What's the Dilly-o with analytics & BI: a buyer's guide for credit unions

The Dilly-o

We'd start with the data you already own: map what your core and digital banking platform report today before you buy another dashboard. Then pick a vendor that unifies those sources, connects to your systems and lets you take your data with you when you leave. We'd also get the exit and data ownership terms in writing before you sign.

How we'd size up a vendor

1. Data foundation - can it pull your core, digital banking and card data into one place you control? Ask how often it refreshes and who fixes a broken feed.
2. System fit - does it connect to your core and your digital banking platform today? Ask for live credit unions running your exact setup that you can call.
3. Exit and ownership - who owns your data, reports and models when the contract ends? Ask for export formats, termination for convenience and deletion terms in writing.
4. Explainability and privacy - can it show why a model flagged a member, and what member behavior it tracks? Ask how it supports adverse-action reasons and consent for website and app tracking.

What changed this year

In April 2026, NCUA's AI page said it has issued no AI-specific rules and that existing technology-neutral regulations apply.³ On September 15, 2026, NCUA and the other federal banking agencies proposed replacing the 2023 interagency third-party risk guidance.⁴ The new framework would scale oversight to each third party's assessed risk, and comments close November 16, 2026.⁵⁶

Will it work with your systems?

Your digital banking platform may bring analytics partners with it. Alkami and Arkatechture, for example, announced a partnership and integration on August 4, 2026.¹ In Jack Henry's Fintech Integration Network for Symitar credit unions, Narmi is listed under Digital Banking.^C Ask your provider which analytics partners it integrates with and what member data it sends them.

What other credit unions did

Harvard Federal Credit Union chose Arkatechture's Arkalytics platform to unify data and streamline reporting.² TCU went a different way, partnering with Finalytics.ai on a behavioral intelligence platform that changes its website based on each user's intent.⁷ Both announcements describe goals and features, so ask either vendor for a peer you can call about results.

What your examiner will ask

NCUA's AI page points credit unions to its third-party due diligence letters from 2001 and 2007.³ NCUA's letter on third-party relationships says contracts should cover ownership of and access to records, audit rights, data security, member confidentiality and termination clauses.⁸ NCUA's 72-hour cyber incident reporting rule also reaches incidents at CUSOs and cloud providers.⁹ If analytics feed lending decisions, the reasons you give a declined member must describe the factors the model scored.¹⁰ Have your due diligence file, the signed contract, incident notice terms and your oversight records ready.

What it costs

Pricing for most of these vendors is not public in what we found, so ask for a written quote. Implementation timelines are not public either, so ask for a dated plan tied to your core. NCUA notes that some credit unions accepted large buyout or termination penalties believing they were fixed, when those terms are often negotiable.¹¹ NCUA also says contracts should let you terminate for both cause and convenience.¹²

Food for thought

We think the next question for your board is what member behavior you collect, who sees it and whether members would expect it.