How Corning Credit Union diversified its portfolio with high-performing personal loans
Diversifying the balance sheet and expanding geographic reach
Seeking to renew growth in its personal loan portfolio and expand beyond its traditional geographic footprint, Corning Credit Union (CCU) partnered with Upstart. “We were looking for a fintech partner to help supplement growth in our unsecured personal loan product, where we had seen growth slow down over a few years,” said Jason Bierman, Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President.
After evaluating several potential fintech partners, CCU chose Upstart for its strong track record of credit performance in personal loans and its expertise in AI underwriting.
Beyond loan growth, the CCU team viewed the Upstart partnership as an opportunity to diversify its portfolio and enter markets outside of its traditional branch network. CCU serves members across Upstate New York, southeastern North Carolina, northeastern South Carolina, as well as a large county in Pennsylvania, with associational groups allowing it to serve members nationwide. With the Upstart partnership, CCU is able to leverage its associations to originate in six additional states in the East and Midwest regions.
“We viewed Upstart’s personal loan network as a way to help us diversify outside of our traditional geographic markets,” Bierman explained.
Credit performance has been in line with or better than our expectations. Overall, the loans have performed very well.”
Jason Bierman
Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President
Building confidence across leadership, the board and compliance teams
To align the internal team, CCU initially focused on education around Upstart’s AI-driven underwriting approach. “Once we got our hands around the way Upstart looks at the profitability and yield of the product, we felt comfortable moving forward,” Bierman shared. While the board was already supportive of personal loans, the CCU team rolled out a measured and phased approach and gradually increased volume as confidence grew.
When Upstart introduced the T-Prime program, it was a good opportunity for us to acquire new members and higher quality loans, but also boost our volume.”
Jason Bierman
Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President
Smooth implementation and reliable servicing
When asked about implementation, Bierman stated, “It was the smoothest implementation of any fintech partner I can remember. It went very smoothly, and the Upstart team was great.”
Upstart provides member servicing for CCU’s new members, and it has consistently had positive experiences. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised with the job that Upstart’s done on servicing; they’re constantly improving the process, and we’ve been happy with it,” Bierman said.
Credit performance that builds confidence
Over three years of partnership, Bierman shared that credit performance has met or exceeded expectations, providing confidence to scale volume responsibly. “Credit performance has been in line with or better than our expectations. Overall, the loans have performed very well,” Bierman said.
When Upstart introduced its T-Prime program, CCU was able to expand lending to more super prime borrowers, boosting loan quality and increasing loan volume. “When Upstart introduced the T-Prime program, it was a good opportunity for us to acquire new members and higher quality loans, but also boost our volume,” said Bierman. Since the start of the Upstart partnership, CCU has gained over 6,400 new members with whom it can expand relationships.1
A partnership for continued growth and resilience
Bierman also shared that having CCU’s risk and compliance leaders involved with the Upstart partnership from the start led to a seamless implementation and paid dividends from the beginning.
“That piece is one of the strengths of Upstart compared to other fintech partners; Upstart really does it right. When we have regulatory exams, we’re able to show the strength of the compliance program that Upstart has put together.”
“Upstart has the strongest compliance and regulatory program of any fintech partner I’ve seen, and we’ve had three or four exams since we started the program,” Bierman said.
With strong documentation and the T-Prime program contributing high-quality loans and strong credit performance, CCU sees continued opportunity to expand lending and serve members beyond its core footprint.
Looking ahead, CCU plans to expand into Upstart’s secured products, including HELOCs, and also expects to deepen its geographic diversification, sustain strong returns through T-Prime and partner alongside Upstart’s compliance team to support future exams. For CCU, the partnership has proven to be both a growth engine and a safeguard for long-term performance.
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- Findings are reported on information collected by Upstart from March 2022–August 2025.