Customer Success Story
Fortera Credit Union achieves faster, smarter lending and improved member engagement
How Fortera Credit Union increased funded cross-sell loans by 231% YoY
Headquarters: Clarksville, TN
Branch locations: 8
Members: 90,000+
Managed assets: $970 Million
The challenge
Scaling lending operations without sacrificing experience
As Fortera Credit Union grew, its lending infrastructure needed to evolve to keep pace with rising member expectations. Legacy workflows limited automation and slowed loan funding, creating friction across both the application and onboarding process. At the same time, members increasingly expected a seamless, digital-first experience—faster decisions, greater convenience, and clear communication throughout the lending journey. Fortera had strategic growth goals, including bringing indirect lending in-house and expanding opportunities to cross-sell additional products. Achieving these objectives without increasing operational complexity required a more integrated approach to lending.
The solution
MeridianLink Consumer, MeridianLink Opening, and MeridianLink Insight
Fortera implemented MeridianLink® Consumer, MeridianLink® Opening, and MeridianLink® Insight to automate key lending workflows and simplify account opening experience, and gain greater visibility into lending performance. The integrated platform enabled seamless digital applications, improved communication with members, and actionable insights to help Fortera optimize and scale its lending operations.
Why Fortera Credit Union selected MeridianLink
Loan funding time reduced by 50%
231% year-over-year increase in funded cross-sell loans
Instant decision rate increased from 17.8% to 46.44% in under a year
The results
Smarter processes, stronger experiences, accelerated growth
Fortera Credit Union leveraged MeridianLink solutions to transform both its internal operations and the member experience. Automated communication allows members to receive real-time updates through their preferred channels, improving transparency and engagement throughout the loan process. The integration between lending and account opening introduced a combined application that allows members to enter their information once, creating a smoother onboarding experience.
Increased automation and data visibility have also enabled Fortera to continuously refine processes and remove bottlenecks. Managers now use dashboards and KPIs to track metrics such as application traffic, decision times, and funding performance. As a result, Fortera has expanded product offerings and strengthened its ability to deliver fast, convenient financial services to members.
