United Community Bank Presented with Celent Model Bank Award
United Community Bank was nominated because of its Autobooks Payment Processing Modules, directly integrated into United’s digital banking platform. Celent banking analysts found the nomination compelling and United was recognized at the 2023 Innovation and Insight (I&I) event on March 29th. As a Celent Model Bank, a case study of United’s initiative was featured in a Celent report that was published before the award announcement. Additionally, event attendees were shown a short video discussing the key aspects of the initiative to provide ideas for future bank projects.
“United Community Bank is honored to be recognized amongst some of the top financial institutions as we focus on innovation to create added value for our customers. Our Autobooks integration is a great example of this strategic focus and the partnership it takes to execute through the development and delivery cycles,” said David Barrows, United Community Bank’s Digital Banking Director. “For more than 15 years, Celent has been renowned for highlighting distinguished financial programs. We are honored to receive such an esteemed award.”
Nominations are submitted by financial institutions and undergo a rigorous evaluation process by Celent analysts. Celent judges submissions on three core criteria: demonstrable business benefits of live initiatives; the degree of innovation relative to the industry; and the technology or implementation excellence.
According to Alenka Grealish, Senior Analyst at Celent, “The Model Bank Awards recognize how banks are using technology to change the face of banking. These banks should serve as an inspiration to others looking for strong examples of best practice implementation that will have a truly meaningful impact on business results and the industry overall. The entry from United Community Bank clearly demonstrated this.”
About United Community Banks, Inc.
United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ: UCBI) provides a full range of banking, wealth management and mortgage services for consumers and business owners. As of December 31, 2022, United had $24.0 billion in assets and 192 offices in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, along with a national SBA lending franchise and a national equipment lending subsidiary. The company, known as "The Bank That SERVICE Built," has been recognized nationally for delivering award-winning service. In 2022, J.D. Power ranked United highest in customer satisfaction with consumer banking in the Southeast, marking eight out of the last nine years United has earned the coveted award. Forbes recognized United as one of the top ten World's Best Banks in 2022. Forbes also included United on its 2022 list of the 100 Best Banks in America for the ninth consecutive year. United also received ten Greenwich Excellence Awards in 2021 for excellence in Small Business Banking and Middle Market Banking, including national awards for Overall Satisfaction and Likelihood to Recommend. United was also named one of the "Best Banks to Work For" by American Banker in 2022 for the sixth consecutive year based on employee satisfaction. Additional information about United can be found at www.ucbi.com.
