To say it's been an unusual lending environment the last few years would be an understatement. From pandemics to housing booms, there hasn’t seemed to be a dull moment. 

That hasn't stopped banks and credit unions from adapting and innovating with the times to stay on pace with customer needs.

We sat down with Michelle Goeppner, Vice President of Consumer Lending & Product Strategy at Vantage West Credit Union, to unpack how partnering with Upstart has helped them reach more people and deliver on their mission to help members, even as the industry shifts.

The value of having a “rally cry” for your team

There isn’t one set formula for handling new directions and initiatives as a team — what works for one group may not work for another — but it helps to have a common goal. 

For Goeppner, that means gathering everyone around a rally cry (metaphorically speaking) to ensure everyone is on the same page and understands what the goals are as well as why those are the goals. 

“The rally cry is the one thing that we get everyone to rally around and really focus on,” she said. "And that right now, for the next six to nine months, is deposits. We're looking at a whole bunch of things to refresh our deposit products.”

When everyone is moving in the same direction, progress comes quicker. For Vantage West, those progress markers include a new digital account opening solution and digital engagement tools.

“It just became this idea of when I have to make a trade-off of where to invest my time or my resources, you lean into the rally cry,” she continued.

After the success of Vantage West’s last rally cry — which helped reduce operation expenses — they were confident this strategy was the way to go.

Having a central point of focus to frame priorities and delegate accordingly can help keep the buy-in consistent and have more sustainable results as more and more team members join the cause and give it their all.

How Vantage West manages 7,000 new members opening accounts

Over their two-year partnership with Upstart, Vantage West has acquired over 7,000 new members, partly as a result of the new T-Prime program.

Geoppner outlines three main segments of members they use to keep their operations moving smoothly: 

• Prosperous Arizonans (55 plus, super-prime borrowers)
• Middle Market (45 to 54, A/B credit)
• Aspiring Borrowers (younger and newer to credit)

Each of these segments benefit from the programs Vantage West gains access to with Upstart.

“As a CDFI, we're always looking for ways to extend credit to the low and moderate-income borrower,” Goeppner said.

A community development financial institution (CDFI) exists to lift those on the lower end of the income spectrum whether that’s through free education around financial literacy or meeting their service and product needs where they’re at.

Some specific grants and benefits come with being a CDFI that can impact qualifying members directly as the credit union grows and provides more low-income-friendly options. 

“We've launched a very successful program on financial wellness. It's a very robust program that a lot of our branch folks have been trained on to educate members,” Goeppner said.

Vantage West’s goal is to turn borrowers into savers and savers into investors, and every successful “rally cry” or program takes them a step closer to achieving that goal.

2025 Priorities: What’s next for Vantage West

Vantage West has their eye on stepping into a home equity line of credit (HELOC) program with Upstart to capture borrowers who perhaps became a homeowner during the housing boom and are locked into low rates and ready to tap into that equity.

Though they’ve seen a good amount of movement in their own HELOC portfolio, having access to Upstart’s extended network and resources can help them move forward quicker and expand faster.

“We just launched the Recognized Customer Program (RCP) with Upstart, so if there is a Vantage West member that's coming into the Upstart platform, they'll now be routed to us, which is great,” Goeppner added.

Goeppner also participated in our AI Certification program and is now incorporating it into Vantage West’s people development plans to get the most out of fintech partnerships.

“I truly recommend it to anyone, not only thinking of partnering with Upstart, but anyone just looking to get a better understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning and the differences in the compliance environment involved,” she said.

Vantage West is one of Upstart’s many valued partners who we hope to help thrive in their mission of delivering excellent service to their members and having positive impacts across their communities and beyond — and it’s only the beginning.

Stay tuned for new episodes every other week on the Leaders in Lending Podcast.