Credit Union of Texas Modernizes Payment Experiences for Members

Credit Union of Texas (CUTX) is a member-owned financial institution dedicated to delivering simple, convenient banking experiences that help members manage their financial lives with confidence.

The challenge

As CUTX expanded its digital banking strategy, the organization recognized that members had differing payment experiences for loan, credit card and lease payments because each relied on a different payment system. Employees also had to work across payment systems that operated differently and processed payments on different timelines. This made it more difficult for employees to answer member questions and troubleshoot payment issues.

Enrolling members in automatic loan payments was particularly burdensome. Members completed paper direct payment forms to authorize debit card or ACH payments. Staff then manually processed approximately 25,000–27,000 of these direct payment setup forms annually on the back end. 

CUTX wanted a simpler, more consistent payment experience for both members and employees.

The solution  

To create a more consistent experience for members and employees, CUTX partnered with PayNearMe across loan payments, lease payments, deposit-related payments and credit cards through PayXM™, PayNearMe’s platform for Payment Experience Management.

Before CUTX implemented PayNearMe, members used separate payment portals depending on the type of payment they needed to make. That fragmented experience also added complexity for employees assisting them. As Brandi Rose explains:

The different payment systems didn’t all work the same way or process payments on the same timeline, making it difficult for our frontline teams to quickly troubleshoot member questions.

With these payment experiences connected through PayNearMe, CUTX added recurring payment functionality and more payment options for members, while enhancing reporting and reconciliation capabilities for staff.

In March 2026, CUTX expanded its PayNearMe implementation to support members making payments to their credit card accounts. The expansion made more than 14,000 credit card accounts eligible for both self-service and agent-assisted payments through the PayNearMe portal. For credit card payments, PayNearMe processes the payment and provides the payment information to CUTX for posting through its existing process, so members don’t have to navigate a separate payment system.

CUTX continues to build on the partnership by refining reporting, payment workflows and operational processes as part of its long-term strategy to deliver an even more connected, convenient payment experience.

The results

Today, CUTX processes between 25,000 and 30,000 loan and lease payments each month through the PayXM platform, and that volume continues to grow. 

The partnership has also reduced manual work. Annual direct payment form volume has decreased as more members choose self-service digital payment options instead of relying on staff assistance.

Members are increasingly using alternative payment methods, including Cash App Pay, Venmo, PayPal and Cash at Retail. These methods now account for approximately 9% of all payments. CUTX leadership believes greater payment choice may contribute to the credit union’s approximately 1% payment return rate.

PayNearMe’s enhanced reporting gave CUTX greater visibility into its payment activity and revealed that staff were waiving convenience fees without authorization. In October and November 2024 alone, CUTX identified $54,000 of fees that should have been collected and implemented controls to help prevent this going forward.

What’s next 

As CUTX continues to enhance the payment experience, future priorities include embedding payment capabilities more directly into their digital banking platform. This would allow members to move from viewing their accounts to making a payment without signing into a separate payment system.

The organization is also exploring PayNearMe’s AI payment agent capabilities for inbound payment calls. 

When asked what CUTX values most about its partnership with PayNearMe, the team emphasized one thing:

Giving members the ability to easily manage their payments on their own schedule.

For CUTX, payments are no longer simply an operational function. They have become a strategic part of the member experience and an enabler platform of continued growth.