Small Screens, Big Picture: A New Digital Platform for How Customers Bank Today

Farmers & Merchants Bank has completed a major upgrade to its digital banking infrastructure, launching a new online and mobile platform that expands capabilities for business and retail customers.

Launched in April, the new online banking system provides a single, integrated experience that delivers the same functionality across desktop and mobile devices, removing limitations on where and how Farmers and Merchants Bank customers — particularly business clients — can conduct core banking tasks.

Expanded Capabilities for Business

The digital banking platform, by Candescent, gives business clients full mobile access to treasury management functions that were previously limited to the desktop. Businesses can approve automated clearing house network (ACH) transactions, review and resolve Positive Pay exceptions, authorize wires and manage daily banking activity from their mobile devices.

“We have a lot of businesses that are just on the go,” said Pepper Morrison, Business Solutions Director.

The platform also delivers improved reporting tools for business users, with more detailed insight into ACH activity, wire processing and account usage. Businesses can reorder checks directly through online banking and use Autobooks, an integrated invoicing and accounting tool that supports billing and cash-flow management within the platform.

“This addition significantly enhances our suite of available services,” Morrison said, “providing businesses with more streamlined financial management tools moving forward.”

While expanding digital functionality, the bank has remained laser-focused on security. The new platform uses robust multi-factor authentication (MFA), with expanded MFA options designed specifically for business customers.

New Tools, Flexibility for Retail Customers

Retail customers benefit from the same unified design and expanded functionality, including online loan payments and external account transfers. Personal financial management tools allow customers to aggregate external accounts, set savings goals and view a consolidated picture of their finances.

The platform also supports customized digital experiences, enabling the bank to present features and information tailored to customer needs and usage patterns.

Grant Belyea, Vice President and Electronic Banking and Account Services Director, led the months-long effort to launch the new platform.

“We think our customers — retail and business — will be excited by the power of this platform,” Belyea said. “We’ve essentially created a digital branch that accommodates all of their needs and gives them additional features.”

Built for Growth and Innovation

In addition to current functionality, the platform provides a foundation for future enhancements — new digital products, services and integrations — as technologies and customer expectations evolve.

And behind the scenes, it provides 13 executive dashboards offering enhanced reporting and analytics to provide bank leaders with comprehensive performance metrics and detailed information on customer activity, which Belyea said can lead to additional insights and offerings for customers. 

“This platform gives us flexibility we didn’t have before and puts us in a position to continue building on what we’ve launched,” Belyea said.