In the News

Direct mail is a proven and widely used channel, with 60% of financial providers investing in it, per Cornerstone Advisors. But operational inefficiencies are limiting its full potential.

For every checking account opened online, there are 3.36 applications abandoned, according to a study commissioned by Alkami and written by Cornerstone Advisors, “Annual Benchmarking Study: Digital Banking Performance Metrics.”

Digital banking continued growing at credit unions and banks in 2025, with more consumers using mobile channels, more loans being submitted online and financial institutions expanding products through digital channels, according to a new report commissioned by Alkami and conducted by Cornerstone Advisors.

Cornerstone Advisors found that 62% of credit union executives now rank new member growth among their top three concerns, up from 41% three years ago. Growth without activation is a sequel that costs more to produce and performs worse than the original.

The report shows that digital banking is firmly established as the primary channel for retail account holder interaction and is increasingly central in business banking.

For seven years, Alkami and Cornerstone Advisors have been tracking how well banks and credit unions are performing in the digital arena. Their latest 2026 Digital Banking Performance Metrics Report just dropped, and this time there’s a plot twist: business banking metrics are finally part of the conversation.

Now in its seventh year, the report expands beyond retail banking for the first time to include new benchmarks for business digital banking, while continuing to deliver insights into digital banking adoption, user engagement, and performance trends.

A 2025 Cornerstone Advisors study of consumers who experienced card fraud found that only 8% of fraud resolution experiences earned a top score.

A new report from Cornerstone Advisors reveals a fundamental disconnect in how banks and credit unions invest in marketing. The channels receiving the most budget are not the ones delivering the strongest results.

In Cornerstone Advisors’ and Fintel Connect’s recent report “The Marketing ROI Gap in Banking,” financial providers noted their underutilization of affiliate marketing—even though it delivers significant value. Though not yet mainstream among financial providers, those that leverage this tactic may beat competitors to target customers.