Grand Rapids, Michigan-based cooperate CUSO, CU*Answers, has enhanced the joint owner verification in its web-based Membership Application Process. This enhancement was first suggested during the 2018 Building Solutions in a Cooperative Boot Camp. Since then, CU*Answers laid the framework to allow the collection of joint owner data as part of the Membership Application Process (MAP) and the Membership Opening Process (MOP), with optional Precise ID verification for joint applicants. This will allow a potential member to specify up to two joint owners when applying for credit union membership, with the joint applicant data optionally to be run through the same Experian Precise ID identity verifications as the primary member’s information, before being allowed to proceed through the remainder of the MOP flow to open the new membership online.

In addition to allowing for this new optional functionality, this project also enhanced and streamlined the existing application verification flow for when new membership apps contain joint owners, especially in cases where an incoming joint owner record happens to match an SSN/TIN already in the credit union’s database. New messaging and additional lookup options will help staff review and make decisions about what to do with the incoming data so it doesn’t inadvertently cause problems with data already on file.