Allied Payment Network, Inc. (Allied), the industry leader in real-time, open-network payments solutions to banks and credit unions, announced today its partnership with Commencement Bank to provide its real-time payment solutions. Allied’s solutions will integrate with the bank’s enterprise core banking platform from CSI.

Based in Tacoma, Washington with over $580 million in assets, Commencement Bank was formed in 2006 to provide traditional, reliable, and sustainable banking throughout its communities. The bank prides itself on delivering personal service and building thoughtful relationships. Guided by a seasoned senior management team of local bankers, Commencement Bank continues to grow, ensuring that more of Puget Sound has access to true community banking.

The bank’s relationship with Allied began in early 2021 when it changed digital banking providers and made the switch to the Allied payments solution. In 2023, Commencement was faced with a core conversion and chose to move to CSI. “At the time, however, CSI didn’t have an active integration with Allied,” said Tricia Ott, SVP of Operations & Digital Services for Commencement Bank. “But given that our experience with Allied has been so positive, we very much wanted to stay with them. Fortunately, CSI was willing to integrate with Allied.” Ott adds, “We love the interface, the support, and the experiences we’ve had with Allied – and our customers love the tool as well. It was a no-brainer for us to want to stay with them.”

“We were honoured to have Commencement Bank show its support for Allied by convincing CSI to integrate with our solutions,” said Jeff Harper, Chief Revenue Officer at Allied. “I can’t think of a higher compliment. We think of our customers as partners, and this shows that our approach is yielding positive results.”

“At Commencement Bank, we are committed to providing premier banking services through innovative products, state-of-the-art technology and our team’s extensive expertise that helps our customers build financial success. Continuing to partner with Allied supports that mission,” said Ott.

Trusted by over 500 financial institutions across 49 states, Allied continues to see strong growth. Just last month, the company announced it added more than 40 new financial institution clients so far this year, expanding access to its solutions to more than one million account holders. Allied processed over $3.6 billion in payments last year alone and expects to surpass those numbers this year.

“Community banks like Commencement Bank are known for the relationships they build with customers and the exceptional service they deliver. Their customers aren’t just numbers; they are their neighbors and friends,” said Allied CEO Geoff Knapp. “Just as they are an ally for their community, we are an ally for them. We look forward to working with Commencement and bringing superior payment technology to their customers.”