Fiserv & BAFS Deal Levels the Field for Credit Union Commercial Lending

MONROE, LA – December 02, 2025 – In a significant move to reshape the commercial lending landscape for community financial institutions, Business Alliance Financial Services (BAFS) has announced a key integration of its BLAST® lending platform with Portico® from Fiserv, a leading account processing system. This partnership is poised to provide thousands of credit unions with the technological firepower needed to expand their commercial loan portfolios, a market segment they have been aggressively pursuing.

The integration enables credit unions operating on the Portico core to seamlessly deploy BAFS’s BLAST, a comprehensive commercial loan origination and accounting software. The collaboration aims to dismantle many of the traditional barriers that have prevented smaller institutions from competing effectively with larger banks in the lucrative, yet complex, world of commercial finance.

A Growing Appetite Met by New Challenges

Credit unions are no longer just focused on consumer auto loans and mortgages. Over the past decade, they have become increasingly vital players in the business lending market. Industry data reveals a dramatic shift, with credit union commercial loan portfolios skyrocketing by over 200% since 2014. In 2022 alone, commercial loans at federally insured credit unions surged by nearly 25%, a growth rate that more than doubled that of traditional banks. This strategic pivot is driven by a need to diversify revenue streams, deepen member relationships, and fulfill their community-centric missions by supporting local businesses.

However, this rapid expansion has not been without its challenges. Credit unions face a unique set of hurdles, including strict regulatory caps on Member Business Lending (MBL), which limit the total percentage of assets they can allocate to commercial loans. Furthermore, many institutions lack the specialized in-house expertise and robust infrastructure required for sophisticated commercial underwriting, risk management, and loan servicing. Competing against the speed and scale of national banks and agile fintech lenders, which often boast fully digital and near-instantaneous approval processes, has proven difficult for credit unions relying on legacy systems and manual workflows.

A Strategic Integration for a New Era

The partnership between BAFS and Fiserv directly addresses these pain points. By connecting the Portico core processing system—the operational heart of a credit union—with the specialized BLAST lending platform, the integration creates a streamlined, end-to-end ecosystem for commercial lending. This allows for the automation of workflows, real-time portfolio insights through intuitive dashboards, and the assurance of audit-ready compliance features.

“Credit unions are increasingly seeking ways to grow and diversify their lending portfolios while maintaining operational efficiency,” said Dudley White, Head of Core Account Processing Solutions at Fiserv. “By connecting Portico with the BLAST platform, we are making it easier for credit unions to tap into specialized commercial lending expertise and technology that support their goals and strengthen service to members.”

The integration supports the entire loan lifecycle, from initial origination and underwriting to ongoing servicing and compliance reporting. This holistic approach is designed to boost efficiency, reduce the potential for manual error, and accelerate decision-making, allowing credit unions to provide a member experience that rivals their larger competitors.

More Than Software: The 'Service' Differentiator

What sets this initiative apart from other technology upgrades is BAFS’s flexible delivery model. The company, founded by commercial lenders, understands that technology alone isn't always enough. Many credit unions lack the staffing capacity to manage a growing commercial loan department. In response, BAFS offers its solution as both a standalone software platform and a full-service support model.

This “software with a service” approach is a key differentiator in a crowded market of lending software providers like nCino and Baker Hill. Credit unions can choose to use the BLAST platform to empower their existing teams, or they can opt to outsource their entire back-office lending operations to BAFS’s team of former bankers and credit officers. This allows an institution to scale its commercial lending program almost overnight, without the significant overhead of hiring and training specialized personnel.

“Commercial lending may seem intimidating to scale for credit unions that lack the internal resources, system infrastructure, or staffing capacity, but it does not have to be,” explained Richard Guillot, CEO of BAFS. “Leveraging the right technology can empower smarter lending decisions, operational efficiency, and sustainable portfolio growth. The BAFS integration with Portico gives credit unions access to the tools and support needed to modernize lending without sacrificing mission.”

BAFS reports that recent AI-driven enhancements to its platform have already demonstrated significant results, improving underwriting turnaround times by over 30% and reducing the time to produce closing documents by more than 50%—efficiencies that translate directly into a better borrower experience.

Democratizing Finance for Main Street

The ultimate impact of this integration extends beyond the balance sheets of the credit unions themselves. By equipping these community-focused institutions with sophisticated, scalable lending tools, the BAFS-Fiserv partnership effectively democratizes access to capital for small and medium-sized businesses across the country. Credit unions are uniquely positioned to understand the needs of their local economies, and empowering them to offer more competitive and complex commercial financial products strengthens their ability to fuel local economic development.

As small businesses continue to navigate a dynamic economic environment, their ability to secure timely and appropriate financing is critical. This partnership provides the technological rails to connect local businesses with the community-based financial partners they trust, ensuring that innovation in financial technology serves not only the institutions but the communities they are chartered to support.