. She predicted that security and stability will become the most important metrics for credit unions in the coming years. “You do not want to go with the flashiest thing without the proof of the security posture and the stability of the platform,” Licona-Crocker asserted.

Velera: Speed to Member and Regulatory Hurdles

President and CEO of the Tampa, Fla.-based Velera Chuck Fagan, who recently announced his upcoming retirement, provided an update on the combined entity of PSCU and Co-op Solutions. With the integration largely complete, Fagan’s team is now focused on a theme he called “speed to member”—getting credit unions into the market faster and more relevantly than ever before. “Organization and culture are all really set, and now we are focused on rolling out the new technology we have been working on,” Fagan said.

Chuck Fagan

Fagan spent a considerable amount of time discussing a looming regulatory challenge in Illinois, where new legislation seeks to eliminate interchange on taxes and tips. He explained that this is a technical nightmare for issuers because the necessary data is not typically transmitted with the transaction. He shared that the law carries a $1,000 penalty for every non-compliant transaction. “It is going to be a real challenge to pull that part out because the breakdown of tax and tip does not come with the transaction data,” Fagan remarked.

In terms of consumer trends, Fagan pointed to the “hockey stick” growth of digital wallets. He observed that as consumers get comfortable keeping hotel keys and driver’s licenses on their phones, the inclusion of credit and debit credentials is the natural next step. He suggested that the phone itself, rather than a specific app, has become the primary wallet for most members. “Consumers have their phones with them at all times, and it is actually a safer transaction,” Fagan noted.

Fagan also discussed how Velera is using AI to handle complex tasks that previously required significant manual labor. He cited the example of interest rate adjustments following a Federal Reserve move. He noted that what once took many man-hours to update across variable-rate programs can now be accomplished almost instantly. “AI can do it in minutes, so we can put our people on revenue-generating opportunities that help credit unions grow,” Fagan said.