What technology stack does Frost Bank run?
Frost builds its customer-facing technology and buys specialist platforms behind it. CEO Phil Green called the mobile app 'self-developed' in the 2024 annual report, and Jimmy Stead was on the team that built Frost's online banking and app. Underneath, a core banking modernization reported in the August 2026 investor deck has 66% of tier-one capabilities modernized and 40% in the cloud, up from 47% and 16% in 2021, with targets of 91% (43% cloud) in 2027 and 100% (53% cloud) from 2028. Completed work includes data-center and network modernization, mainframe upgrades, a contact-center conversion and fraud and sanctions screening; debit card, wires, disputes and commercial loan systems are next. Cloud is the cost line that moves: cloud services expense rose $10.2 million in 2023, $9.2 million in 2024 and $10.3 million in 2025, per the 10-Ks. Named platforms include Blend (lending since 2020, deposits since 2021), Plaid Exchange (2022), Atomic, Finzly for FedNow and RTP, Derivative Path for OTC derivatives (November 2025) and LivePerson in the contact center. Frost does not name its cloud provider or core banking vendor.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Data as of Oct 16, 2026 · Frost profile updated Oct 13, 2026 · 22 sources cited on this page · 140 banks profiled on this site · Markdown
How far has Frost's core banking modernization progressed?
From the 'Technology Highlights' slide of the Q2 2026 investor presentation (filed August 17, 2026). Frost does not define 'tier-one capabilities' further.
| Milestone | Tier-one capabilities modernized | Share in the cloud | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47% | 16% | Baseline[3] |
| Today (August 2026) | 66%, including 8 new capabilities | 40% | Reported[3] |
| 2027 | 91% | 43% | Target[3] |
| 2028 and after | 100% current and on a regular update schedule | 53% | Target[3] |
| Completed projects | Data center and network modernization; RTP/FedNow receive; public cloud expansion; mainframe upgrades; contact center conversion; fraud and sanction screening modernization | n/a | Done[3] |
| 2026 and beyond | Debit card conversion; consumer wires; RTP/FedNow send; wires conversion; disputes and adjustments conversion; commercial loan system conversion; customer single sign-on | n/a | Planned[3] |
How much is Frost spending on technology and cloud?
Frost reports technology inside 'technology, furniture and equipment' expense. Figures as stated in each 10-K's discussion of noninterest expense.
| Period | Technology, furniture and equipment expense | Cloud services | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Up $14.5 million, or 12.0%, on 2022 | Up $10.2 million | 10-K for 2023[4] |
| Q2 2024 | Technology spend of $35.9 million, up 8% year on year | Not broken out | Bank Automation News[13] |
| 2024 | Up $13.2 million, or 9.8%, on 2023 | Up $9.2 million | 10-K for 2024[5] |
| 2025 | Up $17.3 million, or 11.6%, on 2024 (software maintenance up $4.9 million) | Up $10.3 million | 10-K for 2025[6] |
Which technology vendors does Frost use?
Only vendors named in a release, filing or interview about Frost. AI status as the source describes it.
| Vendor | What it runs | AI | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zelle | Send Money with Zelle in the Frost app; Stead was an original member of the Zelle advisory team | No | September 14, 2017[14] |
| Blend | Home equity first, extended in 2021 to mortgage, consumer banking and deposits on one platform; 2026 results: completion 80%, manual review 3% | Automation; agentic Autopilot use not disclosed | 2020; extended October 13, 2021[7][15][16] |
| Plaid | Plaid Exchange API for about 400,000 customers, with a 'Manage Connections' control in the app; 'Plaid never sees our customers' user ID and password' (Stead) | No | Early 2022[8] |
| LivePerson | Conversational platform and generative-AI agent efficiency tools for the human contact center | Yes (agent assist) | Relationship of more than three years by July 2024[13][12] |
| Atomic | Direct deposit switching inside the app | No | April 2024[9] |
| Finzly | Single instant-payments API for FedNow and RTP | No | June 2024[10] |
| Derivative Path | DerivativeEDGE cloud SaaS platform for the OTC derivatives business, starting with commodities and interest rates; 'the beginning of a multiyear partnership' | No | November 25, 2025[11] |
What does Frost build itself, and who oversees technology?
Frost builds the customer surface. Green's 2024 letter calls the mobile app 'self-developed' and the highest-rated banking app in the App Store, and credits investment that brought turnover, including in the technology segment, down to 6%. Stead joined Frost in 1999, served as director of digital services and was part of the original team that brought online banking to Frost and created the app; he has been chief consumer banking and technology officer since 2017.[1][2]
Oversight is split. The CIO reports to the chief consumer banking officer and the CISO to the chief risk officer, per the 2025 10-K; both report quarterly to the board's Technology and Cybersecurity Committee, which approves technology budgets. Green's 2025 letter says Frost 'made remarkable strides in bringing our information technology and cybersecurity systems to the level necessary for our ongoing success and safety'. The 10-Ks say reliance on cloud technologies 'is growing' but do not name a provider.[6][17][18][4]
What does the Frost profile record on this topic?
The rows below are the entries of the Frost AI strategy profile that bear on this page, as of Oct 13, 2026; the profile holds the full record of 22 dated moves, 9 use cases and 26 sources.
| Use case | What the record shows | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital account opening and lending on Blend | Automated review cut manual handling to 3%; lending on Blend since 2020. | In production | [15] |
| Vendor-breach response | Statement and tax-document vendor compromise; limited-exposure framing. | In production | [19] |
| Contact Center Copilot and enhanced customer chat (employee-facing) | Named in the August 2026 investor deck as behind call-centre gains (the deck does not name a vendor for the copilot); Stead describes AI that gives employees 'more knowledge at their fingertips' rather than a bot in the conversation. | In production | [3][20] |
| AI fraud detection as the expected first use case | Laura Miller said fraud detection is likely to be one of the early AI use cases at Frost and most banks; no model, vendor or result has been disclosed. | Announced | [13] |
| Fraud and sanctions-screening modernisation | Listed as completed in the August 2026 investor deck's digital-transformation timeline; the deck does not say whether models are involved. | In production | [3] |
| Date | Move | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 2026 | Blend 'Ecosystem Expander' award | Blend credits Frost with scaling its platform across four major lines of business; the award went to Katie Keating's consumer products team. | [21] |
| Aug 20, 2026 | Blend reports agentic Autopilot results across lenders | 50,000-plus live loans since March 2026; Frost's participation undisclosed. | [16] |
| Aug 18, 2026 | Blend account-opening results published | Completion 80%, manual review 3%, NPS 94. | [15] |
| Aug 17, 2026 | Investor deck names a contact-centre copilot | Call-centre staffing up 14% and call volume up 38% (as of December 2025), 'facilitated by' call-centre modernisation, a contact-centre copilot and enhanced customer chat; 66% of tier-one capabilities modernised, 40% in the cloud. | [3] |
| Apr 23, 2026 | Class actions follow the vendor breach claim | Two proposed class actions each seek more than $1 million; one estimates about 109,000 people affected; a Frost spokesman says a third-party vendor reported unauthorised access to its own systems and there is no evidence of access to Frost's network. | [22] |
| Apr 22, 2026 | Ransomware claim attributed to a vendor | Everest claims 250,000 Frost records; bank cites a third-party tax-document vendor. | [19] |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Proxy statement sets out technology governance | The Technology and Cybersecurity Committee, chaired by former Cloudflare field CTO John Engates, approves technology and information-security budgets annually and receives quarterly reports from the CIO and CISO; director Linda Rutherford previously led AI and data transformation at Southwest Airlines. | [17] |
| Jul 29, 2024 | Frost sets out its AI plans to Bank Automation News | Laura Miller says the focus is customer experience, fraud detection is the likely first AI use case and AI underwriting waits for regulatory clarity; a LivePerson co-pilot supports contact-centre staff; Q2 2024 technology spend was $35.9 million, up 8%. | [13] |
| Jun 25, 2024 | Finzly chosen for FedNow and RTP | Single instant-payments API covering FedNow and The Clearing House RTP; Finzly says it will support Frost's compliance and fraud-monitoring requirements. | [10][13] |
| Apr 23, 2024 | Atomic direct-deposit switching | Frost adds Atomic so customers can move direct deposit to Frost inside its app; Stead is quoted in the announcement. | [9] |
How much of Frost's core banking runs in the cloud?
Per the Q2 2026 investor presentation filed August 17, 2026, 40% of Frost's tier-one capabilities are in the cloud, up from 16% in 2021. Frost targets 43% in 2027 and 53% from 2028, when it expects 100% of tier-one capabilities to be current and on a regular update schedule. It does not name its cloud provider.
Did Frost build its own mobile app?
Yes. Phil Green's letter in the 2024 annual report calls it Frost's 'self-developed mobile banking app' and the highest-rated banking app in the App Store. Jimmy Stead's Frost biography says he was part of the original team that brought online banking to Frost and created the Frost mobile app. The Q2 2026 deck gives a 4.9 App Store rating.
How fast are Frost's cloud costs growing?
The 10-Ks report cloud services expense up $10.2 million in 2023, $9.2 million in 2024 and $10.3 million in 2025. Those were the largest drivers of increases in technology, furniture and equipment expense of $14.5 million (12.0%), $13.2 million (9.8%) and $17.3 million (11.6%) in the respective years. Frost does not disclose a total technology budget.
What is left in Frost's modernization program?
The August 2026 investor deck lists, for 2026 and beyond, a debit card conversion, consumer wires, RTP/FedNow send, a wires conversion, a disputes and adjustments conversion, a commercial loan system conversion and customer single sign-on. Completed work includes data-center, network and mainframe upgrades, public cloud expansion, a contact-center conversion and fraud and sanction screening modernization.
Which vendors does Frost rely on for digital banking?
Named partners are Blend for lending and account opening, Plaid for open-finance connections, Atomic for direct deposit switching, Finzly for FedNow and RTP, Zelle for person-to-person payments, LivePerson in the contact center and Derivative Path for its OTC derivatives business. Frost has not named its core banking vendor or its cloud provider.
- Cullen/Frost Bankers 2024 Annual Report to shareholders (chairman's letter)
- Jimmy Stead, Group EVP, Chief Consumer Banking and Technology Officer (leadership biography)
- Cullen/Frost Q2 2026 investor presentation (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- Cullen/Frost Bankers Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
- Cullen/Frost Bankers Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
- Cullen/Frost Bankers Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Blend and Frost Bank Extend Partnership into Mortgage, Consumer Banking, and Deposits
- How and Why Frost Bank Loves Open Banking & Data Sharing
- Frost Bank Improves Customer Experience with Atomic Direct Deposit Switch
- Frost Bank in Texas taps Finzly for instant payments
- Frost Bank Implements Derivative Path to Power OTC Derivatives Business (press release)
- LivePerson delivers measurable returns on AI investments to enterprises across the globe
- Inside look: Frost Bank's AI and payments strategy
- Frost Partners With Zelle To Launch Send Money with Zelle Service Via The Frost App
- Frost Bank Achieves 60% Increase in Digital Account Openings With Blend
- Early Production Results for Blend's Autopilot Show What Agentic AI Means For Lending
- Cullen/Frost Bankers 2026 Proxy Statement (DEF 14A)
- Cullen/Frost Bankers 2025 Annual Report to shareholders (chairman's letter)
- Citizens, Frost blame vendor after data breach claim
- Frost Bank exec: AI to usher in simpler mobile banking era
- Blend Honors Seven Customers With Best in Banking Awards at Forum 2026
- Frost Bank hit with class-action lawsuits over data breach affecting more than 100,000 customers
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