The Walton family's private bank is several years into a core and cloud modernisation, hired a Synovus technology chief with an AI-strategy certification as CIO, and was named one of Fortune's most innovative companies, while its customer-facing AI content is about scams.
How is Arvest using AI?
Arvest Bank, the Fayetteville, Arkansas bank owned by the Walton family with about $28 billion of assets and more than 200 locations across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas, is a private company that has said more about its technology stack than about AI. It announced in September 2021 that it would adopt Thought Machine's cloud-native core, with Accenture, and with Google Cloud in 2022 for a five-year migration of its data centres and access to Google's AI and machine-learning tools, and it launched its first product on the new core, an equipment-finance loan, in October 2022. The Google Cloud agreement named specific AI tools: Contact Center AI Insights for the contact centre, Document AI to advance commercial lending decisions, and AI to help meet regulatory requirements; American Banker reported in September 2024 that Arvest was two and a half years into the migration, due to finish in 2027, with a cloud centre of excellence and a FinOps practice already in place. The AI-adjacent signal is a hire: on 3 December 2025 Arvest named Jennifer Baker chief information officer, a newly designed executive role with cross-functional leadership of all technology teams; Baker spent five years as chief technology officer of Synovus, holds a Cornell certification in AI strategy and was recognised by Rotary International among the top women of impact in AI and technology. Her brief is to continue 'a multi-year technology modernization strategy' that matures 'data accessibility and tools' alongside customer experience and associate enablement. In February 2026 Arvest upgraded its Baker Hill small-business lending platform to UN/FY, which digitises applications, underwriting and workflows and integrates with the bank's Fiserv Signature core and Salesforce. In March 2026 Fortune and Statista named Arvest one of America's Most Innovative Companies, judged on product innovation, process innovation and innovation culture; chief product and innovation officer Amy Morbeck said innovation 'is more than just using new technology'. In April 2026 Forbes ranked it 20th among US banks on its World's Best Banks list, a customer-survey ranking, under president and CEO Matt Machen. Customer-facing AI content is defensive, covering deepfake and AI-powered scams (a December 2025 article on 'How AI is powering scams' explains AI phishing, voice clones and synthetic identities), authorized push payment scams and the fraud value of good data quality. Inside the security team, principal security engineer Justus Post endorsed Trent AI's agentic-AI security maturity model in May 2026, saying it shows 'where our traditional security program simply doesn’t see agentic AI risk yet'. Arvest is an Arkansas state member bank supervised by the Federal Reserve; as a private company it publishes no 10-K, so its AI governance and spending are undisclosed.
Thin public record: Privately held with no SEC filings or earnings calls; beyond the Google Cloud AI and machine-learning tooling announced in 2022 it has disclosed no AI deployment, AI leader or AI budget, and its own AI content is customer scam education.
Lead bank
Arvest Bank
Assets (lead bank, Jun 30, 2026)
$28 billion
Charter
Arkansas state member bank (Federal Reserve); Walton family-owned
Headquarters
Fayetteville, AR
Flagship platform
Multi-year technology modernisation (cloud-native core, Google Cloud, Baker Hill UN/FY)
AI leadership
Matt Machen · Jennifer Baker · Amy Morbeck · Mark Chastain · Brad Crain · Yurik Paroubek · Justus Post
- CIO Jennifer Baker (from December 2025): ex-Synovus CTO, Cornell AI-strategy certification, newly designed role leading all technology teams.
- Modernisation stack: Thought Machine cloud-native core (announced September 2021), Google Cloud migration and AI tools (2022), first product on the new core (equipment-finance lending) in October 2022; cloud migration due to finish in 2027.
- Baker Hill UN/FY small-business lending platform (February 2026) digitises applications, underwriting and workflows; integrated with Fiserv Signature and Salesforce.
- Fortune and Statista America's Most Innovative Companies 2026; 20th among US banks on Forbes' World's Best Banks 2026.
- Customer AI content is fraud education: AI-powered scams and deepfakes, authorized push payment scams, data quality against fraud.
- Private, Walton family-owned; no 10-K, no disclosed AI model, vendor for decisioning or budget.
- Google Cloud deal (July 2022) named Contact Center AI Insights, Document AI for commercial lending decisions and AI for regulatory requirements; migration two and a half years in by September 2024, due to end in 2027 (American Banker).
- Security team is assessing agentic-AI risk: a principal security engineer endorsed Trent AI's AI Security Maturity Model (May 2026).
- Core status: the February 2026 Baker Hill release names Fiserv Signature Core as the system UN/FY integrates with; the only product publicly reported on Thought Machine's Vault Core is the October 2022 equipment-finance loan, and no wider core conversion has been announced.
- Cloud progress (April 2025): 40% of targeted applications migrated and on-premises servers at one data centre down 98% since 2022; Google Cloud is the primary provider, the bank is pursuing multicloud and will keep some workloads on-premises, and application modernisation is due in 2027.
- AI tools under exploration (April 2025): executive director Mark Chastain named Google's AI Code Assist and Gemini for Workspace as 2025 candidates for internal efficiency; no production date has been given.
- Technology leadership has turned over: CTO Ninish Ukkan, who joined in August 2022, left for Fiserv in February 2026; Jennifer Baker's CIO role is newly designed, and technology sits under COO Yurik Paroubek, promoted in November 2025.
- Data readiness: then transformation chief Laura Merling rated the bank's data at 2 out of 10 on arrival and 7 to 8 by December 2023, her own estimate, after modernising the data stack on Google Cloud.
- Skills: more than 1,000 technologists were mapped to learning journeys under me@Arvest by December 2023, 300 had finished cloud fundamentals training, and every associate is due to start a learning journey by 2026.
What is Multi-year technology modernisation (cloud-native core, Google Cloud, Baker Hill UN/FY)?
Arvest agreed with Thought Machine in 2021 to build a cloud-native core and with Google Cloud in 2022 to migrate its data centres and adopt Google's AI and machine-learning tools; its first product on the new core, an equipment-finance loan, launched in October 2022 (announced in February 2023) and made it the first US bank to lend on Thought Machine's Vault Core. In December 2025 it hired Jennifer Baker, formerly Synovus Bank's chief technology officer and holder of a Cornell AI-strategy certification, as chief information officer in a newly designed executive role to lead 'all technology departments and teams' and continue a modernisation strategy aimed at customer experience, associate enablement, 'data accessibility and tools' and resource utilisation. In February 2026 it upgraded its nearly 30-year Baker Hill relationship to the UN/FY platform to digitise the small-business lending lifecycle, integrated with its Fiserv Signature core and Salesforce. Chief product and innovation officer Amy Morbeck leads product innovation; no AI model, vendor for decisioning or AI budget has been disclosed.[2][3][4][6][8][7]
What AI partnerships and patents does Arvest Bank have?
Arvest's public AI partner record is thin. Google Cloud is the one named AI partner: the 2022 five-year agreement lists Contact Center AI Insights and Document AI, and in April 2025 the bank said it was exploring Google's AI Code Assist and Gemini for Workspace. Trent AI's security maturity model was endorsed by a principal security engineer in May 2026. Arvest has not disclosed an AI lab, GPU or data-science vendor. A Google Patents assignee search on 14 October 2026 under Arvest Bank and Arvest Bank Group returned no patents or published applications.[7][18][11]
| Item | What it is | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud | Five-year agreement: data-centre migration plus AI and machine-learning tools, including Contact Center AI Insights and Document AI for commercial lending decisions; primary cloud provider as of April 2025 | Partnership in place; AI tools announced, deployment not reported | 2022-07-25[7][18] |
| Google AI Code Assist and Gemini for Workspace | Internal-efficiency AI tools the bank said it was exploring for 2025 | Exploring | 2025-04-04[18] |
| Trent AI | AI Security Maturity Model assessed against NIST CSF 2.0, NIST AI RMF and the EU AI Act; endorsed by Arvest's principal security engineer | Endorsed by Arvest staff; scope of use not stated | 2026-05-05[11] |
What has Arvest done on AI, and when?
- May 5, 2026
Security engineer on agentic-AI risk[11]
Arvest's principal security engineer endorses Trent AI's AI Security Maturity Model for finding agentic-AI gaps against NIST AI RMF and the EU AI Act.
- Apr 8, 2026
20th among US banks on Forbes' World's Best Banks[12]
Customer-survey ranking, up from 27th in 2025; CEO Matt Machen quoted.
- Apr 3, 2026
'Good data quality, less fraud' customer guidance[5]
Data accuracy framed as a fraud control.
- Mar 25, 2026
Fortune America's Most Innovative Companies 2026[4]
Judged on product innovation, process innovation and innovation culture.
- Feb 26, 2026
- Feb 9, 2026
Baker Hill UN/FY small-business lending platform[3]
Digital applications, streamlined underwriting, automated workflows; Fiserv and Salesforce integration.
- Dec 3, 2025
Jennifer Baker named chief information officer[2]
Newly designed executive role; continues multi-year modernisation with data accessibility as a pillar.
- Dec 3, 2025
'How AI is powering scams' customer guidance[10]
AI-personalised phishing, voice and video deepfakes and synthetic identities explained, with verification advice.
- Nov 6, 2025
- Apr 4, 2025
40% of targeted apps in the cloud; AI Code Assist and Gemini under review[18]
Mark Chastain reports a 98% cut in on-premises servers at one data centre since 2022, a multicloud strategy and 2027 as the end of application modernisation; 2025 goals include exploring Google AI Code Assist and Gemini for Workspace.
- Oct 3, 2024
Customer guidance on synthetic identities and deepfakes[17]
Arvest names AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic identity fraud among emerging fraud trends.
- Oct 2, 2024
me@Arvest reskilling programme and LinkedIn Learning[16]
Programme launched in 2023 with job-based learning journeys; all associates due to start by 2026, and every associate now has a LinkedIn Learning licence.
- Sep 9, 2024
Cloud migration midway, due to finish in 2027[9]
Arvest's IT executive director says the bank is 'seeing that return' as engineers move off data-centre upkeep; a cloud centre of excellence and FinOps practice govern spend.
- Sep 4, 2024
Authorized push payment fraud guidance[1]
Social-engineering scam education for customers.
- Jun 4, 2024
Amy Morbeck named chief product and innovation officer[15]
New role covering sales, service, marketing, customer experience, the product team and go-to-market execution; Brad Crain becomes regional executive for enhanced banking services.
- Dec 20, 2023
CTO sets up FinOps for cloud spend[14]
Ninish Ukkan says the bank is setting up FinOps and uses tools such as Apptio to optimise cloud spend.
- Dec 5, 2023
Transformation chief on data readiness and skills[13]
Laura Merling tells CIO Dive data readiness has risen from 2 to 7 or 8 out of 10, more than 1,000 technologists are mapped to learning journeys and 300 have finished cloud fundamentals; one of two data centres is being retired.
- Feb 23, 2023
First product live on the Thought Machine core[8]
An equipment-finance loan launched in October 2022, built in under nine months; Arvest is the first US bank to lend on Vault Core.
- Jul 25, 2022
Google Cloud partnership with AI and ML tools[7]
Five-year deal to migrate data centres and use Contact Center AI Insights, Document AI for commercial lending decisions and AI for regulatory requirements; then transformation chief Laura Merling called data, insights and AI 'the foundation' of industry disruption.
- Sep 16, 2021
Thought Machine and Accenture selected for a cloud-native core[6]
Thought Machine’s Vault chosen as the next-generation core engine; Accenture to help structure the future bank proposition and select ecosystem partners.
Where does Arvest use AI today?
| System | What it does | Status | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digitised small-business lending (Baker Hill UN/FY)[3] | Automated workflows and streamlined underwriting across the lending lifecycle. | Rolling out | Credit scoring & underwriting |
| Cloud-native core and cloud migration[6][7][8][9] | Thought Machine core and Google Cloud infrastructure with AI and ML tooling. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Customer fraud education on AI-enabled scams[5][1][10] | AI-powered phishing, deepfakes and synthetic identities; push-payment fraud; data quality. | In production | Fraud detection |
| Google Contact Center AI Insights (planned)[7] | Named in the 2022 Google Cloud agreement to improve the contact-centre experience; no deployment has been reported since. | Announced | Customer-facing chatbots |
| Agentic-AI security maturity assessment[11] | Security engineering uses Trent AI's maturity model to find where the traditional security programme misses agentic-AI risk. | Pilot | Cybersecurity |
| Innovation culture programme[4] | Product and innovation office under Amy Morbeck; Fortune recognition. | In production | AI governance (general) |
| Google Document AI for commercial lending (planned)[7] | Named in the 2022 Google Cloud agreement to advance commercial lending decisions; no deployment has been reported. | Announced | Credit scoring & underwriting |
| Gemini for Workspace (exploration)[18] | Named in April 2025 as a 2025 candidate for internal efficiency; no rollout has been reported. | Announced | Generative & agentic AI |
| Google AI Code Assist (exploration)[18] | Named in April 2025 alongside Gemini for Workspace; no rollout has been reported. | Announced | AI-generated code & coding agents |
| Multicloud strategy with FinOps and a cloud centre of excellence[18][9][14] | Google Cloud is the primary provider; other providers are unnamed; multi-region cloud disaster recovery validated; spend governed by FinOps. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| me@Arvest reskilling programme[16][13] | Job-based learning journeys in cloud and data for technologists, expanding to every associate by 2026, with Coursera, LinkedIn, Google and Salesforce training relationships. | Rolling out | AI governance (general) |
Use-case links open the tracker's rules-by-use-case matrix: which documents govern each system type.
What has Arvest disclosed in numbers?
| Metric | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | > $27 billion[3] | Feb 9, 2026 |
| Baker Hill relationship | ≈ 30 years, upgraded to UN/FY[3] | Feb 9, 2026 |
| Cloud migration timeline | ≈ 2.5 years in; completion slated for 2027[9] | Sep 9, 2024 |
| Time to build first product on the new core | < 9 months (live October 2022)[8] | Feb 23, 2023 |
| Forbes World's Best Banks 2026, rank among US banks | 20th (72 US banks listed)[12] | Apr 8, 2026 |
| Total assets (call report) | $28.05 billion[22] | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Total deposits (call report) | $24.60 billion[22] | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Employees (call report) | 6,087[22] | Jun 30, 2026 |
| Targeted applications migrated to the cloud | 40%[18] | Apr 4, 2025 |
| Cut in on-premises servers at one data centre since 2022 | 98%[18] | Apr 4, 2025 |
| Technologists mapped to learning journeys | > 1,000 (300 finished cloud fundamentals; ≈ 13,000 hours of instruction)[13] | Dec 5, 2023 |
| Data readiness, executive's own rating | 2 of 10 in 2021, 7 to 8 of 10 by December 2023[13] | Dec 5, 2023 |
“ASMM helps me surface where our traditional security program simply doesn’t see agentic AI risk yet.”[11]
Justus Post · Principal Security Engineer · May 5, 2026
“That allows us to take those engineers and use them to do other things.”[9]
Mark Chastain · Executive Director of Information Technology · Sep 9, 2024
“At Arvest, we believe innovation is more than just using new technology. It means finding creative ways to support our neighbors and make managing their finances easier.”[4]
Amy Morbeck · Chief Product and Innovation Officer · Mar 25, 2026
“The UN/FY platform gives us the flexibility, integration and efficiency we need to support our customers at scale.”[3]
Brad Crain · Regional Executive, Enhanced Banking Services · Feb 9, 2026
“We estimate that we will finish application modernization in 2027.”[18]
Mark Chastain · Executive Director of Information Technology · Apr 4, 2025
“Data, insights and artificial intelligence are the foundation for that disruption, from reshaping credit risk modeling and better supporting underserved communities, to rethinking data-driven relationship management.”[7]
Laura Merling · then Chief Transformation and Operations Officer · Jul 25, 2022
“Our data was locked in silos, and when you’ve got your data stuck on the platform that runs that product, you can’t see a single view of a customer.”[13]
Laura Merling · then Chief Transformation and Operations Officer · Dec 5, 2023
“We’re in the process of setting up FinOps to optimize our spend.”[14]
Ninish Ukkan · then Chief Technology Officer · Dec 20, 2023
“Jen’s extensive experience driving innovation and optimizing technology teams aligns nicely with our future goals.”[2]
Yurik Paroubek · Chief Operating Officer · Dec 3, 2025
Who runs AI at Arvest?
Matt MachenLinkedIn ↗
President and CEO[12]
Jennifer BakerLinkedIn ↗
Chief Information Officer[2]
Amy MorbeckLinkedIn ↗
Chief Product and Innovation Officer[4]
Brad CrainLinkedIn ↗
Regional Executive, Enhanced Banking Services[3]
Justus Post
Principal Security Engineer[11]
Which regulators govern Arvest's AI?
| Authority | Why it matters here | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Reserve | Arvest is a state member bank; the Fed's model-risk and third-party guidance govern the cloud core, lending platform and any AI tooling. | SR 11-7 SR 23-4 |
| CFPB | Automated small-business and consumer credit workflows carry ECOA adverse-action and UDAAP duties. | ECOA / Regulation B adverse action (15 U.S.C. 1691(d); 12 CFR 1002.9) |
| FDIC | Deposit-insurance supervision and interagency third-party guidance apply to vendor platforms. | FDIC FIL-29-2023 |
Side by side: SR 11-7 vs SR 26-2 · PRA SS1/23 vs SR 26-2 · MAS AI Risk Management Guidelines vs SR 26-2 · OCC vs CFPB on AI lending · all comparisons.
What does the public record suggest about Arvest's AI strategy?
Analysis by BankingNewsAI from the sources cited on this page. Observations, not advice.
01
The infrastructure is ahead of the AI story
A cloud-native core and Google Cloud data estate are what most peers lack before they can run models; Arvest has them and has said little about what runs on top.
02
The CIO hire names the next phase
Recruiting an AI-certified former regional-bank CTO into a newly created role signals that data and AI, not migration, are the coming agenda.
03
Private ownership lowers disclosure, not risk
No 10-K means no AI risk factors; examiners still expect model inventories for automated underwriting on the new lending platform.
04
Fraud education should become fraud automation
A bank that teaches customers about deepfakes has the data platform to detect them; that would be the natural first public AI use case.
Where does the Arvest record go deeper?
2 topic pages under this profile, each answering one question from the same sourced record.
Which leader rankings does Arvest appear in?
3 of the computed leaders rankings include Arvest, each ranked from the same sourced bank pages.
How does Arvest compare with its peers?
- How does Arvest Bank compare with its peers on AI and technology?
- Arvest Bank competitors and alternatives, by business line
Its peer group on this site, by business model and size:
Does Arvest Bank use AI?
Arvest has not disclosed a specific AI deployment in production. It runs a cloud-native core from Thought Machine on Google Cloud, which includes access to Google's AI and machine-learning tools (the 2022 agreement named Contact Center AI Insights and Document AI for commercial lending decisions), digitised small-business lending on Baker Hill's UN/FY platform in 2026, and in December 2025 hired Jennifer Baker, an AI-strategy-certified former Synovus CTO, as chief information officer.
Who owns and runs Arvest?
Arvest is owned by the Walton family through Arvest Bank Group. Matt Machen is president and CEO, Jennifer Baker is chief information officer and Amy Morbeck is chief product and innovation officer. It is an Arkansas state member bank supervised by the Federal Reserve.
Who leads AI at Arvest Bank?
Arvest has not named a chief AI officer or head of AI. Jennifer Baker, chief information officer since December 2025, leads all technology teams and holds a Cornell AI-strategy certification. Yurik Paroubek, promoted to chief operating officer in November 2025, oversees technology alongside operations. Mark Chastain, executive director of information technology, named Google's AI Code Assist and Gemini for Workspace as 2025 candidates. Amy Morbeck runs product and innovation. CTO Ninish Ukkan left for Fiserv in February 2026, and no successor appears in public reporting.
Has Arvest replaced its core banking system with Thought Machine?
Not on the public record. Arvest chose Thought Machine's Vault in September 2021 with Accenture and launched an equipment-finance loan on it in October 2022, built in under nine months and the first US bank lending on Vault Core. In February 2026 Baker Hill said its UN/FY lending platform integrates with Fiserv Signature Core, which indicates the Fiserv core is still in use. Arvest has announced no further Thought Machine products or a conversion date.
How far has Arvest moved to Google Cloud?
In April 2025 Mark Chastain said 40% of targeted applications had moved to the cloud and on-premises servers at one data centre were down 98% since 2022. Google Cloud, signed as a five-year partner in July 2022, is the primary provider; the bank is also pursuing multicloud and will keep some workloads on-premises. It runs a cloud centre of excellence and a FinOps practice, and expects to finish application modernisation in 2027.
- Authorized Push Payment Fraud
- Arvest names new CIO, Chief Credit Administration Officer
- Arvest Bank Deepens Three-Decade Partnership with Baker Hill, Upgrades to UN/FY Platform to Advance Small Business Lending
- Arvest Named One of America's Most Innovative Companies 2026 by Fortune
- Good data quality, less fraud!
- Arvest Bank Collaborates with Tech Leaders Thought Machine and Accenture for Next Generation Core Banking Platform
- Arvest Bank Announces Collaboration with Google Cloud
- Arvest Bank launches real-time banking capabilities using Thought Machine core technology
- Are banks saving money as they migrate to the cloud? What you need to know
- How AI is powering scams
- Trent AI Announces AI Security Maturity Model for Agentic Era
- Arvest Ranked Top 20 on Forbes' World's Best Banks List
- For Arvest Bank, wholesale cloud modernization had to start small
- How Capital One, Arvest Bank keep cloud costs under control
- Morbeck, Crain Promoted to Executive Leadership Roles
- Preparing Associates for the Workforce of Tomorrow
- Emerging Fraud Trends and How to Protect Yourself
- Arvest Bank moves 40% of apps to cloud
- Scoop: Arvest Bank names new president and CEO
- Arvest CEO retires, COO to take over
- Ninish Ukkan joins Fiserv as CIO of digital and financial services
- FDIC BankFind financial data, Arvest Bank (cert 8728), quarter ended 30 June 2026
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