One of the biggest impacts of COVID-19 in the financial services world has been to invigorate the relationship between banks and fintechs. This week’s news that Berkshire Bank has turned to cloud-based document management solution provider Cirrus to help it manage financial relief efforts for small businesses is another example of this trend.
“Cirrus’ portal plays a key role in expediting the process of managing SBA loans, enabling Berkshire Bank to collaborate remotely, execute rapidly, and scale quickly to efficiently address the influx in loan requests and alleviate the document chaos associated with SBA lending,” Cirrus founder and CEO David Brooks explained.
Challenged with a massive inflow of SBA loan requests, including 942 Paycheck Protection Program loans on the program’s first day, Berkshire Bank will also benefit from real-time transparency into the progress of each loan. The combination of automation and greater visibility via the integration make the overall lending process faster and more efficient, for both the bank and the customer.
This capacity, Brooks noted in an article written last month, is important. But so is scalability and the ability of businesses and the solutions they depend on to react and adapt to new potential challenges. “With a new administration in place, it is uncertain what additional relief programs may be on the horizon,” Brooks wrote. “By taking time to evaluate existing technology and operational workflows to ensure they are configurable and scalable to support PPP, financial institutions will be better positioned to accommodate future programs.”
Headquartered in Evergreen, Colorado, Cirrus works with banks and other businesses to help them better manage the document processing needs of their commercial and small business accountholders during onboarding and when seeking financing. The company made its Finovate debut last year at our all-digital conference, demonstrating version six of its front-end document management solution.
Founded in 2018, Cirrus includes The FIS FinTech Accelerator in Partnership with The Venture Center and Queen City Fintech among its investors.
Berkshire Bank operates 130 branch offices in New England and New York, and has $12.9 billion in assets. The bank is owned by Berkshire Hills Bancorp, a Boston, Massachusetts-based bank holding company.
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