# First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO): AI strategy

Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/fnbo
Last updated: Oct 13, 2026

*A 168-year-old family-owned bank that put AI agents into financial-crime investigations before most public banks its size, cutting time per case in half, while buying three banks in sixteen months.*

## How is FNBO using AI?

First National Bank of Omaha, the $35 billion national bank owned by the Lauritzen family and one of the largest privately held banks in the US, is an early adopter of agentic AI in the part of banking where the workload is most repetitive: financial-crime investigation. In June 2026 its executives told American Banker that AI agents from its existing vendor, Nasdaq Verafin, had taken on parts of the work of human investigators, reducing the time spent per case by 50% and making responses to fraud, anti-money-laundering and sanctions alerts more consistent. The agents, built on AWS Bedrock, handle level-one alert triage: an enhanced-due-diligence agent gathers transaction history, entity data and context to judge whether an alert merits a suspicious activity report, and a sanctions agent assembles the evidence around OFAC name matches, while investigators keep the final decision. Chief risk officer Nick Baxter described it as the answer to 'consistent challenges' that keep the bank 'looking for a better way'. Around that deployment FNBO's public AI voice is defensive and grounded: CISO Jeff Weeks writes on AI-powered scams, deepfakes and AI as a 'double-edged sword' in cybersecurity; the bank's 2025 financial-wellbeing study found 46% of Americans had used AI such as ChatGPT for personal finances and a further 50% trust AI for financial advice; and its commercial-payments leader says the bank partners for outcomes rather than chasing 'the allure of emerging technologies like APIs and AI'. The bank is also consolidating: it bought Country Club Bank in Kansas City ($2.2 billion of assets, announced May 2025), agreed in June 2026 to buy Blue Ridge Bancshares in Independence, Missouri, and in September 2026 agreed to pay about $200 million in cash for Denver-based InBankshares, with regulatory approval expected by the end of 2026 and rebranding and customer conversion in the second half of 2027. The Blue Ridge deal closed on 1 October 2026, with rebranding and customer conversion planned for early 2027. As a national bank FNBO answers to the OCC for the model-risk and third-party controls around vendor AI agents. A second vendor agent works in fraud investigation: in vendor-reported results, Pindrop said in March 2026 that FNBO, one of the first customers of its Fraud Assist agent, had cut case investigation time by 35–40%, improved fraud-analyst accuracy by 50% and raised case productivity by 42% without adding headcount, with director of fraud management Steve Furlong crediting generative AI that translates and summarises phone calls. In his letter on 2025, a year of record $533 million earnings, Lauritzen counted artificial intelligence among the things the bank now does routinely that it could not have imagined five years earlier. The record is older than the agents: in 2019 FNBO piloted Upstart's AI-based lending software, lending tens of millions of dollars, and briefed the OCC on it.

*Thin public record: Privately held: no SEC filings or earnings calls. What is on the record comes from the owner's annual financial summary, a vendor release and press coverage.*

## At a glance

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Lead bank | First National Bank of Omaha |
| Ticker | private (Lauritzen Corp.) |
| Headquarters | Omaha, NE |
| Consolidated assets | $34,201 million |
| Federal Reserve rank | 59 |
| Charter | National bank (OCC); privately held by the Lauritzen family through First National of Nebraska |

## What AI partnerships and patents does FNBO have?

FNBO's AI record runs through vendors rather than its own research: Nasdaq Verafin (financial-crime agents on AWS Bedrock), Pindrop (Fraud Assist), Prove (identity verification for co-branded cards), Upstart (AI personal loans) and Amazon Web Services for partner reporting. No frontier-lab, GPU or large-language-model supplier is public. A Google Patents search by the assignee names First National Bank of Omaha and First National of Nebraska found one published application, a 2014 remote credit issuance system that is not AI-related and is listed as abandoned. No AI patent is public, though filings under other entity names would not appear in that search. ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime), [Pindrop (GlobeNewswire)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/17/3257231/0/en/pindrop-unveils-first-agentic-fraud-investigation-solution-to-combat-surging-ai-driven-fraud.html), [Prove (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250827382137/en/Prove-Partners-with-FNBO-to-Modernize-Onboarding-Experience), [FNBO and Upstart (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211208005384/en/First-National-Bank-of-Omaha-Expands-Personal-Loans-Powered-by-Upstart), [AWS Business Intelligence Blog (guest post by FNBO)](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/business-intelligence/how-fnbo-revolutionized-partner-reporting-with-amazon-quicksight), [Google Patents (USPTO)](https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140304170A1/en))

| Item | What it is | Status | Date | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nasdaq Verafin | Agentic EDD Analyst and Agentic Sanctions Analyst, built on AWS Bedrock | In production | 2026-06-24 | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime) |
| Pindrop | Protect call-fraud platform plus the Fraud Assist generative-AI add-on; FNBO among the first customers | In production | 2026-03-17 | [Pindrop (GlobeNewswire)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/17/3257231/0/en/pindrop-unveils-first-agentic-fraud-investigation-solution-to-combat-surging-ai-driven-fraud.html) |
| Prove | Pre-Fill identity verification for co-branded card onboarding | In production | 2025-08-27 | [Prove (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250827382137/en/Prove-Partners-with-FNBO-to-Modernize-Onboarding-Experience) |
| Upstart | AI lending platform for personal loans; pilot 2019, nationwide programme 2021 | Expanded; current status not public | 2021-12-08 | [FNBO and Upstart (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211208005384/en/First-National-Bank-of-Omaha-Expands-Personal-Loans-Powered-by-Upstart) |
| Amazon Web Services | QuickSight dashboards on a Snowflake warehouse hosted on AWS; Amazon Q in QuickSight named as a later option, per AWS guest post | In production | 2024-12-09 | [AWS Business Intelligence Blog (guest post by FNBO)](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/business-intelligence/how-fnbo-revolutionized-partner-reporting-with-amazon-quicksight) |
| dhango | Embedded-payments middleware; FNBO is the originating bank (payments, not AI) | Announced | 2026-01-27 | [dhango (Business Wire)](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260127944808/en/dhango-Partners-with-FNBO-to-Bring-Fast-Scalable-Embedded-Payments-to-SaaS-Platforms) |
| MediStreams | Healthcare remittance conversion and payment posting (payments, not described as AI) | Announced | 2026-04-20 | [MediStreams (Business Wire)](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260420251113/en/MediStreams-to-Enhance-Healthcare-Payment-Automation-and-Reconciliation-With-FNBO) |
| US 2014/0304170 A1 | Remote credit issuance system, filed by First National of Nebraska, Inc. (not AI; Google Patents lists it as abandoned) | Published application | 2014-10-09 | [Google Patents (USPTO)](https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140304170A1/en) |

## Flagship platform: Nasdaq Verafin AI agents for financial-crime investigation

FNBO was already running Nasdaq Verafin's anti-money-laundering and fraud analytics when the vendor introduced two AI agents built on AWS Bedrock: an enhanced-due-diligence agent that does the level-one triage on AML, fraud and sanctions alerts to decide whether a suspicious activity report is warranted or the alert is a false positive, and a sanctions-screening agent that pulls a customer's transaction history and context when a name matches the OFAC list. Bank executives told American Banker in June 2026 that the agents had cut the time investigators spend per case by 50% and were helping them respond consistently to fraud, money-laundering and sanctions alerts, with the final judgment left to human investigators. Chief risk officer Nick Baxter framed it as the search for 'a better way' against constant financial-crime pressure. Jeff Weeks, senior vice-president and chief information security officer and with the bank for more than 26 years, writes the bank's guidance on AI-powered scams and deepfakes, and commercial payments head Tammy Trilli has said FNBO avoids 'innovations solely for their novelty' in favour of partnerships that solve customer problems. ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime), [FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2025/ai-powered-scams-target-consumers), [FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/commercial-business/2025/how-fnbo-is-driving-innovation-through-strategic-partnerships))

## Key points

- AI agents in production for financial crime: Nasdaq Verafin's enhanced-due-diligence and sanctions-screening agents cut investigator time per case by 50% (June 2026).
- Humans keep the decision: agents do level-one triage and evidence gathering; investigators decide whether to file a suspicious activity report.
- Vendor-led adoption on AWS Bedrock, extending a system the bank already used, rather than an in-house build.
- Security voice: CISO Jeff Weeks publishes guidance on AI scams, deepfakes and AI in cybersecurity; the bank's survey found 46% of Americans have used AI for personal finances.
- Partnership philosophy: commercial payments head Tammy Trilli cautions against pursuing innovations 'solely for their novelty' and says partnerships need alignment on key performance indicators.
- Three deals in 16 months: Country Club Bank (Kansas City), Blue Ridge Bancshares (Independence, MO) and InBankshares (Denver, about $200 million cash).
- Second agentic deployment in fraud: Pindrop reports that its Fraud Assist cut FNBO's fraud-case investigation time by 35–40% and raised analyst accuracy by 50% (vendor-reported, March 2026).
- Owner's view: the chairman's 2025 letter to stockholders says AI is now something the bank does routinely; open roles include a director of data and AI management and governance (September 2026).
- An early AI lender: FNBO piloted Upstart's AI-based lending software from July 2019, lent tens of millions of dollars, and briefed the OCC on it.
- Named owner of generative AI: Erin Saxby, vice president of technology data services, leads FNBO's technology data teams and spearheads its generative-AI strategy (University of Nebraska Omaha speaker profile, October 2025).
- Measured gain on the human side: FNBO has 15 financial-crime investigators and analysts, and BSA/AML officer David Dawson says an enhanced-due-diligence case that took half an hour now takes about 15 minutes.
- Scoped agents: Nasdaq Verafin's agents get the same access controls in its system as a human investigator would; chief risk officer Nick Baxter says FNBO started with low-risk jobs that were easy to explain, and Verafin released an Agentic Fraud Analyst in June 2026 that FNBO may use next.
- Card losses fell in 2025: the principal charge-off rate on credit cards, FNBO's largest loan category, dropped to 4.92% from 5.52%, which the owner's letter attributes in part to better underwriting capabilities, technology and processes.
- AI lending since 2019: the Upstart personal-loan pilot (Net Promoter Score 83) became a nationwide programme in December 2021, with 78% of loans approved instantly and a plan to extend it to affinity partners.
- Co-brand card stack: FNBO is the 15th-largest US card issuer with more than 90 card partners (AWS guest post), and in August 2025 it added Prove Pre-Fill identity verification to co-branded card onboarding.

## Timeline

- Oct 1, 2026 — **Blue Ridge acquisition closes** Eight Jackson County branches and about $850 million of assets; rebranding and customer conversion planned for early 2027, giving FNBO 37 Kansas City branches. ([FNBO (Business Wire)](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20261001777849/en/FNBO-Closes-Acquisition-of-Blue-Ridge-Bank-and-Trust-Co.-in-Kansas-City))
- Sep 2, 2026 — **InBank deal valued at up to $204 million** $1.4 billion-asset Denver bank with nine Colorado branches and four in northern New Mexico; brings FNBO to 30 Colorado branches. ([Banking Dive](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/fnbo-acquires-inbank-colorado-bank-deal-204m-merger/829424/))
- Sep 2, 2026 — **InBankshares acquisition for about $200 million** Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo; regulatory approval expected by end-2026, rebranding and customer conversion in the second half of 2027. ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/no-pause-button-omaha-bank-inks-second-m-a-deal-since-june))
- Jun 24, 2026 — **Agents run under human-equivalent access controls** FNBO has 15 financial-crime investigators and analysts; an enhanced-due-diligence case of about 30 minutes now takes about 15; Baxter says the bank started with jobs that were easy to explain. ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime))
- Jun 24, 2026 — **AI agents cut financial-crime investigation time by 50%** Nasdaq Verafin agents for EDD and sanctions triage, on AWS Bedrock. ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime))
- Jun 8, 2026 — **Guide to AI scams and deepfakes** Weeks on protecting individuals and businesses from synthetic media. ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2026/how-to-protect-against-ai-scams-and-deepfakes))
- Jun 2, 2026 — **Blue Ridge Bancshares deal adds to Kansas City build-out** $882 million-asset bank in Independence, Missouri. ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/fnbos-latest-deal-adds-to-its-kansas-city-buildout))
- Apr 20, 2026 — **MediStreams healthcare payment automation agreement** Remittance conversion and automated payment posting for FNBO healthcare clients (the release does not call it AI). ([MediStreams (Business Wire)](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260420251113/en/MediStreams-to-Enhance-Healthcare-Payment-Automation-and-Reconciliation-With-FNBO))
- Mar 18, 2026 — **2025 results: card charge-offs fall to 4.92%** Record revenue of $2.7 billion; principal charge-off rate on credit cards down from 5.52%; letter credits improved underwriting capabilities, technology and processes. ([First National of Nebraska / FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf))
- Mar 18, 2026 — **Chairman's 2025 letter: AI now routine** Record $533 million net income; AI cited as something the bank does routinely. ([First National of Nebraska / FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf))
- Mar 17, 2026 — **Pindrop Fraud Assist agent cuts fraud-case time 35–40%** FNBO among the first customers; analyst accuracy +50%, case productivity +42% without new headcount. ([Pindrop (GlobeNewswire)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/17/3257231/0/en/pindrop-unveils-first-agentic-fraud-investigation-solution-to-combat-surging-ai-driven-fraud.html))
- Feb 11, 2026 — **CISO on AI as a double-edged sword** Defensive AI speeds detection; governance, transparency and red-teaming needed to manage its risks. ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2026/ai-in-cybersecurity))
- Jan 27, 2026 — **dhango embedded-payments partnership** FNBO acts as originating bank for ACH, check and card payments on dhango middleware, which carries automated KYC/AML and merchant vetting (payments, not an AI deployment). ([dhango (Business Wire)](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260127944808/en/dhango-Partners-with-FNBO-to-Bring-Fast-Scalable-Embedded-Payments-to-SaaS-Platforms))
- Dec 18, 2025 — **Banking head: 'a lot of work' exploring AI** David Cota says solutions must make employees, customer interactions and community value better. ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/podcast/the-vault/168-years-strong))
- Sep 24, 2025 — **Chief credit officer profiled** Kobjerowski leads a 230-member credit team over a $23 billion loan book and has guided three underwriting strategies tied to economic scenarios. ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/2025-the-most-powerful-women-to-watch-no-20-mihaela-kobjerowski-fnbo))
- Sep 23, 2025 — **Survey: 46% of Americans use AI for personal finances** A further 50% trust AI for financial advice; 60% confident in their long-term plan. ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/newsroom/2025/fnbo-releases-2025-financial-wellbeing-study))
- Sep 11, 2025 — **Head of technology data named as OMA x AI presenter** Erin Saxby, vice president of technology data services, listed as a breakout presenter at the 7 October 2025 Omaha conference. ([University of Nebraska Omaha](https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2025/09/new-oma-x-ai-conference-keynote-speakers-breakout-presenters-announced.php), [University of Nebraska Omaha](https://www.unomaha.edu/omaxai/speakers/past-speakers/erin-saxby.php))
- Aug 27, 2025 — **Prove Pre-Fill added to co-branded card onboarding** Identity verification by device possession, reputation flags and ownership; Brianne Stephan calls Prove an essential technology partner for growing the co-branded card portfolio. ([Prove (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250827382137/en/Prove-Partners-with-FNBO-to-Modernize-Onboarding-Experience))
- Jul 8, 2025 — **CISO guidance on AI-powered scams** AI makes cybercriminals' lives easier too; verification habits recommended. ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2025/ai-powered-scams-target-consumers))
- May 2, 2025 — **Country Club Bank acquisition announced** $2.2 billion-asset Kansas City bank; two family-owned banks combine. ([American Banker](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/deal-would-give-nebraskas-fnbo-a-leg-up-in-kansas-city))
- Apr 3, 2025 — **Commercial payments head on partnerships over novelty** Trilli on the allure of APIs and AI and on aligning key performance indicators with partners. ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/commercial-business/2025/how-fnbo-is-driving-innovation-through-strategic-partnerships))
- Jan 22, 2025 — **VP Product joins PYMNTS session on generative AI** Cory Mann spoke on what payments and banking need from generative-AI companies. ([PYMNTS.com](https://pymnts.com/events/whats-next-in-payments-memo-to-the-genai-companies-fnbo))
- Dec 9, 2024 — **Partner reporting moves to Amazon QuickSight on Snowflake** About 600 reporting objects consolidated into about 60 dashboards for more than 90 card partners; over 90,000 users managed with row-level security; Amazon Q in QuickSight named as a later option. ([AWS Business Intelligence Blog (guest post by FNBO)](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/business-intelligence/how-fnbo-revolutionized-partner-reporting-with-amazon-quicksight))
- Dec 8, 2021 — **Upstart AI lending expanded nationwide** Pilot results met or exceeded expectations with a Net Promoter Score of 83; 78% of loans approved instantly; FNBO planned to use the platform for affinity partners. ([FNBO and Upstart (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211208005384/en/First-National-Bank-of-Omaha-Expands-Personal-Loans-Powered-by-Upstart))
- Oct 21, 2019 — **Upstart AI lending pilot nears completion; OCC briefed** Pilot begun in July lent tens of millions of dollars; FICO and debt-to-income kept in the model; OCC and examiners briefed. ([American Banker](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/the-banks-warming-to-ai-based-lending))

## Where AI runs

| Use case | What | Status | Detail | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [AML / KYC](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#aml-kyc) | Agentic alert triage and enhanced due diligence | In production | AI agents gather evidence on AML, fraud and sanctions alerts; investigators decide on SARs. | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime) |
| [AML / KYC](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#aml-kyc) | Sanctions-screening agent | In production | Context and transaction history assembled for OFAC list matches. | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime) |
| [Fraud detection](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#fraud) | Pindrop Fraud Assist for card-fraud investigations | In production | Agentic AI translates and summarises phone calls and generates case documentation for fraud analysts; Pindrop reports 35–40% less investigation time. | [Pindrop (GlobeNewswire)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/17/3257231/0/en/pindrop-unveils-first-agentic-fraud-investigation-solution-to-combat-surging-ai-driven-fraud.html) |
| [Credit scoring & underwriting](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#credit-underwriting) | Upstart AI consumer-lending pilot | Pilot | AI-based lending software tested to expand access to credit, with the bank's normal credit policies (FICO, debt-to-income) embedded. | [American Banker](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/the-banks-warming-to-ai-based-lending) |
| [Fraud detection](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#fraud) | AI-scam and deepfake awareness | In production | CISO-authored guidance for consumers and businesses. | [FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2025/ai-powered-scams-target-consumers), [FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2026/how-to-protect-against-ai-scams-and-deepfakes), [FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2026/ai-in-cybersecurity) |
| [Third-party & vendor AI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#third-party-vendors) | Partnership-led innovation in commercial payments | In production | Third-party solutions selected against customer needs and shared KPIs. | [FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/commercial-business/2025/how-fnbo-is-driving-innovation-through-strategic-partnerships) |
| [Credit scoring & underwriting](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#credit-underwriting) | Upstart AI personal loans (nationwide expansion) | Rolling out | Personal loans originated through Upstart's AI lending platform, with 78% approved instantly as of December 2021; the bank said it would extend the platform to affinity partners. Whether it still runs in 2026 is not public. | [FNBO and Upstart (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211208005384/en/First-National-Bank-of-Omaha-Expands-Personal-Loans-Powered-by-Upstart) |
| [Fraud detection](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#fraud) | Prove Pre-Fill identity verification for co-branded cards | In production | Identity verification at application for the co-branded card portfolio, aimed at faster onboarding and lower fraud. | [Prove (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250827382137/en/Prove-Partners-with-FNBO-to-Modernize-Onboarding-Experience) |
| [Model risk management](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#model-risk) | Scoped access and staged adoption for vendor AI agents | In production | Agents hold the same access privileges a human would in the Verafin system, run on jobs that are easy to explain, and leave final decisions to investigators. | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime) |
| [Third-party & vendor AI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#third-party-vendors) | dhango embedded payments as originating bank | Announced | FNBO is the originating depository institution for SaaS platforms using dhango, whose middleware handles merchant vetting and KYC/AML; the release cites FNBO's 20 years of experience serving third-party senders. | [dhango (Business Wire)](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260127944808/en/dhango-Partners-with-FNBO-to-Bring-Fast-Scalable-Embedded-Payments-to-SaaS-Platforms) |
| [Third-party & vendor AI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#third-party-vendors) | MediStreams payment and remittance automation for healthcare clients | Announced | Remittance conversion and automated payment posting added to FNBO healthcare banking; the release does not describe it as AI. | [MediStreams (Business Wire)](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260420251113/en/MediStreams-to-Enhance-Healthcare-Payment-Automation-and-Reconciliation-With-FNBO) |
| [Data & privacy](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#data-privacy) | Partner dashboards with row-level security | In production | Amazon QuickSight dashboards on a Snowflake warehouse let each of more than 90,000 users see only their own partner data; about 600 reports became about 60 dashboards. | [AWS Business Intelligence Blog (guest post by FNBO)](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/business-intelligence/how-fnbo-revolutionized-partner-reporting-with-amazon-quicksight) |

## Disclosed numbers

| Measure | Value | As of | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Investigator time per financial-crime case | −50% with AI agents | Jun 24, 2026 | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime) |
| Americans who have used AI for personal finances | 46% (a further 50% trust AI for financial advice) | Sep 23, 2025 | [FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/newsroom/2025/fnbo-releases-2025-financial-wellbeing-study) |
| InBankshares acquisition | ≈ $200 million cash | Sep 2, 2026 | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/no-pause-button-omaha-bank-inks-second-m-a-deal-since-june) |
| Country Club Bank assets | $2.2 billion | May 2, 2025 | [American Banker](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/deal-would-give-nebraskas-fnbo-a-leg-up-in-kansas-city) |
| Blue Ridge Bancshares assets | $882 million | Jun 2, 2026 | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/fnbos-latest-deal-adds-to-its-kansas-city-buildout) |
| Fraud-case investigation with Pindrop Fraud Assist (vendor-reported) | Time −35–40%; analyst accuracy +50%; case productivity +42% | Mar 17, 2026 | [Pindrop (GlobeNewswire)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/17/3257231/0/en/pindrop-unveils-first-agentic-fraud-investigation-solution-to-combat-surging-ai-driven-fraud.html) |
| First National of Nebraska 2025 net income | $533 million (record); total assets $34.9 billion | Dec 31, 2025 | [First National of Nebraska / FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf) |
| Time to complete an enhanced-due-diligence case | About 30 minutes before, about 15 now (investigator estimate) | Jun 24, 2026 | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime) |
| Financial-crime investigators and analysts | 15 | Jun 24, 2026 | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime) |
| Principal charge-off rate, credit cards | 4.92% in 2025 (5.52% in 2024) | Dec 31, 2025 | [First National of Nebraska / FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf) |
| Group revenue and expenses, 2025 | Revenue $2.7 billion (+11%); expenses $1.45 billion (+9%) | Dec 31, 2025 | [First National of Nebraska / FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf) |
| Upstart pilot results and nationwide approvals | Net Promoter Score 83; 78% of loans approved instantly | Dec 8, 2021 | [FNBO and Upstart (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211208005384/en/First-National-Bank-of-Omaha-Expands-Personal-Loans-Powered-by-Upstart) |
| Partner reporting estate | About 600 reporting objects to about 60 dashboards; 90,000+ users; 90+ card partners | Dec 9, 2024 | [AWS Business Intelligence Blog (guest post by FNBO)](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/business-intelligence/how-fnbo-revolutionized-partner-reporting-with-amazon-quicksight) |
| Credit team and loan book | 230 people; $23 billion of loans ($12.5 billion consumer, $10.5 billion commercial) | Sep 24, 2025 | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/2025-the-most-powerful-women-to-watch-no-20-mihaela-kobjerowski-fnbo) |
| InBankshares deal | Up to $204 million; $1.4 billion of assets | Sep 2, 2026 | [Banking Dive](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/fnbo-acquires-inbank-colorado-bank-deal-204m-merger/829424/) |
| Blue Ridge closing | About $850 million of assets; 37 Kansas City branches after conversion in early 2027 | Oct 1, 2026 | [FNBO (Business Wire)](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20261001777849/en/FNBO-Closes-Acquisition-of-Blue-Ridge-Bank-and-Trust-Co.-in-Kansas-City), [FNBO (Business Wire)](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260602857190/en/FNBO-to-Acquire-Blue-Ridge-Bank-and-Trust-Co.-in-Missouri) |

## Quotes

> "The consistent challenges of financial crimes means you're always looking for a better way to solve the problems." — Nick Baxter, Chief Risk Officer, Jun 24, 2026 ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime))

> "From the very start, it was clear we shared a cultural alignment and a meeting of the minds about what is good banking." — Clark Lauritzen, Chairman and President, Sep 2, 2026 ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/no-pause-button-omaha-bank-inks-second-m-a-deal-since-june))

> "The ability to leverage generative AI to translate and summarize phone calls and get deeper fraud insights has helped our team resolve cases faster and more accurately." — Steve Furlong, Director of Fraud Management, Mar 17, 2026 ([Pindrop (GlobeNewswire)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/17/3257231/0/en/pindrop-unveils-first-agentic-fraud-investigation-solution-to-combat-surging-ai-driven-fraud.html))

> "We could not have had the vision to imagine just five years ago some of the things that we do routinely today, such as artificial intelligence." — Clark D. Lauritzen, Chairman and President, Mar 18, 2026 ([First National of Nebraska / FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf))

> "Today we're starting on step three, and it's exciting to have incremental progress through this type of innovation on those existing embedded processes." — David Dawson, BSA/AML Officer, Jun 24, 2026 ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime))

> "You start simple, you build up confidence, you validate your ability to monitor and manage these agents." — Nick Baxter, Chief Risk Officer, Jun 24, 2026 ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime))

> "AI is an amplifier, for good or bad." — Jeff Weeks, SVP and Chief Information Security Officer, Feb 11, 2026 ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2026/ai-in-cybersecurity))

> "Our team has made great strides improving our credit underwriting capabilities, technology, and processes, and we saw gains from these efforts in 2025." — Clark D. Lauritzen, Chairman and President, Mar 18, 2026 ([First National of Nebraska / FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf))

> "We are expanding our program with Upstart so that more people nationwide can get personal loans they need with higher approval rates through a modern all-digital experience enabled by AI." — Marc Butterfield, SVP, Innovation and Disruption (2021), Dec 8, 2021 ([FNBO and Upstart (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211208005384/en/First-National-Bank-of-Omaha-Expands-Personal-Loans-Powered-by-Upstart))

## Who runs AI

- **Clark Lauritzen** — Chairman and President ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/no-pause-button-omaha-bank-inks-second-m-a-deal-since-june), [American Banker](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/deal-would-give-nebraskas-fnbo-a-leg-up-in-kansas-city))
- **Nick Baxter** — Chief Risk Officer ([LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-baxter-b29a744)) ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime))
- **Jeff Weeks** — SVP and Chief Information Security Officer ([LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-weeks-82ab4312)) ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2025/ai-powered-scams-target-consumers), [FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2026/how-to-protect-against-ai-scams-and-deepfakes))
- **Tammy Trilli** — SVP, Commercial Payments Organization ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/commercial-business/2025/how-fnbo-is-driving-innovation-through-strategic-partnerships))
- **Matthew S. Spyers** — EVP and Chief Information Officer ([LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattspyers)) ([First National of Nebraska / FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf))
- **David E. Cota Jr.** — EVP, Banking (leads the banking division) ([FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/insights/podcast/the-vault/168-years-strong), [First National of Nebraska / FNBO](https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf))
- **Steve Furlong** — Director of Fraud Management ([LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-furlong-8051177)) ([Pindrop (GlobeNewswire)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/17/3257231/0/en/pindrop-unveils-first-agentic-fraud-investigation-solution-to-combat-surging-ai-driven-fraud.html))
- **Erin Saxby** — Vice President, Technology Data Services (leads technology data teams and the generative-AI strategy) ([University of Nebraska Omaha](https://www.unomaha.edu/omaxai/speakers/past-speakers/erin-saxby.php), [University of Nebraska Omaha](https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2025/09/new-oma-x-ai-conference-keynote-speakers-breakout-presenters-announced.php))
- **David Dawson** — BSA/AML Officer (spokesperson on the Nasdaq Verafin agents) ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime))
- **Cory Mann** — VP Product (spoke on generative AI in payments, January 2025) ([PYMNTS.com](https://pymnts.com/events/whats-next-in-payments-memo-to-the-genai-companies-fnbo))
- **Marc Butterfield** — SVP, Innovation and Disruption (title as of December 2021; fronted the Upstart AI-lending expansion) ([FNBO and Upstart (Business Wire)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211208005384/en/First-National-Bank-of-Omaha-Expands-Personal-Loans-Powered-by-Upstart))

## Which AI vendors and fintechs does FNBO work with?

| Company | What FNBO uses it for | Status | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Pindrop](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/vendors/pindrop) | Contact-center fraud detection and passive authentication (Pindrop Protect and Passport) for more than five years, Pulse deepfake detection (beta user before the February 2024 launch) and Fraud Assist for fraud-case investigations (one of its first customers, March 2026). | In production | [Fraud detection](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-tools/fraud-detection) |
| [Amazon Bedrock (AWS)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/vendors/amazon-bedrock) | Nasdaq Verafin's enhanced-due-diligence and sanctions-screening AI agents, developed on AWS Bedrock, cut financial-crime investigation time per case by 50%, per the bank. | In production | [Enterprise AI assistants](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-tools/enterprise-ai-assistants) |
| [Upstart](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/fintech/upstart) | Upstart AI consumer-lending pilot, with the bank's credit policies embedded (2019) | Pilot | Fintech · BNPL & lending |

Each vendor and fintech page cites the source for the relationship. [AI tools for banks](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-tools) · [fintech and neobank AI dossiers](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/fintech).

## Regulators it answers to

- [OCC](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/occ) — FNBO is a national bank; vendor AI agents in AML and sanctions triage fall under OCC model-risk and third-party expectations and its gen-AI risk perspective. See [OCC Bulletin 2026-13](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/occ-bulletin-2026-13), [OCC Semiannual Risk Perspective, Spring 2026](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/occ-semiannual-risk-perspective-spring-2026).
- [FinCEN](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/fincen) — Agent-assisted SAR decisions and sanctions screening sit inside BSA/AML obligations and FinCEN's AML innovation guidance. See [2018 Joint Statement on BSA/AML Innovation](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fincen-joint-statement-innovation-2018).
- [Federal Reserve](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/federal-reserve) — Holding-company oversight of third-party model risk for the Nasdaq Verafin agents. See [SR 23-4](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fed-sr-23-4), [SR 11-7](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fed-sr-11-7).
- [CFPB](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/cfpb) — Consumer card and deposit products bring UDAAP duties to any AI in servicing or fraud decisions. See [ECOA / Regulation B adverse action (15 U.S.C. 1691(d); 12 CFR 1002.9)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/cfpb-ecoa-regulation-b-adverse-action).

## What the record suggests

### Vendor agents are the fastest route for a bank this size

Adopting agents inside an existing AML platform avoided a build and a new vendor review; the trade is dependence on the vendor's model choices, which AWS Bedrock's model-agnostic design partly mitigates.

### Fifty percent is a headcount question examiners will ask

The bank frames the gain as consistency and capacity; documenting that SAR quality held or improved is what turns a time saving into a defensible control.

### Three integrations will test the AML stack

Country Club, Blue Ridge and InBankshares each bring alert volumes and data onto Verafin; the agents' value rises with volume, but so does the model-risk exposure.

### The security voice is a differentiator for a private bank

A CISO writing plainly about AI scams gives customers a reason to trust the bank's own AI, which most private banks never discuss.

## FAQ

### Who leads AI at FNBO?

No chief AI officer is named in the public record. Erin Saxby, vice president of technology data services, leads the technology data teams and spearheads the generative-AI strategy. Matthew Spyers, executive vice president and chief information officer, heads technology in the 2025 executive-officer list. Chief risk officer Nick Baxter and BSA/AML officer David Dawson speak for the Nasdaq Verafin agents in financial crime, and fraud-management director Steve Furlong for the Pindrop Fraud Assist rollout. Jeff Weeks, chief information security officer, writes the bank's AI-risk guidance, and Mihaela Kobjerowski runs credit risk.

### How does FNBO use AI?

FNBO uses AI agents from Nasdaq Verafin, built on AWS Bedrock, to do the first-level work on anti-money-laundering, fraud and sanctions alerts: gathering transaction history and context so investigators can decide whether to file a suspicious activity report. Executives said in June 2026 the agents cut investigator time per case by 50% while humans keep the final judgment.

### Who owns First National Bank of Omaha?

FNBO is privately held through First National of Nebraska and the Lauritzen family; Clark Lauritzen is chairman and president. It is a national bank supervised by the OCC and one of the largest privately owned banks in the United States.

### Does FNBO use AI to approve loans?

FNBO piloted Upstart's AI lending platform for personal loans in 2019, then expanded it nationwide in December 2021, when 78% of loans were approved instantly and the pilot's Net Promoter Score was 83. Marc Butterfield, then senior vice president of innovation and disruption, said the bank would also use it for affinity partners. Whether the programme still runs in 2026 is not public. Chief credit officer Mihaela Kobjerowski leads a 230-person credit team and three scenario-based underwriting strategies; FNBO has not described AI in card underwriting.

### Which technology vendors does FNBO use for AI?

The named vendors are Nasdaq Verafin (enhanced-due-diligence and sanctions agents built on AWS Bedrock), Pindrop (Protect call-fraud platform with the Fraud Assist generative-AI add-on), Prove (Pre-Fill identity verification for co-branded card onboarding, August 2025), Upstart (AI personal loans) and Amazon Web Services (QuickSight dashboards on a Snowflake warehouse). FNBO has not named a large-language-model supplier, a hyperscaler contract or a GPU vendor for its internal generative-AI work.

## Sources (26)

1. How FNBO uses agentic AI to investigate financial crime — American Banker, Jun 24, 2026. https://americanbanker.com/news/how-fnbo-uses-agentic-ai-to-investigate-financial-crime
2. Deal would give Nebraska's FNBO a leg up in Kansas City — American Banker, May 2, 2025. https://www.americanbanker.com/news/deal-would-give-nebraskas-fnbo-a-leg-up-in-kansas-city
3. FNBO's latest deal adds to its Kansas City buildout — American Banker, Jun 2, 2026. https://americanbanker.com/news/fnbos-latest-deal-adds-to-its-kansas-city-buildout
4. No pause button: Omaha bank inks second M&A deal since June — American Banker, Sep 2, 2026. https://americanbanker.com/news/no-pause-button-omaha-bank-inks-second-m-a-deal-since-june
5. How FNBO Is Driving Innovation Through Strategic Partnerships — FNBO, Apr 3, 2025. https://www.fnbo.com/insights/commercial-business/2025/how-fnbo-is-driving-innovation-through-strategic-partnerships
6. Nearly Half of Americans Are Using AI To Help With Their Finances (2025 Financial Wellbeing Study) — FNBO, Sep 23, 2025. https://www.fnbo.com/insights/newsroom/2025/fnbo-releases-2025-financial-wellbeing-study
7. AI-Powered Scams Target Consumers — FNBO, Jul 8, 2025. https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2025/ai-powered-scams-target-consumers
8. How to Protect Yourself and Your Business from AI Scams and Deepfakes — FNBO, Jun 8, 2026. https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2026/how-to-protect-against-ai-scams-and-deepfakes
9. Pindrop Unveils First Agentic Fraud Investigation Solution to Combat Surging AI-Driven Fraud — Pindrop (GlobeNewswire), Mar 17, 2026. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/17/3257231/0/en/pindrop-unveils-first-agentic-fraud-investigation-solution-to-combat-surging-ai-driven-fraud.html
10. 2025 Financial Summary — First National of Nebraska / FNBO, Mar 18, 2026. https://www.fnbo.com/content/dam/fnni/documents/2025-financial-summary.pdf
11. The banks warming to AI-based lending — American Banker, Oct 21, 2019. https://www.americanbanker.com/news/the-banks-warming-to-ai-based-lending
12. Episode 2: 168 Years Strong — FNBO, Dec 18, 2025. https://www.fnbo.com/insights/podcast/the-vault/168-years-strong
13. AI in Cybersecurity: The Double-Edged Sword — FNBO, Feb 11, 2026. https://www.fnbo.com/insights/fraud-and-security-tips/2026/ai-in-cybersecurity
14. Erin Saxby (OMA x AI speaker profile) — University of Nebraska Omaha, Oct 7, 2025. https://www.unomaha.edu/omaxai/speakers/past-speakers/erin-saxby.php
15. NEW: OMA x AI Conference Keynote Speakers, Breakout Presenters Announced — University of Nebraska Omaha, Sep 11, 2025. https://www.unomaha.edu/news/2025/09/new-oma-x-ai-conference-keynote-speakers-breakout-presenters-announced.php
16. The Most Powerful Women to Watch, No. 20, Mihaela Kobjerowski, FNBO — American Banker, Sep 24, 2025. https://americanbanker.com/news/2025-the-most-powerful-women-to-watch-no-20-mihaela-kobjerowski-fnbo
17. Prove Partners with FNBO to Modernize Onboarding Experience — Prove (Business Wire), Aug 27, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250827382137/en/Prove-Partners-with-FNBO-to-Modernize-Onboarding-Experience
18. First National Bank of Omaha Expands Personal Loans Powered by Upstart — FNBO and Upstart (Business Wire), Dec 8, 2021. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211208005384/en/First-National-Bank-of-Omaha-Expands-Personal-Loans-Powered-by-Upstart
19. dhango Partners with FNBO to Bring Fast, Scalable Embedded Payments to SaaS Platforms — dhango (Business Wire), Jan 27, 2026. https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260127944808/en/dhango-Partners-with-FNBO-to-Bring-Fast-Scalable-Embedded-Payments-to-SaaS-Platforms
20. MediStreams to Enhance Healthcare Payment Automation and Reconciliation With FNBO — MediStreams (Business Wire), Apr 20, 2026. https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260420251113/en/MediStreams-to-Enhance-Healthcare-Payment-Automation-and-Reconciliation-With-FNBO
21. How FNBO revolutionized partner reporting with Amazon QuickSight — AWS Business Intelligence Blog (guest post by FNBO), Dec 9, 2024. https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/business-intelligence/how-fnbo-revolutionized-partner-reporting-with-amazon-quicksight
22. FNBO to acquire Colorado bank in $204M deal — Banking Dive, Sep 2, 2026. https://www.bankingdive.com/news/fnbo-acquires-inbank-colorado-bank-deal-204m-merger/829424/
23. FNBO to Acquire Blue Ridge Bank and Trust Co. in Missouri — FNBO (Business Wire), Jun 2, 2026. https://businesswire.com/news/home/20260602857190/en/FNBO-to-Acquire-Blue-Ridge-Bank-and-Trust-Co.-in-Missouri
24. FNBO Closes Acquisition of Blue Ridge Bank and Trust Co. in Kansas City — FNBO (Business Wire), Oct 1, 2026. https://businesswire.com/news/home/20261001777849/en/FNBO-Closes-Acquisition-of-Blue-Ridge-Bank-and-Trust-Co.-in-Kansas-City
25. What's Next In Payments: Memo To The GenAI Companies - FNBO — PYMNTS.com, Jan 22, 2025. https://pymnts.com/events/whats-next-in-payments-memo-to-the-genai-companies-fnbo
26. US 2014/0304170 A1: Remote credit issuance system — Google Patents (USPTO), Oct 9, 2014. https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140304170A1/en

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