A year after the CrossFirst acquisition lifted it to about $20 billion of combined assets, Busey, which already answers most contact-centre calls with Glia voice AI, created its first director of AI, data science and insights, hired from FNB and Huntington, with a mandate for 'responsible implementation of AI/ML models to drive revenue growth, operational efficiency and transformative productivity'.
How is Busey Bank using AI?
First Busey Corporation, the Leawood, Kansas holding company for Champaign, Illinois-based Busey Bank, with about $18 billion of assets after closing the $917 million acquisition of CrossFirst Bankshares of Leawood on 1 March 2025 (Busey had $12.05 billion of assets at the end of 2024; the combination was put at about $20 billion at closing, and CrossFirst Bank was merged into Busey Bank on 20 June 2025), made AI a named executive function in April 2026 by creating a director of AI, data science and insights and hiring Adrianne Bernini into it. Her brief is the strategic use of enterprise data and the 'responsible implementation of AI/ML models to drive revenue growth, operational efficiency and transformative productivity' across business units; she came from Huntington Bank's enterprise analytics transformation team and, before that, FNB Corporation, where she worked with Busey's chief financial officer, Chris Chan, who vouched that she had deployed 'AI, data science and quantitative modeling across the enterprise'. The hire sits on a strengthening base: second-quarter 2026 net income was $63.2 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, up 9.5% year on year on an adjusted basis, with an adjusted return on assets of 1.43%, a 3.62% adjusted margin, a 54.0% efficiency ratio improved by 134 basis points, record wealth fee income on $16.51 billion of assets under care, CET1 of 12.53% after $128.8 million of buybacks year to date, and chairman, president and CEO Van Dukeman, who has agreed to stay through July 2029, describing an 'indomitable balance sheet'. Busey's fee mix is unusually technology-linked, with payment technology solutions and treasury management alongside wealth, and its customer content covers AI fraud and deepfakes. Its investor materials list AI tools built by the bank or its vendors as a risk factor. AI was already in production before the hire: when the CrossFirst deal added 30,000 customers, Busey used Glia's voice-AI virtual assistants to handle routine calls, and The Financial Brand reported in February 2026 that they handled 61.5% of calls, cut post-call wrap-up time by 50% and let the bank absorb the new customers without adding headcount, with two customer care advisors promoted into strategic roles; customer-experience director Caitlin Drake said 'the more interactions we can handle without human support, the more we can repurpose employees for higher impact', and Glia gave Busey its 2025 Catalyst Award in the Prodigy category. The 2025 10-K goes further than boilerplate: it warns that failing to 'adopt, integrate, or govern new technologies—including generative AI' could impair competitiveness, and says AI-powered tools provide additional layers of fraud and threat detection. Technology is run by chief information and technology officer Amy Fauss, CrossFirst's former chief operating officer, and the Q2 2026 investor presentation puts artificial intelligence in CFO Chris Chan's portfolio. Busey does not hold a live earnings call; its quarterly investor presentations are filed with the SEC. Busey Bank is an Illinois state member bank supervised by the Federal Reserve; no AI model inventory or AI budget has been disclosed.
Lead bank
Busey Bank
Assets (lead bank, Mar 31, 2026)
$18 billion
Charter
Illinois state member bank (Federal Reserve)
Headquarters
Leawood, KS (Busey Bank: Champaign, IL)
Flagship platform
Director of AI, Data Science and Insights (from April 2026)
AI leadership
Van A. Dukeman · Chris Chan · Amy J. Fauss · Caitlin Drake · Adrianne Bernini
- First director of AI, data science and insights, Adrianne Bernini, announced April 2026, with a mandate for responsible AI/ML models driving revenue, efficiency and productivity.
- CFO Chris Chan, who worked with Bernini at FNB, sponsors the role; AI tools flagged as a risk factor in investor materials.
- CrossFirst Bankshares acquired for $917 million, closed 1 March 2025, taking Busey from $12.05 billion of assets to about $20 billion combined; CrossFirst Bank merged into Busey Bank on 20 June 2025.
- Glia voice AI in the contact centre: virtual assistants handled 61.5% of calls and post-call wrap-up time fell 50%, letting Busey absorb 30,000 CrossFirst customers without extra headcount (reported February 2026); Glia Catalyst Award 2025.
- 2025 10-K: AI-powered tools provide additional layers of fraud and threat detection; failure to adopt or govern generative AI is named as a competitive risk.
- Technology led by CITO Amy Fauss (since March 2025, ex-CrossFirst COO); AI sits in CFO Chris Chan's portfolio per the Q2 2026 investor presentation.
- Q2 2026 net income $63.2 million ($0.69); adjusted ROA 1.43%; efficiency ratio 54.0%; CET1 12.53%; $128.8 million of buybacks year to date.
- Record wealth fee income on $16.51 billion of assets under care; payment technology and treasury management are significant fee lines.
- CEO Van Dukeman agreed to remain through July 2029; customer content covers AI fraud and deepfake threats.
What is Director of AI, Data Science and Insights (from April 2026)?
In April 2026 Busey Bank announced Adrianne Bernini as its first-ever director of AI, data science and insights, responsible for 'formulating, communicating and executing the strategic use of enterprise data and responsible implementation of AI/ML models to drive revenue growth, operational efficiency and transformative productivity', working with data analysts across the company so that initiatives 'align with corporate financial goals'. Bernini was director of data science and insights at FNB Corporation from 2019 to 2025, where she worked with Busey's current CFO Chris Chan, and most recently enterprise analytics transformation director at Huntington Bank. Chan said he had seen her 'successfully deploy AI, data science and quantitative modeling across the enterprise to drive revenue growth, client engagement and operational efficiency'. Busey's risk factors flag 'the development and implementation of tools incorporating artificial intelligence' by the bank and its vendors as a source of unforeseen consequences. The 2025 10-K adds that 'the use of artificial intelligence-powered tools provide additional layers of fraud and threat detection', and the Q2 2026 investor presentation lists artificial intelligence among the areas CFO Chris Chan oversees. The one named AI vendor is Glia, whose voice-AI virtual assistants handled 61.5% of calls after the CrossFirst deal; Glia's own case study on the rollout reports (vendor-reported) a 25% customer-base increase with zero added headcount and 80% of frontline advisors rating the platform superior to what they used before; no model inventory or AI budget has been disclosed.[5][6][8][9][12][17]
What has Busey Bank done on AI, and when?
- Jul 28, 2026
Q2 2026 investor presentation: AI in the CFO's portfolio[9]
Chris Chan's remit is listed as including artificial intelligence alongside FP&A, treasury and corporate development.
- Jul 28, 2026
Second-quarter 2026 results[7]
Net income $63.2 million; efficiency 54.0%; record wealth fees.
- Jul 14, 2026
Dukeman's CEO tenure extended through July 2029[16]
A letter agreement extends Van Dukeman's term as CEO of First Busey Corporation and Busey Bank through 1 July 2029, with a one-time retention award of restricted stock units worth about $2.07 million vesting on that date.
- Apr 28, 2026
First-quarter 2026 results and deck[6]
AI tools listed among technology risk factors; fee mix detailed.
- Apr 6, 2026
First director of AI, data science and insights appointed[5]
Adrianne Bernini from Huntington and FNB; responsible AI/ML mandate.
- Mar 30, 2026
Busey cited in Glia's CoPilot and Glia Banker launch[13]
Busey's Glia administrator says the platform 'keeps getting better as the AI models evolve'.
- Feb 26, 2026
2025 10-K: generative-AI and AI-fraud risk, AI-powered threat detection[8]
Failure to 'adopt, integrate, or govern new technologies—including generative AI' named as a risk; AI-powered tools add layers of fraud and threat detection.
- Feb 24, 2026
Glia voice-AI results reported[12]
Virtual assistants handled 61.5% of calls and wrap-up time fell 50% as Busey absorbed 30,000 new customers without adding headcount.
- Sep 24, 2025
Chris Chan appointed CFO[10]
From FNB, where he oversaw digital channels, data science, artificial intelligence and data governance; effective 30 September.
- Jun 20, 2025
CrossFirst Bank merged into Busey Bank[8]
CrossFirst's banking centres became Busey Bank branches after it ran as a separate subsidiary from 1 March.
- Jun 1, 2025
Deepfake threat guidance for businesses[2]
Fraud in the age of AI.
- Mar 3, 2025
CrossFirst completion announced: about $20 billion combined[11]
77 locations across 10 states, $17 billion of deposits and $14 billion of wealth assets under care; Busey had $12.05 billion of assets at the end of 2024.
- Mar 1, 2025
- Feb 1, 2025
'The Rise of AI in Fraud' customer guide[1]
How criminals use AI and how to respond.
- Nov 11, 2021
Robotic process automation in the back office[15]
Busey Bank uses RPA software to reconcile mortgage payments, a task then-CEO Robin Elliott called 'numbing'; the aim was to free staff for more meaningful work, not cut jobs.
Where does Busey Bank use AI today?
| System | What it does | Status | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise AI and data-science function[5] | Strategy, communication and execution of responsible AI/ML models across business units. | Rolling out | AI governance (general) |
| Customer education on AI fraud and deepfakes[1][2] | Guidance for consumers and businesses. | In production | Fraud detection |
| Payment technology solutions[6] | Lockbox, ACH, merchant and online payments as a fee line. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Glia voice-AI virtual assistants in the contact centre[12][13][14][17] | Routine calls handled by Glia virtual assistants (61.5% of calls) with automated post-call work, deployed as the CrossFirst deal added 30,000 customers; recognised with Glia's 2025 Catalyst Award (Prodigy). In its own case study, Glia reports (vendor-reported figures) that the rollout let Busey grow its customer base 25% with zero added headcount, that 14 branches got overflow support from the main call centre, and that Advisors took on just 75 additional tickets a day despite absorbing 8,000 new digital users. | In production | Customer-facing chatbots |
| AI-powered fraud and threat detection[8] | The 10-K says AI-powered tools provide additional layers of fraud and threat detection alongside cyber protocols and audits. | In production | Cybersecurity |
| AI and generative-AI risk factors[8] | 10-K risk factors on rapid AI adoption, generative-AI impersonation and fraud, model governance, vendor AI and AI-specific privacy regulation. | In production | Model risk management |
| Robotic process automation[15] | Software robots reconcile mortgage payments in the back office (reported 2021). | In production | Generative & agentic AI |
Use-case links open the tracker's rules-by-use-case matrix: which documents govern each system type.
Which AI vendors and fintechs does Busey Bank work with?
| Company | What Busey Bank uses it for | Status | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glia | Glia Voice replacing the IVR, with the Glia Banker AI assistant (first deployed in 2024) handling 61.5% of calls without human help during the integration of a $7 billion acquisition (Glia case study). | In production | Conversational AI |
Each vendor and fintech page cites the source for the relationship, and vendor pages list products, pricing and other bank customers. Compare AI tools for banks by category, or read the fintech and neobank AI dossiers.
What has Busey Bank disclosed in numbers?
| Metric | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 net income / diluted EPS | $63.2 million / $0.69[7] | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Adjusted ROA / efficiency ratio, Q2 2026 | 1.43% / 54.0%[7] | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Wealth assets under care | $16.51 billion[7] | Jun 30, 2026 |
| CrossFirst acquisition | $917 million[4] | Mar 1, 2025 |
| Combined total assets at the CrossFirst closing (Busey alone at end-2024) | ≈ $20 billion ($12.05 billion)[11] | Mar 3, 2025 |
| Calls handled by Glia virtual assistants / cut in wrap-up time | 61.5% / 50%[12] | Feb 24, 2026 |
| New customers absorbed without extra headcount | 30,000[12] | Feb 24, 2026 |
“At Busey, she will bring deep experience, proven leadership and specialized expertise to responsibly expand the ways AI and data transform our workflows and enhance how we serve our clients.”[5]
Chris Chan · Chief Financial Officer · Apr 6, 2026
“Busey delivered a strong second quarter, with adjusted diluted EPS of $0.69, up 9.5% year-over-year.”[7]
Van A. Dukeman · Chairman, President and CEO · Jul 28, 2026
“The more interactions we can handle without human support, the more we can repurpose employees for higher impact.”[12]
Caitlin Drake · SVP, Director of Customer Experience and Support · Feb 24, 2026
“In the five months I've been overseeing the Glia platform for my organization, I've seen firsthand how it keeps getting better as the AI models evolve.”[13]
Skyler Martin · Consumer Process and Systems Administrator · Mar 30, 2026
Who runs AI at Busey Bank?
Van A. DukemanLinkedIn ↗
Chairman, President and CEO (contract extended through July 2029)[7][16]
Chris ChanLinkedIn ↗
Chief Financial Officer (from September 2025; oversees artificial intelligence)[5][10][9]
Amy J. FaussLinkedIn ↗
Chief Information and Technology Officer (from March 2025)[8]
Caitlin DrakeLinkedIn ↗
SVP, Director of Customer Experience and Support[12]
Adrianne BerniniLinkedIn ↗
Director of AI, Data Science and Insights[5]
Which regulators govern Busey Bank's AI?
| Authority | Why it matters here | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Reserve | Busey Bank is a state member bank; SR 11-7 and SR 23-4 govern the AI/ML models the new function will build and the vendors it uses. | SR 11-7 SR 23-4 |
| CFPB | Consumer and wealth products bring adverse-action and UDAAP duties to any automated decisioning. | ECOA / Regulation B adverse action (15 U.S.C. 1691(d); 12 CFR 1002.9) |
| SEC | AI risk-factor language in investor materials sits within SEC scrutiny of AI-related disclosure. | Division of Examinations FY2026 Priorities |
Side by side: SR 11-7 vs SR 26-2 · PRA SS1/23 vs SR 26-2 · OCC vs CFPB on AI lending · all comparisons.
What does the public record suggest about Busey Bank's AI strategy?
Analysis by BankingNewsAI from the sources cited on this page. Observations, not advice.
01
A named AI owner with a CFO sponsor is the right start
Reporting through finance ties models to revenue and efficiency targets; the next step is publishing which use cases the function is prioritising.
02
Wealth and payments are the data-rich lines
Record wealth fees and a payment-technology business give the new function immediate places to apply analytics.
03
Risk factors should evolve into governance disclosure
Listing AI as a risk is the minimum; a model-risk framework statement would match the hire.
04
Post-CrossFirst data consolidation comes first
A doubled bank has two data estates; unifying them is the prerequisite for the models the role is meant to deliver.
Does Busey Bank use AI?
Busey created its first director of AI, data science and insights in April 2026, hiring Adrianne Bernini from Huntington Bank with a mandate for responsible AI and machine-learning models that drive revenue, efficiency and productivity. It already uses AI in production: Glia voice-AI virtual assistants handled 61.5% of contact-centre calls after the CrossFirst deal, and its 10-K says AI-powered tools add layers of fraud and threat detection. No model inventory or AI budget has been disclosed; customer content covers AI-enabled fraud.
How has Busey changed since the CrossFirst deal?
The $917 million acquisition of CrossFirst Bankshares closed on 1 March 2025, taking Busey from $12.05 billion of assets to about $20 billion combined (about $18 billion by mid-2026); CrossFirst Bank was merged into Busey Bank on 20 June 2025 and the holding company is now headquartered in Leawood, Kansas. By the second quarter of 2026 Busey reported net income of $63.2 million, an adjusted return on assets of 1.43%, a 54.0% efficiency ratio and record wealth fee income.
- The Rise of AI in Fraud: What You Need to Know
- Fraud in the Age of AI: Protecting Your Business from Deepfake Threats
- First Busey closes acquisition of CrossFirst
- Head start: Old National says Bremer deal will close early
- Bernini Joins Busey as Director of AI
- Q1 2026 Earnings Investor Presentation
- First Busey Corporation Announces 2026 Second Quarter Earnings
- First Busey Corporation Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Q2 2026 Earnings Investor Presentation (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.2)
- First Busey Corporation Form 8-K (Item 5.02: appointment of Christopher H.M. Chan as Chief Financial Officer)
- First Busey Corporation Completes Acquisition of CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. and CrossFirst Bank
- Building Relationships When Checking No Longer Confers Primacy
- Glia Launches CoPilot, an Agentic Knowledge Partner for Every Banking Team
- Awards & Recognition
- Leaving the 'numbing' tasks to machines
- Busey, Dukeman Agree to Contract Extension
- Busey Bank: 30,000 New Customers, Zero Hiring
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