How does First United Bank & Trust (Spend Life Wisely Company) compare with its peers on AI and technology?
On this site's AI disclosure index First United Bank & Trust scores 26.7 (#93 of 120 US banks), sixth in a nine-bank Oklahoma and Texas group behind Frost (49.3), BOK Financial (41.8), Prosperity (40), Arvest (37.2) and Hilltop (30.7), and ahead of BancFirst (11.3), Simmons (3.6) and First Financial Bankshares (0.9). As a private bank it files no 10-K and holds no earnings calls, so its record comes from its own reports and interviews. On that record it has more AI ownership than most of the group: its 2025 Impact Report lists a director of AI program strategy and execution alongside a three-person analytics team, and only Frost names more AI leaders. In December 2025 an executive said the bank 'currently integrates AI in three key areas: process improvement, user experience, and leadership development', and it is a named partner in Southeastern Oklahoma State University's state-funded AI programme. What it lacks is a named tool or a result. Frost reports that its Blend digital account opening lifted completion from 50% to 80% and cut manual reviews from 15% to 3% (August 2026). BOK Financial's trust reviewers save about 4 hours per initial review with Vanilla's AI (vendor-reported, August 2026). Arvest moved to Google Cloud to adopt its AI and machine-learning tools. Hilltop's PrimeLending runs 15 AI tools in mortgage, where First United originated $2.23 billion in 2025. First United names no AI vendor, model or usage figure.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Data as of Oct 20, 2026 · First United Bank profile updated Oct 19, 2026 · computed tables recalculate from the 140 bank profiles on this site · Markdown
Where does First United Bank lead its peers on AI?
01
A named AI director, which most of the group lacks
First United's 2025 Impact Report lists Jay Liles as senior vice president and director of AI program strategy and execution, with a director of analytics, a data scientist and a senior data engineer. First United places 2nd of 9 on named AI leaders, behind Frost, whose chief consumer banking and technology officer runs both technology and the consumer bank.[1][7]
02
The most AI use cases in production on the record
First United's profile records 8 use cases in production, the most in the group (median 5), from AI in process improvement, user experience and leadership development to a Business Fraud Risk Calculator built on its own account data, which won a MarCom gold award.[2][8][1]
03
An AI workforce partnership in its home region
First United is a named partner in Southeastern Oklahoma State University's AI programme, funded with about $500,000 of a $3.4 million State Regents award in December 2025, for AI literacy and workforce readiness in Durant's region.[2]
Where does First United Bank trail its peers on AI?
01
No AI tool or vendor named, unlike Frost, BOK Financial and BancFirst
First United names no AI product or vendor. Frost uses Blend for digital account opening and a LivePerson AI co-pilot in its contact center; BOK Financial uses Vanilla for trust reviews; BancFirst is a Webex AI Agent customer (per Cisco, September 2025).[1][3][9][4][10]
02
No AI in mortgage on the record, its biggest line, while Hilltop's lender has 15 tools
First United originated $2.23 billion of home mortgages in 2025 and ranks #44 among US mortgage lenders by Scotsman Guide, but describes no AI in mortgage. Hilltop's PrimeLending implemented 15 AI tools ('MoBots') over two years (November 2024).[1][6]
03
No cloud or core modernization figure to set beside Arvest's
First United deployed nCino and Enlight as enterprise platforms in 2024 but discloses no migration or usage figures. Arvest has moved 40% of targeted applications to the cloud, cut on-premises servers at one data center by 98% (April 2025) and adopted Google's AI and machine-learning tools.[1][11][5]
Where does First United Bank rank against its peers on AI disclosure?
Scores from the US AI disclosure index of 120 banks (0–100; 45% of the weight on independent coverage). The index measures what each bank has put on the public record and what outside outlets have reported about its AI, not capability or spending; every count is of entries on that bank's profile, each of which cites its sources.
| Bank | Score | Rank | Independent sources | Own disclosures | Use cases in production | Moves, last 12 months | Named AI platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cullen/Frost Bankers | 49.3 | #58 of 120 | 7 | 15 | 7 of 9 | 17 | Frost mobile app and Blend digital origination[7][3][13][14] |
| BOK Financial Corporation | 41.8 | #69 of 120 | 9 | 18 | 4 of 6 | 20 | Not disclosed |
| Prosperity Bancshares | 40 | #71 of 120 | 6 | 15 | 4 of 8 | 17 | Real-time core (converted February 2026)[15][16][17][18][19][20] |
| Arvest Bank | 37.2 | #79 of 120 | 7 | 12 | 4 of 11 | 9 | Multi-year technology modernisation (cloud-native core, Google Cloud, Baker Hill UN/FY)[21][22][23][24][25][26] |
| Hilltop Holdings | 30.7 | #87 of 120 | 8 | 9 | 6 of 9 | 10 | Not disclosed |
| First United Bank & Trust (Spend Life Wisely Company) (this page) | 26.7 | #93 of 120 | 5 | 13 | 8 of 10 | 12 | Not disclosed |
| BancFirst Corporation | 11.3 | #101 of 120 | 3 | 14 | 6 of 7 | 11 | Not disclosed |
| Simmons First National Corporation | 3.6 | #106 of 120 | 5 | 22 | 8 of 10 | 19 | Not disclosed |
| First Financial Bankshares | 0.9 | #120 of 120 | 2 | 17 | 0 of 1 | 12 | Not disclosed |
On which parts of the AI record is First United Bank ahead of or behind its peers?
Each row is one input of the index, counted on the profiles of First United Bank and the 8 peers that are scored on the same basis. "Place" is First United Bank's position in the group of 9 (1st = most).
| Component (weight) | First United Bank | Peer median | Most in the group | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent sources (45%) | 5 | 6.5 | BOK Financial (9) | 6th of 9 |
| Use cases in production (10%) | 8 | 5 | First United Bank (8) | 1st of 9 |
| Own primary disclosures (10%) | 13 | 15 | Simmons Bank (22) | 7th of 9 |
| Dated moves, last 12 months (10%) | 12 | 14.5 | BOK Financial (20) | 5th of 9 |
| Disclosed numbers (5%) | 12 | 12 | Frost (16) | 4th of 9 |
| Named AI leaders (5%) | 10 | 7.5 | Frost (12) | 2nd of 9 |
| Use cases described (5%) | 10 | 8.5 | Arvest (11) | 2nd of 9 |
What has each bank in First United Bank's peer group disclosed about its AI?
Facts from each bank's profile, cited to the profile's own sources. "Not disclosed" means the bank's public record, as cited on its profile, does not state it.
| Bank | Platform or assistant, as the profile names it | AI leaders named | Headline AI number disclosed | Patents on the record | Open AI roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First United Bank & Trust (Spend Life Wisely Company) | Not disclosed | 10, incl. Greg Massey (Chairman and CEO)[1] | Employees (FDIC call report): 1,886 (end-2023: 1,945) (Jun 30, 2026)[27] | Not disclosed | Not surveyed |
| BancFirst Corporation | Not disclosed | 4, incl. David Harlow (President and Chief Executive Officer)[28][29] | Full-time-equivalent employees: 2,260 (Dec 31, 2025)[28] | Not disclosed | Not surveyed |
| Arvest Bank | Multi-year technology modernisation (cloud-native core, Google Cloud, Baker Hill UN/FY)[21][22][23][24][25][26] | 7, incl. Matt Machen (President and CEO)[30] | Employees (call report): 6,087 (Jun 30, 2026)[31] | Not disclosed | Not surveyed |
| First Financial Bankshares | Not disclosed | 6, incl. David Bailey (President and CEO)[32][33] | Employees: About 1,600 (1,500 full-time, 100 part-time) (Dec 31, 2025)[34] | Not disclosed | Not surveyed |
| Hilltop Holdings | Not disclosed | 8, incl. Jeremy B. Ford (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer)[35] | PrimeLending AI tools ('MoBots'): 15, implemented over two years (Nov 1, 2024)[6] | Not disclosed | Not surveyed |
| Simmons First National Corporation | Not disclosed | 8, incl. Jay Brogdon (President and CEO)[36][37] | Mentions of AI in the 2026 proxy statement: 0 (Apr 8, 2026)[38] | Not disclosed | Not surveyed |
| Prosperity Bancshares | Real-time core (converted February 2026)[15][16][17][18][19][20] | 6, incl. David Zalman (Senior Chairman and CEO)[19][39] | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not surveyed |
| BOK Financial Corporation | Not disclosed | 9, incl. Stacy Kymes (President and CEO)[40][41] | Earnings calls with an AI remark, Q3 2025 to Q2 2026: 0 of 4 (Jul 21, 2026)[42][43][44][45] | Not disclosed | 3 open AI roles (Oct 13, 2026); most in AI engineering |
| Cullen/Frost Bankers | Frost mobile app and Blend digital origination[7][3][13][14] | 12, incl. Phil Green (Chairman and CEO, Cullen/Frost Bankers)[46] | Digital account-opening completion rate: 50% → 80% (Aug 18, 2026)[3] | 2 patents listed on the profile, e.g. US 2017/0316393 A1 (Linking financial accounts to a subscription service and waiving select fees)[47] | 2 open AI roles (Oct 1, 2026); most in AI security |
What are the latest dated moves on the AI record of First United Bank and its peers?
The two newest dated entries of each bank since Oct 16, 2025, from the timelines of the profiles (which also log filings, results and deals that bear on the AI record), newest first.
| Date | Bank | Move |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2026 | Simmons Bank | Q3 2026 call: technology and automation 'barely scratching the surface'[48] |
| Oct 7, 2026 | Hilltop | HilltopSecurities survey: 50% of public finance leaders use AI daily or weekly[49] |
| Sep 29, 2026 | First Financial Bankshares | First full-service Austin-area branch[50] |
| Sep 22, 2026 | Simmons Bank | Investor Day set for 10 December 2026[51] |
| Sep 10, 2026 | First United Bank | Business fraud-awareness guidance[52] |
| Aug 27, 2026 | Frost | Blend 'Ecosystem Expander' award[53] |
| Aug 20, 2026 | Frost | Blend reports agentic Autopilot results across lenders[13] |
| Aug 17, 2026 | BOK Financial | 18th for customer reputation[54] |
| Aug 13, 2026 | BOK Financial | Vanilla case study: AI trust-document review[4] |
| Aug 11, 2026 | First United Bank | Transformation leader on technology as enterprise capability[12] |
| Aug 7, 2026 | BancFirst | 10-Q lists AI among technology and competition risks[55] |
| Aug 6, 2026 | Prosperity | Q2 2026 10-Q repeats the AI risk bullet[56] |
| Aug 4, 2026 | First Financial Bankshares | Second-quarter 10-Q has no AI reference[57] |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Prosperity | Q2 call: Stellar savings of $80-85 million wait for a March 2027 conversion[20] |
| Jul 24, 2026 | Hilltop | Q2 2026 10-Q has no AI language[58] |
| Jul 23, 2026 | BancFirst | CEO Harlow's second-quarter comment omits AI[59] |
| May 5, 2026 | Arvest | Security engineer on agentic-AI risk[60] |
| Apr 8, 2026 | Arvest | 20th among US banks on Forbes' World's Best Banks[30] |
What AI has each Oklahoma and Texas peer put on the record?
The most concrete AI or digital deployment each bank has disclosed, with its result. A blank means nothing is disclosed, not that nothing exists.
| Bank | AI or digital tool | Result disclosed | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| First United | AI in process improvement, user experience and leadership development; Business Fraud Risk Calculator | Not disclosed | December 2025; March 2026[2][1] |
| Frost | Blend digital account opening; LivePerson AI co-pilot in the contact center | Completion 50% to 80%; manual review 15% to 3%; 91% satisfaction (vendor-reported) | August 2026; July 2024[3][9] |
| BOK Financial | Vanilla AI for initial trust reviews | About 4 hours saved per review (vendor-reported) | August 2026[4] |
| Arvest | Google Cloud AI and ML tools; cloud-native core on Thought Machine | 40% of targeted applications in the cloud; 98% fewer on-premises servers at one data center | April 2025[11][5] |
| Hilltop (PrimeLending) | 15 AI tools ('MoBots') in mortgage | Implemented over two years | November 2024[6] |
| BancFirst | Webex AI Agent for internal support | Customer named by Cisco; no results disclosed by the bank | September 2025[10] |
| Prosperity | Real-time core | Converted February 17, 2026; post-weekend account updates in about 1.5 hours | April 2026[61] |
Who leads AI and technology at First United and its peers?
The technology and AI executives each bank names.
| Bank | AI or technology owner | Detail | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| First United | Jay Liles, SVP and director of AI program strategy and execution; Tadd Tobkin, EVP and chief technology officer | Analytics team of three named officers; COO oversees IT; chief transformation officer Justin Sanderson | March and August 2026[1][12] |
| Frost | Jimmy Stead, chief consumer banking and technology officer | 66% of tier-one capabilities modernized, 40% in the cloud; target 91% in 2027 | August 2026[7][14] |
| Arvest | Technology leadership running a multi-year cloud migration | More than 1,000 technologists mapped to learning journeys | December 2023[62] |
| Prosperity | CEO-led technology spending | $75 million to $90 million a year (CEO estimate) | April 2026[61] |
How does First United's customer digital offer compare with its peers'?
Customer-facing digital tools and the figures each bank reports.
| Bank | Customer digital offer | Figure | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| First United | Finotta Personified guidance in digital banking (co-developed; not described as AI); fraud calculator for businesses | 120 new savings accounts in the first 24 hours of the Finotta launch | November 2022; March 2026[63][64][1] |
| Frost | Frost mobile app | 4.9 App Store rating; 53% of consumer deposit accounts opened online; 81% of checking households engage digitally | June 30, 2026[14] |
| Arvest | First product on its new core built in under nine months | Live October 2022 | February 2023[25] |
| Prosperity | Online banking, Treasury Center and Zelle on a real-time core | Converted February 2026 | February 2026[61] |
How does First United's mortgage business compare with its rivals' on technology?
Mortgage volume and the AI or automation each lender has disclosed.
| Lender | Volume or rank | AI or automation disclosed | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| First United | $2.23 billion of 2025 home mortgage volume; #44 US mortgage lender (Scotsman Guide); #1 in Austin (Mortgage Executive Magazine) | None disclosed; nCino and Enlight deployed as enterprise platforms in 2024 | March 2026[1] |
| PrimeLending (Hilltop) | About $10 million of annualized fixed costs cut | 15 AI tools ('MoBots') implemented over two years | November 2024; July 2026[6][65] |
| Frost | $595 million of 2025 originations, 19% above goal | Blend digital origination platform | May and August 2026[66][3] |
Which banks are First United Bank's peers, and why these?
First United Bank & Trust (Spend Life Wisely Company) is compared here with BancFirst Corporation, Arvest Bank, First Financial Bankshares, Hilltop Holdings, Simmons First National Corporation, Prosperity Bancshares, BOK Financial Corporation and Cullen/Frost Bankers: chosen by the editors for this page (see the note below the table). First United Bank & Trust (Spend Life Wisely Company) is classed as a regional or retail-commercial bank in the Southwest.
The computed group mixed in Banner (Washington), NBT (New York) and FB Financial (Tennessee); this group holds the Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas banks that meet First United in its two states, from Oklahoma's BOK Financial, BancFirst and Arvest to Texas's Frost, Prosperity, Hilltop and First Financial, plus Simmons, which competes in First United's home county.
Does First United Bank use AI?
Yes, by its own account. Executive vice president Melissa Perrin said in December 2025 that the bank 'currently integrates AI in three key areas: process improvement, user experience, and leadership development', and its 2025 Impact Report lists a director of AI program strategy and execution. It has not named an AI vendor, model, tool or budget.[2][1]
Is First United behind Frost on AI?
On the public record, yes: Frost scores 49.3 on this site's disclosure index and First United 26.7. Frost reports results from named tools, such as digital account-opening completion rising from 50% to 80% with Blend. First United names an AI director and AI uses but no tool or result.[3][1][2]
How does First United compare with BOK Financial on AI?
BOK Financial scores 41.8 on this site's index against First United's 26.7. BOK's trust reviewers save about 4 hours per initial review with Vanilla's AI (vendor-reported), though BOK made no AI remarks on four earnings calls to Q2 2026. First United names an AI director that BOK's profile does not show.[4][44][1]
Who leads AI at First United Bank?
Jay Liles, senior vice president and director of AI program strategy and execution, per the 2025 Impact Report, which also lists a director of analytics, a data scientist and a senior data engineer. Tadd Tobkin, executive vice president and chief technology officer, describes moving technology 'from a support function to more of an enterprise capability'.[1][12]
Why is there less public information on First United's technology than on its peers'?
First United is privately held by the Massey family's Spend Life Wisely Company, so it files no 10-K and holds no earnings calls. Its public record is its annual Impact Report, FDIC call reports, interviews and customer content; its peers file 10-Ks and discuss technology on quarterly calls.[1][27][67]
Does First United use AI in mortgage lending?
It has not said so. First United originated $2.23 billion of home mortgages in 2025 and Scotsman Guide ranks it #44 among US mortgage lenders, but it describes no AI in that business. Hilltop's PrimeLending, a Texas rival, implemented 15 AI tools over two years.[1][6]
How does First United compare with BancFirst, the other Oklahoma community bank?
First United scores 26.7 on this site's index and BancFirst 11.3. BancFirst names one AI deployment, a Webex AI Agent for internal support; First United names an AI director and AI in process improvement and user experience. BancFirst has 109 Oklahoma locations; First United's 75 locations span Oklahoma and Texas.[10][59][1][2]
How does First United compare with Arvest on technology?
Arvest scores 37.2 on this site's index against First United's 26.7. Arvest has spent years moving to a cloud-native core on Thought Machine and migrating data centers to Google Cloud to adopt its AI and machine-learning tools, with completion slated for 2027. First United deployed nCino and Enlight in 2024 and names an AI director, but discloses no cloud or AI tooling.[25][5][1]
Does First United have an AI chatbot?
None is described. Its customer AI content is educational: a guide to ChatGPT privacy risks, a 2026 cybersecurity guide that flags AI-personalized scams, and warnings about AI-generated fake invoices for businesses. Its digital banking includes Finotta's personalized guidance, which the bank does not describe as AI.[68][69][70][63]
- Impact Report 2025
- Southeastern awarded $500,000 grant from state regents for AI programs
- Frost Bank Achieves 60% Increase in Digital Account Openings With Blend
- How BOK Financial Streamlines Trust Reviews with Vanilla
- Are banks saving money as they migrate to the cloud? What you need to know
- 2024 Tech Trendsetter: Kimberly Hartsough
- Frost Bank exec: AI to usher in simpler mobile banking era
- Business Fraud Risk Calculator
- Inside look: Frost Bank's AI and payments strategy
- Webex AI Innovations Transform Customer Experience at WebexOne 2025
- Arvest Bank moves 40% of apps to cloud
- First United Bank: Combining Community Banking Values with Modern Technology
- Early Production Results for Blend's Autopilot Show What Agentic AI Means For Lending
- Cullen/Frost Q2 2026 investor presentation (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- System Upgrade
- Customer letter: real-time processing system upgrade
- Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2026 Earnings
- Second Quarter 2026 Investor Presentation
- Prosperity to acquire rival Houston bank in $2 billion deal
- Prosperity Bancshares (PB) Q2 2026 Earnings Call
- 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
- Arvest Bank Collaborates with Tech Leaders Thought Machine and Accenture for Next Generation Core Banking Platform
- Arvest Bank launches real-time banking capabilities using Thought Machine core technology
- Arvest Bank Announces Collaboration with Google Cloud
- FDIC BankFind financial data, First United Bank and Trust Company (CERT 4239), 2023-2026 call reports
- BancFirst Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- BancFirst to bulk up in Tulsa by acquiring Oklahoma rival
- Arvest Ranked Top 20 on Forbes' World's Best Banks List
- FDIC BankFind financial data, Arvest Bank (cert 8728), quarter ended 30 June 2026
- First Financial Bankshares, Inc. Form 8-K (CEO transition), January 27, 2026
- FIRST FINANCIAL BANKSHARES ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER 2026 EARNINGS
- First Financial Bankshares, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Hilltop Holdings Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Simmons First National Corporation Reports Second Quarter Results
- Simmons Bank hires new leaders to boost organic growth
- Simmons First National Corporation 2026 Proxy Statement (Schedule 14A)
- Prosperity blames loan-growth woes on newcomers' pricing
- BOK counting on mortgage finance for a boost in 2026
- Kymes: Credit is still very benign despite recent headlines
- BOK Financial (BOKF) Q3 2025 earnings call transcript
- Earnings call transcript: BOK Financial Q4 2025 earnings beat expectations
- BOK Financial (BOKF) Q1 2026 earnings call transcript
- Earnings call transcript: BOK Financial beats Q2 2026 EPS forecast, shares slip
- Frost Bank sticks to organic growth as Texas M&A heats up
- US20170316393A1: System, apparatus and method for linking financial accounts to a subscription service and waiving select fees of those linked financial accounts
- Simmons First (SFNC) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- Public Finance Leaders Embrace Innovation While Capacity Constraints Persist, 2026 HilltopSecurities Survey Finds
- FIRST FINANCIAL BANK TO OPEN FIRST FULL-SERVICE BRANCH IN AUSTIN AREA WITH NEW BEE CAVE BRANCH
- Simmons First National Corporation to Host Investor Day
- Protect What You've Built: Creating a Fraud-Aware Business
- Blend Honors Seven Customers With Best in Banking Awards at Forum 2026
- Top Banks by Reputation 2026: Customers
- BancFirst Corporation Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2026
- Prosperity Bancshares Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- First Financial Bankshares, Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- Hilltop Holdings Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- BancFirst Corporation reports second quarter earnings (2Q 2026 press release)
- Trent AI Announces AI Security Maturity Model for Agentic Era
- Prosperity (PB) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
- For Arvest Bank, wholesale cloud modernization had to start small
- Finotta partners with First United Bank & Trust for investment and launch of personalization technology
- First United Bank successfully rolls out Finotta to customers, sees 120 new savings accounts within first 24 hours
- PrimeLending tempers mortgage expectations after Q2 loss
- How AI is supporting bank mortgage growth plans
- Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company
- ChatGPT Privacy Risks: Protecting Sensitive Information in the Digital Age
- Cybersecurity Threats on the Rise in 2026: What You Can Do to Protect What Matters Most
- Business Lessons from 2025 That Will Shape 2026
When First United Bank or its peers move on AI, you'll read it here first.
when one of the banks we cover moves on AI, it is in the next morning's brief · six sourced stories · 7 am PT · free
plus every regulation, bank and agent page update, the morning after · leave any morning