Citizens Bank picks MANTL to speed account opening
Fri, 29th May 2026 (Today)
Citizens Bank has selected MANTL to modernise deposit account opening for retail and business customers, expanding the Tennessee lender's existing relationship with digital banking provider Alkami.
The bank plans to use MANTL's onboarding and account-opening tools across online, branch, and field channels. The system is expected to allow retail customers to open deposit accounts in under five minutes online and in under 10 minutes at a branch, while business customers will be able to open accounts remotely or in person.
Citizens Bank operates 14 offices across East Tennessee and serves the Tri-Cities and Knoxville markets. It already uses Alkami's digital banking platform, and adding MANTL is intended to bring account opening more closely into alignment with its broader digital banking service.
As part of the rollout, Citizens Bank expects to automate more than 85% of application decisions, including Know Your Customer, Anti-Money Laundering, and Bank Secrecy Act checks, as well as product service ordering, funding, and core booking.
The greater use of automation is expected to reduce manual work for staff while keeping account opening available across multiple channels. Community banks face growing pressure to simplify onboarding for consumers and businesses as more customers expect to start and complete banking tasks digitally.
Existing ties
The deal builds on a broader relationship between Citizens Bank and Alkami, whose products are used by banks and credit unions across the US. By combining Alkami's digital banking system with MANTL's account-opening software, Citizens Bank is aiming to create a more consistent process from onboarding through ongoing digital banking use.
Citizens Bank has USD $1.4 billion in assets and was founded in 1934. Alongside its retail and business banking operations, it is a Preferred Lender with the US Small Business Administration and ranked No. 34 in 2025 for SBA loan dollar volume, according to information released by the companies.
Kelli Cooper, Senior Vice President of Retail and Digital Banking at Citizens Bank, highlighted the project's operational focus.
"MANTL helps us remove friction from the account opening process while preserving the high-touch service our customers expect," Cooper said. "This collaboration allows us to deliver faster, more intuitive onboarding across channels, improve internal efficiency, and continue building trusted relationships with the individuals and businesses we serve."
Account opening
Within Alkami, MANTL is positioned as a specialist team for loan and deposit account-opening technology. The software will support retail and business deposit onboarding through a single set of workflows across digital and in-person channels.
Account opening has become a key point of competition for banks as lenders seek to attract deposits while limiting drop-off during the application process. Faster onboarding and automated compliance checks can reduce operating costs, although banks still need to balance that with customer verification and fraud controls.
For Alkami, the Citizens Bank deployment is part of a broader strategy to connect digital banking with customer acquisition and onboarding tools. The company says tighter integration between those functions can help banks offer a single journey rather than separate systems for opening and managing accounts.
Taylor Adkins, Vice President of Product Management at Alkami, said the partnership extends work already underway between the two companies.
"Alkami is proud to expand our relationship with Citizens Bank as they take the next step in modernizing their account opening experience," Adkins said. "By combining a seamless digital banking experience with a more intuitive account opening process, Citizens Bank is improving accessibility for customers, empowering employees, and driving efficiency across the entire origination journey. Together, we are helping deliver a unified experience that supports long-term deposit growth and stronger account holder relationships."