Press Release

Hudson Valley Credit Union Rolls Out Voice Verification for Members

Major NY credit union enhances account security by activating Illuma Shield™ voice authentication solution

Poughkeepsie, New York: Hudson Valley Credit Union (HVCU) announced the implementation of voice biometric authentication in the organization’s contact center. By partnering with Illuma, HVCU has implemented award-winning voice authentication software from a CUSO committed to serving credit unions and their members.

Like other technology pioneers in the credit union space, HVCU chose voice biometrics to improve their members’ experience. With more than 300,000 members, the organization expects to realize substantial operational savings with shorter call handle times as well as a boost in member satisfaction. Additionally, according to the organization’s EVP and COO, Tony Rohrmeier, “this voice authentication software is also an important addition to our toolbox in combating account fraud by ensuring that our contact center representatives are speaking with the member who owns the account and not a bad actor impersonating that member”.

More New York Credit Unions to Follow Suit with Biometric Validation

With major players like Hudson Valley Credit Union leading the way, other institutions have a model to follow in their own digital transformation. William Bywater, COO of UsNet (a subsidiary of NYCUA), is an advocate for this right-sized solution designed in partnership with credit unions. “Our organization has invested in Illuma and we’re excited about the affordable option for voice biometrics available to credit unions in New York and across the country, as we continue our mission to work together toward increasing access to financial wellness for all.”

Illuma’s Founder and CEO, Milind Borkar, shared this sentiment. “Being able to reach and serve more credit unions and their members has been our top priority for 2022 and beyond. Not only is Hudson Valley Credit Union one of the leading credit unions in New York, they also provided the opportunity to deploy our solution into the Avaya Aura platform. It was a seamless integration, and we can confidently say that this technology is an ideal fit for other financial institutions on the same call center platform.”

About Hudson Valley Credit Union

HVCU was founded in 1963 as IBM Poughkeepsie Employees Federal Credit Union and is now one of the largest credit unions in New York, with over $6.5B in assets. The financial cooperative provides affordable products and convenient services to support financial security for hundreds of thousands of members. To learn more, visit https://www.hvcu.org/.

About the New York Credit Union Association

For more than 100 years, the New York Credit Union Association has served as the trade association for the state’s credit unions, which collectively hold more than $100 billion in assets and serve 6 million members. NYCUA advances the credit union movement by advocating, educating, uniting and supporting the interests of all New York credit unions. To learn more about NYCUA, visit https://www.nycua.org. To find a credit union or learn more about the credit union movement, visit www.yourmoneyfurther.com.

About Illuma Labs

Illuma Labs is a credit union service organization headquartered in Plano, Texas. The company’s flagship product, Illuma Shield™, replaces traditional knowledge-based authentication practices with an effortless and secure real-time voice authentication solution to enhance member experience, improve operational efficiency, and prevent fraud. Illuma Labs is the exclusive provider for CUNA Strategic Services and has industry endorsements in 34 U.S. states. For more information, visit https://illuma.cx.