Citizens Bank of Edmond partners with Teslar Software to transform lending

By Edlyn Cardoza

Citizens Bank of Edmond and Teslar Software recently announced their partnership to transform the bank’s lending processes. The $370 million asset bank was first introduced to Teslar Software at the 2019 ICBA ThinkTECH accelerator in Little Rock, Arkansas and later partnered with FinTech during the pandemic.

The bank first utilised Teslar to manage the PPP forgiveness process. Citizens Bank of Edmond and Teslar Software later partnered with Mark Cuban in Spring 2020 to launch PPP.bank, a free tool to help small businesses easily apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during the pandemic.

“The best fintech partners are those that share our values, deeply care for their customers and seek constant improvement. We’ve seen that since the beginning with Teslar Software, which is why we decided to form a longer-term relationship,” said Jill Castilla, CEO and president of Citizens Bank of Edmond. “By implementing Teslar’s platform, we expect to widen visibility into our loan pipeline, streamlining communication across departments and paving the way for faster loan turnaround times. The transparency Teslar provides also allows us to deliver real-time updates and offer better accessibility to customers.”

Teslar Software provides lending process automation tools such as loan origination, operational workflows, portfolio management and credit risk management. With Teslar, Citizens Bank of Edmond will be able to eliminate manual, paper-based processes, increasing efficiencies across lending and allowing lenders to spend more time strengthening customer relationships. The bank also plans to utilise Teslar to help small businesses navigate SBA lending programs seamlessly and efficiently.

“Citizens Bank of Edmond is a leader when it comes to leveraging technology and implementing strategies to more fully support small businesses,” said Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software. “With our platform, they can digitise more aspects of commercial lending, creating a simpler, more intuitive experience for bankers and customers alike. We are proud to partner with Citizens as they continue to go above and beyond to serve their community.”