In the rush to digitize everything, community and regional banks face pressure to offer flashy online account opening — or risk being labeled "behind." 

But here’s the truth no one wants to admit: going fully digital without the right safeguards is a recipe for fraud, inefficiency, and reputation damage. 

The industry is pushing online self-serve onboarding. But with it comes an alarming surge in fraud: 

Fraudsters target community and regional banks because they often lack enterprise-grade identity verification tools. Meanwhile, frustrated customers face slow in-branch processes, rework, and multi-step forms that still feel like 2005. 

Every minute wasted — digitally or in-branch — costs you: 

• Customer trust 
• Revenue from walkouts or drop-offs 
• Operational efficiency 
• Regulatory and audit risk 

1 in 4

1 in 4 desktop reset attempts was a fraud attack last year.¹

9.5x

New accounts are 9.5x more likely to be used for fraud than mature ones² 

45% 

45% of all new fintech accounts in 2023 were flagged as “risky” by fraud teams³

50%

Half of U.S. financial institutions reported an increase in fraud targeting business accounts in the past year.⁴

Alternate Perspective: The Branch Isn’t Legacy — It’s Leverage 

Community banks were built on trust and relationships, not transaction speed. 

Digital convenience matters, but in-person onboarding remains a competitive advantage — especially when fraud, regulation, and customer experience intersect. 

In-branch account opening provides: 

• Face-to-face ID verification 
• Live fraud detection by trained staff 
• Hands-on guidance for complex account types 
• Personalized cross-sell and relationship-building moments 
• Compliance oversight and audit protection 

But here’s the challenge: you won’t win on relationships alone if your in-branch tools are still stuck in the past. 

In-Branch Alone Isn’t Enough — Legacy Systems Are Holding You Back 

You may have the staff and service model — but not the tools to support them. That’s where most friction happens. 

What we hear from institutions like yours: 

• “We re-enter account info in three systems — Silverlake or CIF 20/20, KYC, CRM.” 
• “We’re still scanning and manually filing paper forms.” 
• “Compliance relies on individual staff remembering what to check.” 
• “It takes 30+ minutes to open one consumer account — if it’s smooth.” 

These breakdowns create delays, errors, and inconsistent experiences — undermining the very trust and personalization your bank is known for. 

The Solution: SNAP by Zelus Automation Platform 

SNAP transforms in-branch account opening from a slow, fragmented task into a modern, guided workflow that integrates directly with Jack Henry’s SilverLake and CIF 2020. 

With SNAP, your team opens accounts faster, more consistently, and with less training — while preserving the in-person value your customers count on. 

With SNAP, Banks Can: 

• Reduce onboarding time by up to 80% 
• Eliminate rekeying and duplicate data entry 
• Ensure compliance with built-in CIP/BSA logic 
• Standardize operations across every branch 
• Protect against fraud without relying on remote identity tools 
• Deliver a high-touch experience, powered by automation 
• Automates data capture, scan documents with a camera and automatically index them and send them to core 
• Enhances both Customer and Banker experience 

“We used to spend 25–40 minutes rekeying forms and chasing down documents. With SNAP, our teams are done in under 10 minutes — and they have time to talk to customers, not screens.” 

 — VP of Operations, $1B+ Regional Bank 

Key Features at a Glance 

Feature

Benefit

Final Thought 

Modernizing your bank doesn’t mean removing people — it means equipping them with the right tools. 

SNAP helps community and regional banks unlock the power of in-branch service with modern speed, precision, and confidence. 

Ready to Modernize the Most Important Workflow in Banking? 

Book a 15-minute discovery call at https://www.zap-llc.com/contact-us 

Or email us at sales@zap-llc.com 

📌 Source Annotations 

1. LexisNexis Risk Solutions, 2024 Digital Identity Report 
2. SpyCloud, 2024 Account Takeover and Fraud Report 
3. TransUnion, “New Account Fraud Trends,” 2023 
4. Alloy, “2024 Fraud Stats for Banks, Fintechs, and Credit Unions”