Cornerstone : Web Software Development
Summary
Cornerstone Credit Union is a community financial institution with more than 190,000 members throughout the upper Midwest. As a member-owned cooperative, Cornerstone had earned high trust levels, but its online footprint had not matched its 60-year history of trust building.
About Cornerstone Credit Union
Cornerstone Credit Union is a community financial institution with more than 190,000 members throughout the upper Midwest. As a member-owned cooperative, Cornerstone had earned high trust levels, but its online footprint had not matched its 60-year history of trust building.
The outdated CMS required developer support for routine marketing updates. The member portal was a third-party white-label product with limited customisation and consistently low member satisfaction scores. Paper loan applications were available only at branch locations, creating significant barriers for rural members.
Markeltree was asked to design and build a completely custom web platform for Cornerstone, serving both prospective members and current account holders.
- Web Platform Strategy and UX Design
- Headless CMS Architecture and Implementation
- Core Banking System Integration
- Member Portal Development
- Digital Loan Application Workflow Engineering
- Financial Tools and Calculator Development
The Challenges
Every project starts with real problems. Here are the core challenges we tackled for this engagement.
Marketing staff could not update the existing public website without developer assistance, leading to information bottlenecks and outdated content.
The white-label member portal had no integration with the core banking system and could only be used to process work items submitted manually by staff.
There were no online loan applications all applications required a branch visit, which posed a significant barrier for rural members.
Cornerstone lacked web-based financial tools such as calculators, rate comparators, and educational content that competing institutions offered.
The platform had to adhere to WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards and all applicable financial services web regulations.
Core approach & deliverables
A breakdown of the core components built and delivered for this project.
Content Management Architecture for Non-Technical Staff
The public-facing website was built on a modern headless CMS platform, enabling Cornerstone's marketing and communications team to create, schedule, and publish content without developer involvement. Custom content types were developed for branch locations, rates, product pages, financial education articles, and promotional campaigns with consistent fields ensuring uniformity regardless of who was posting.
Core Banking System Integration
The member portal was completely rebuilt as a custom application connected directly to Cornerstone's core banking system. Members could log in, view account balances and transaction history, initiate transfers, request services, and contact support all changes appearing seamlessly in the core banking system without manual staff processing. Two-factor authentication and session security were implemented to meet financial services security requirements.
Digital Loan Application Engine
Markeltree built a comprehensive online application lifecycle for personal loans, auto loans, and home equity products. The engine guided members through a structured intake process with a secure document upload interface and automated initial eligibility screening that routed completed applications to the appropriate underwriting team. Rural members could apply without visiting a branch and track application status throughout the underwriting process.
Financial Tools and Member Acquisition Features
Markeltree developed a suite of financial calculators including payment, savings, and mortgage calculators, alongside an automatically updated rate comparison tool pulling data directly from the core banking system. A streamlined membership application process enabled potential members to open accounts entirely online, removing the requirement for an in-person branch visit.
Accessible and Compliant Design
All platform components were designed to WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, with automated accessibility testing integrated into the deployment pipeline. Legal and compliance reviews were embedded into the design and development process from the outset to ensure the platform met all applicable financial services web requirements at launch.
Key Outcomes & Impact
Custom public website with headless CMS architecture enabling staff-managed content publishing without developer involvement.
Member portal with direct core banking system integration eliminating all manual processing workflows.
Personal, auto, and home equity loan application engine with real-time application status tracking.
Financial tools suite including calculators and an automatically updated rate comparison tool.
Platform certified to WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard at launch.
We put our members first, and that is something they have always trusted us with, but our members' experience online had fallen short of that. The rural loan access was something we really needed to do for a long time our members deserve to be treated like that.
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