Customer: Texas Trust Credit Union

Protecting a digital-first mission

Member-owned and mission-driven, Texas Trust Credit Union has consistently focused on one thing: helping members build brighter financial futures. This shows up not only in the products it offers, but in the way it designs experiences, making it easy for members to self-serve, move money, and stay in control. That includes perks like member education, covering tutorials, videos, and even webinars.

But as banking has increasingly moved online, members expect the same speed and simplicity from account funding and transfers that they see across the rest of their digital lives—without losing the security they count on from their primary financial institution.

When friction and fraud collide

At Texas Trust, that tension came to a head in 2025 when it found itself facing two connected challenges at once: a dated account verification experience that created member friction, and a growing fraud threat that demanded stronger controls.

On the experience side, traditional solutions like micro-deposits were still used to verify external accounts, but this no longer matched member expectations. Instead, it created a friction-filled experience at a pivotal moment when members were trying to fund accounts or transfer money. From a risk perspective, account takeover fraud had emerged as the most prevalent threat, increasing pressure on Texas Trust to keep members safe, even at the expense of convenience.

That tension peaked in March 2025, when the credit union saw a major surge in ACH external transfer fraud tied to account takeovers. “The risk had become so severe,” explained Travis Tedford, Vice President of Digital Experience at Texas Trust, “that we temporarily disabled external transfers to protect our members. It was an effective stopgap, but nowhere near a sustainable solution.”

A smarter way to link accounts

Texas Trust had already selected Access Softek as its digital banking platform and valued the company’s pace of innovation, quarterly enhancements, and collaborative approach to improving the member experience. “Access Softek was a terrific partner from the very start,” said Tedford. “They’re constantly improving their product and are serious about the role they play in helping mitigate fraud.”

Shortly thereafter, Plaid’s integration with Access Softek unlocked a clear path to restoring external transfers. The solution introduced stronger security and speed when connecting external accounts, both to fund a new Texas Trust account and to transfer funds or make payments.

Stopping fraud before money moves

That peace of mind stems from Plaid’s instant account verification and identity matching technologies, which serve as a trusted verification layer without requiring additional information from members. Their implementation allowed Texas Trust to confidently re-enable external transfers, restoring a key functionality for members while reducing account takeover fraud.

The impact was immediate, with ACH-related fraud losses cut by 98% from Q1 to Q3. At the same time, members gained the ability to view external balances and transaction histories on their linked accounts, turning Texas Trust into its members’ primary financial hub—not just another institution.

Operationally, Texas Trust moved from broad, manual risk reviews to a more targeted approach. The shift has freed up frontline employees to quickly gauge risk and support members when an account can’t be linked, reducing unnecessary reviews while improving response times and member experience.

Expanding secure money movement

For Texas Trust, these solutions serve as the foundation for what comes next: faster, safer, more flexible ways for members to manage money on their terms.