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CATALYZE THE BANKER//SMALL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

Crux is an analytics platform that empowers bankers to proactively drive primary relationships with small businesses through hyper-local, business-specific insights within any market

CRUX AUGMENTS

Business Development

Actionable Insights that allow bankers to engage a business at the optimal time and effectively align the best products with its needs, driving increased returns and operational efficiency

01

Optimized Pipelines

Accelerate lead identification, qualification, and prioritization within any focused market using the Crux pipeline tool

02

Improved Customer Acquisition

Increase first-sale conversion rates and speed through personalized engagement driven by intimate, specific business knowledge with in the Crux business dashboard

03

Increased Primacy

Enhance cross-selling opportunities and product conversion through Crux engagement metrics

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"One of the fundamental challenges in small business lending is getting reliable data. Many small businesses are closely held and may have some level of commingled personal and business financials. Small business generally don't have sophisticated accounting practices and tax returns only tell part of the story. With a small family-owned company, it's very unusual to have audited financials or sophisticated cash flow projections. Lenders often must piece together the financial picture of prospective clients from a wide variety of sources, including bank statements, supplier references, and site visits. This opacity and the inconsistency of financial information complicates the underwriting process for small businesses. It also highlights the need for a relationship-driven approach built upon a global view of how a business relates to its peers, the business owner's character and local market conditions."

 

- Anni Mollett, Head of Centralized Commercial Credit Management, TD Bank

Small businesses represent a significant portion of community bank portfolios nationwide, and small business banking is central to our identity. It’s both our greatest strength and biggest challenge. Community banks have a unique advantage: their bankers are deeply connected to the local economy and hold extensive networks within their communities. This allows for a more hands-on, personalized approach to client relationships. However, this high-touch model is resource-intensive and difficult to scale, which can impact an institution’s growth.

 

-Joey Arnone, Director, ICBA Innovation

“The inherent challenge in assessing small business credit risk at a systematic level is the lack of standardization in financial reporting and the prevalence of qualitative risk factors. Unlike larger corporations where we can rely on audited statements and market data, or retail accounts that have far fewer variables, small businesses present a fractured landscape of accounting practices and informal management structures. This makes developing consistent rating methodologies and models that work across the total landscape exceptionally difficult, particularly when attempting to compare risk across different regions and industries.”

-Mark Greene, Former CEO, FICO

“As more credit unions enter the small business space, they have had to completely rethink their approach to risk, relationships, and portfolio management. Our consumer lending background didn't prepare us for the complexity of business needs, differing cash flows or the interconnected nature of business and personal finances. We're learning that success requires more than just competitive rates – it demands specialized staff who understand both business operations and the unique needs of our member-owners. The challenge is empowering employees to take on the role of a trusted advisor while maintaining the personalized service our members expect from their credit union.”

- Sonya Harris, Credit Union Executive, Multiple

ABOUT US

Crux is built for bankers and is designed to bring their relationship with small businesses into a more productive era. In our success lies the success of tens of millions of small businesses across the country and the  community financial institutions that fuel their prosperity

WHY CRUX?

Small Business

Is Big Business

Crux is designed to augment the day-to-day functions of a banker to achieve better mutual outcomes as they serve small businesses across lending, deposits and treasury services. Crux creates value in 3 ways in order to drive direct gains to liquidity, income, and portfolio growth: 

01

INCREASED RETURNS

  • Enhanced cross-selling identification and product alignment

  • Improved conversion rates through personalized engagement

02

OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

  • Enhanced lead qualification and prioritization

  • Automated portfolio monitoring 

03

RISK MITIGATION

  •  Real-time market condition monitoring

  •  Automated risk indicator identification

  •  Enhanced visibility into any business

Banker/Small Business Dynamics

ALWAYS CONNECTED

Secure Data

Crux is securing its Soc 2 Type II certification. It is in its observation window and expects a completed audit by 3/1/25

Zero Integration

Crux doesn't require any integration to use and teams can be onboarded in hours. Insights are delivered directly through its secure web app 

API Connectivity

Crux can plug into any system with an API endpoint. It provides easy-to-understand documentation for direct access 

Ready to get started?

Catalyze the banker//small business relationship with Crux

CRUX AUGMENTS

Portfolio Management

Hard-to-acquire knowledge that allows bankers to mitigate the risk specific to each business while increasing wallet share, driving sustainable portfolio growth

01

Risk Mitigation

Identify the hyper-local market drivers of risk and opportunity related to any specific business with Crux business conditions

02

Automated Monitoring

Flag and act on engagement opportunities and risk indicators at the earliest possible stage with Crux business tracking

03

Enhanced Visibility

Access detailed business metrics and contextualized market conditions regardless of age or history through the Crux business dashboard

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