A year after doubling through the CrossFirst acquisition, Busey 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'.
First Busey Corporation, the Champaign, Illinois parent of Busey Bank with about $18 billion of assets after closing the $917 million acquisition of CrossFirst Bankshares of Leawood, Kansas, on 1 March 2025, took its first named step on AI 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. Busey Bank is an Illinois state member bank supervised by the Federal Reserve; no AI vendor, model or budget has been named.
Lead bank
Busey Bank
Assets (lead bank, Mar 31, 2026)
$18 billion
Charter
Illinois state member bank (Federal Reserve)
Headquarters
Champaign, IL
Flagship platform
Director of AI, Data Science and Insights (from April 2026)
AI leadership
Van A. Dukeman · Chris Chan · Adrianne Bernini
- First director of AI, data science and insights, Adrianne Bernini, appointed 6 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, roughly doubling the company.
- 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)?
On 6 April 2026 Busey Bank appointed 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. No vendor, model inventory or budget has been disclosed.[5][6]
What has Busey Bank done on AI, and when?
- Jul 28, 2026
Second-quarter 2026 results[7]
Net income $63.2 million; efficiency 54.0%; record wealth fees.
- 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.
- Jun 1, 2025
Deepfake threat guidance for businesses[2]
Fraud in the age of AI.
- Mar 1, 2025
- Feb 1, 2025
'The Rise of AI in Fraud' customer guide[1]
How criminals use AI and how to respond.
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 |
Use-case links open the tracker's rules-by-use-case matrix: which documents govern each system type.
What has Busey Bank disclosed in numbers?
“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
Who runs AI at Busey Bank?
Van A. DukemanLinkedIn ↗
Chairman, President and CEO[7]
Chris ChanLinkedIn ↗
Chief Financial Officer[5]
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 |
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. No vendor, model or 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 and roughly doubled the company to about $18 billion of assets. 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, Data Science and Insights
- Q1 2026 Earnings Investor Presentation
- First Busey Corporation Announces 2026 Second Quarter Earnings
When Busey Bank moves on AI, you'll read it here first.
6 curated AI stories for banking executives · Every morning · Free
Subscribe to BankingNewsAI →