What technology stack does BankUnited run?
BankUnited's stack is cloud-leaning and vendor-built, with AWS at the center of its AI work. In 2022 then CTO Michael Lehmbeck, who led the bank's 'adoption and innovation of the cloud', named data transformation and API-led integration as its two strategic initiatives; by 2023 he said the bank used AWS AI services including Bedrock and Lex, and SAVI, its employee assistant, runs on Claude 2 in Amazon Bedrock with Amazon Kendra. BankUnited had already presented at AWS re:Invent in 2020 on modernizing software procurement through AWS Marketplace. The contact center runs on Talkdesk's Financial Services Experience Cloud, Backbase was reported as a digital-banking vendor in 2023, and commercial clients use BankUnited TreasurySuite, recently upgraded with mobile Positive Pay decisions and bulk payments. In April 2026 CEO Raj Singh described two large projects, upgrading the treasury platform and the payments platform. The 2025 10-K records a $3.8 million write-down of capitalized software after a stack review and $121.8 million of gross software and cloud-computing arrangements; Bank Automation News put fourth-quarter 2023 technology spend at $18.6 million. The core processor is not named.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Data as of Oct 16, 2026 · BankUnited profile updated Oct 13, 2026 · 21 sources cited on this page · 140 banks profiled on this site · Markdown
Which platforms and vendors make up BankUnited's technology stack?
As named by BankUnited, its vendors or trade press. 'Reported' means a third party named the relationship.
| Layer | Platform or vendor | What it does | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud and AI services | Amazon Web Services: Bedrock, Lex, Kendra | Generative-AI applications (SAVI on Claude 2), conversational interfaces and enterprise search | Disclosed November 2023; SAVI undated[2][3] |
| Software procurement | AWS Marketplace | BankUnited presented at re:Invent on simplifying and modernizing its software procurement through AWS Marketplace | December 2020[4] |
| Contact center | Talkdesk Financial Services Experience Cloud (Autopilot, Copilot, Identity, Interaction Analytics) | Self-service, agent assist, caller authentication and analytics | In production (reported 2025)[5][11] |
| Digital banking | Backbase (reported) | Engagement banking platform; BankUnited named as a client, according to FINavigator | Reported February 2023[6] |
| Commercial treasury portal | BankUnited TreasurySuite | Upgrade adds exchange rates before international wires, payroll and tax payments, un-approving unprocessed payments, mobile Positive Pay exception decisions and bulk payments | Upgrade page retrieved October 2026[7] |
| Treasury and payments platforms | Not named | Two bank-wide upgrade projects 'which will impact ... the entire bank' | Disclosed April 22, 2026[8] |
| Data and integration | Not named | Data transformation to make data available to business lines and personalize customer experience; API-led integration to release data to systems and users | Disclosed July 2022[1] |
| Core banking | Not named | The CTO spoke in 2023 on core strategy, including integrating tools and 'whether to wrap or scrap legacy systems' | Panel March 2, 2023[12] |
What does BankUnited spend on technology, and what has changed?
Figures as published; the bank does not report a total technology budget.
| Item | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology spend, Q4 2023 | $18.6 million, down 16.5% year on year | December 31, 2023 | Bank Automation News[10] |
| Software and cloud-computing arrangements, gross cost | $121.8 million (2024: $116.1 million) | December 31, 2025 | 2025 10-K[9] |
| Capitalized software written down | $3.8 million, after a technology-stack review during strategic planning; the bank chose 'a different direction' | Q4 2025 | Q4 2025 call; 2025 10-K[13][9] |
| 2026 technology priorities | Payment systems and 'AI workflows'; digital onboarding, AI and automation for deposit acquisition | January-February 2026 | CFO on the Q4 2025 call; investor presentation[13][14] |
| Technology leadership change | CTO Michael Lehmbeck left to become CIO of AgFirst Farm Credit Bank; no CTO successor named in the sources reviewed | May 2025 | Bank Automation News[15] |
Who runs BankUnited's technology, and how is vendor AI handled?
Julio Jogaib, a Citigroup veteran, has been CIO since 2016, and Lisa Shim leads technology and innovation as senior executive vice president. The chief information security officer reports to Chief Risk Officer Jay Richards.[16][3][17]
Much of the AI in the stack arrives inside vendors' products. Jogaib said in June 2025 that vendors are using AI in the applications they provide and that the bank requires governance over usage and data privacy and verifies vendors' claims about not using its data; the 10-K adds that third-party providers are expected to add AI features.[18][19]
What does the BankUnited profile record on this topic?
The rows below are the entries of the BankUnited AI strategy profile that bear on this page, as of Oct 13, 2026; the profile holds the full record of 30 dated moves, 15 use cases and 35 sources.
| Use case | What the record shows | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAVI internal policy assistant | Per AWS's published case study: built on Anthropic's Claude 2 in Amazon Bedrock with Amazon Kendra, answering employee questions from about 400 policy and procedure documents; reported 95% accuracy and sub-10-second responses, used by front-line staff. | In production | [3] |
| OpportunitiAI use-case programme | Per AWS's case study, an initiative rolled out to identify further generative-AI use cases and align business divisions. | Rolling out | [3] |
| Talkdesk AI contact centre | The contact centre runs on Talkdesk's Financial Services Experience Cloud: Talkdesk Copilot guides agents during interactions, Talkdesk Autopilot handles simple requests as self-service, and Customer Experience Analytics drives agent training. Talkdesk reports a 104% rise in net promoter score, agent development that used to take six months to a year now done in 90 days, a 16% self-service rate and abandonment down to 5.3% (the vendor's figures). | In production | [20][5] |
| Branch procedures chatbot (2024 disclosure) | In March 2024 the then chief technology officer said an AI chatbot lets branch staff ask how to complete procedures, such as opening a trust account, and get plain-language steps; in 2023 he said the bank used AWS Bedrock and Lex. BankUnited has not said whether this is the SAVI assistant AWS later described. | In production | [10][2] |
| Date | Move | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2026 | Q1 2026 call: two large technology projects | Raj Singh said the bank is upgrading its treasury platform and its payments platform; the full transcript contains no discussion of AI. | [8][21] |
| Jan 21, 2026 | Q4 2025 call: software written off after a technology-stack review | CFO Jim Mackey said BankUnited wrote down previously capitalised software while reviewing its technology stack during strategic planning and chose 'a different direction'; the 10-K puts the charge at $3.8 million. | [13][9] |
| May 20, 2025 | Chief technology officer leaves for AgFirst | AgFirst Farm Credit Bank named Michael Lehmbeck, BankUnited's chief technology officer, its chief information officer, according to a May 20 release reported by Bank Automation News; the sources reviewed name no successor to the CTO title. | [15] |
| Mar 11, 2025 | Talkdesk case study: AI contact centre | Talkdesk says BankUnited's move to its Financial Services Experience Cloud, with Copilot agent assist and Autopilot self-service, lifted net promoter score 104% (vendor-reported). | [20] |
| Nov 21, 2023 | Then-CTO says BankUnited uses AWS AI services | Chief technology officer Michael Lehmbeck told Bank Automation News that the bank uses Amazon Web Services' AI-related services, including Bedrock and Lex, ahead of an AI panel at Bank Automation Summit U.S. 2024. | [2] |
Does BankUnited use AWS?
Yes. Its former CTO said in 2023 that the bank used AWS AI services including Bedrock and Lex, AWS's case study describes the SAVI assistant running on Claude 2 in Amazon Bedrock with Amazon Kendra, and BankUnited presented at AWS re:Invent in December 2020 on modernizing software procurement through AWS Marketplace. The bank has not said whether its core systems run on AWS.
What digital banking platform does BankUnited use?
Bank Automation News reported in February 2023, citing FINavigator, that BankUnited is a Backbase client. Commercial clients use BankUnited TreasurySuite, whose recent upgrade added mobile Positive Pay decisions, bulk payments and payroll and tax payments. The bank names Talkdesk for its contact center.
What technology projects is BankUnited running in 2026?
CEO Raj Singh said on the April 22, 2026 call that the bank has two large technology projects, upgrading its treasury platform and its payments platform, that will affect every business line. The CFO had listed payment systems and AI workflows as 2026 priorities, and the investor presentation commits to digital onboarding, AI and automation.
How much does BankUnited spend on technology?
It does not publish a technology budget. Bank Automation News put fourth-quarter 2023 technology spend at $18.6 million. The 2025 10-K shows $121.8 million of gross software and cloud-computing arrangements and a $3.8 million write-down of capitalized software after a review of the technology stack.
Who runs technology at BankUnited?
Julio Jogaib is chief information officer, in the role since 2016, and Lisa Shim is senior executive vice president of technology and innovation. Michael Lehmbeck, the chief technology officer who described the bank's cloud and AI work from 2022 to 2024, left in May 2025 to become CIO of AgFirst Farm Credit Bank.
- BankUnited CTO Michael Lehmbeck joins Bank Automation Summit Fall
- BankUnited CTO to speak at Bank Automation Summit U.S. 2024
- BankUnited Enhances Customer and Employee Satisfaction for SMB Banking Using AWS (undated case study, retrieved 2026-09-24)
- AWS Marketplace at re:Invent, week of December 1
- BankUnited Customer Story (undated page, retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Backbase selects new SVP and general manager for North American mid-market segment
- Lynx Upgrade: What's New in BankUnited TreasurySuite (undated page, retrieved 2026-10-16)
- Earnings call transcript: BankUnited misses Q1 2026 EPS estimates
- BankUnited, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2025
- BankUnited deploys chatbot for internal searches
- Talkdesk achieves Amazon Web Services Financial Services ISV Competency
- BankUnited CTO joins Bank Automation Summit US 2023
- BankUnited (BKU) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
- BankUnited, Inc. investor presentation (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- Movers and shakers: Michael Lehmbeck new CIO at AgFirst
- Citigroup IT Veteran to Become BankUnited's Chief Information Officer
- BankUnited, Inc. 2026 Proxy Statement (DEF 14A)
- AI revolution: Navigating the promises and perils of a new era
- BankUnited, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2024
- BankUnited Crushes CX With 104% Increase in Net Promoter Score
- BankUnited (BKU) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
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