Cornerstone Advisors Research Shows Banks and Credit Unions How to Turn Financial Wellness Into Measurable Growth

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 20, 2026 — Banks and credit unions say improving consumers’ financial health is central to their mission, but few can prove their programs make customers financially better off. New research from Cornerstone Advisors calls for replacing education-first financial wellness programs with a measurable financial performance strategy that connects consumer improvement to institutional growth.

The report, Monetizing the Mission: The Financial Lift Opportunity, was written by Ron Shevlin, chief research officer at Cornerstone Advisors, and commissioned by Bloom Credit. It defines “financial lift” as the measurable dollar value of improvement available to, or achieved by, a consumer across six categories: idle cash, debt costs, credit, fees, cash flow and expenses.

The report maintains that most banks and credit unions cannot connect financial wellness activity to deposit growth, loan conversion, retention or share of wallet. It identifies a significant gap between institutions’ stated missions and the results consumers experience:

• 53% of credit union members say their primary institution has no impact on their financial wellness.
• An analysis of more than 200 studies published in Management Science found financial education interventions explained just 0.1% of financial behaviors.
• Although 95% of banks and credit unions provide consumers with access to credit scores, fewer than 5% offer tools designed to improve them.

“The industry has spent years measuring participation in financial wellness programs instead of measuring whether consumers are actually better off,” Shevlin said. “Financial lift gives banks and credit unions a practical way to quantify customer improvement, prove their role in creating it and connect the mission to sustainable growth.”

The report recommends measuring dollars of lift delivered to consumers against a non-enrolled comparison group, then linking those outcomes to deposits retained, interchange earned, loans converted and relationships preserved. For banking executives, the central takeaway is clear: Financial health becomes a growth strategy only when measurable consumer outcomes and institutional returns appear on the same scorecard.

Key findings include:

• Consumers benefit when institutions shift from providing information to delivering products that lower costs, build credit, improve cash flow and put idle money to work.
• Banks and credit unions could generate more than $1.6 billion by offering credit score reporting and management, subscription management and bill management and negotiation services.
• Integrating credit reporting into checking accounts represents a $110 billion deposit opportunity and more than $1.5 billion in annual interchange revenue for the banking industry.
• For every 1,000 deposit customers attracted through credit reporting, the model indicates roughly $1 million in incremental annual interchange revenue.

The report also outlines seven moves executives can use to build a financial performance growth strategy, including product segmentation, embedded credit building, leadership accountability and board-level measurement of results.

“Financial institutions are uniquely positioned to deliver meaningful financial outcomes because they already have the relationships, transaction data and trust required to help consumers take action,” said Christian Widhalm, CEO of Bloom Credit. “This research demonstrates how institutions can compete on measurable outcomes instead of just participation or relying solely on rates, fees and digital features.”

The report details a framework for improving consumers’ financial performance, a methodology for measuring results and a business case for generating additional revenue through deeper, more durable relationships.

The report is available to download free here.

About Cornerstone Advisors

For over 20 years, Cornerstone Advisors has delivered gritty insights, bold strategies and data-driven solutions to build smarter banks, credit unions and fintechs. From technology system selection and implementation to contract negotiations, vendor management, performance improvement programs, strategic planning, merger integration and enterprise program management, Cornerstone combines its expertise with proprietary data and research to help financial institutions thrive in today’s challenging environment. For more information, visit www.crnrstone.com.

About Bloom Credit

Bloom Credit is a financial data infrastructure company. Bloom's API platform, strategic relationships and innovations, such as Bloom+, the company’s consumer-permissioned credit-building solution that enables consumers to build credit by reporting eligible recurring bill payments to credit bureaus through their checking accounts, enable access to validated financial data and reporting in real time. The company’s fintech solutions empower organizations to create, launch and grow new classes of credit products, increase business relevance and better address their consumers’ needs. To learn more, visit www.bloomcredit.io.

Contact:

Cate Pitts, Editorial Director
Cornerstone Advisors
(480) 425-5203
Email