A serial acquirer that runs 18 locally branded divisions on one Montana charter, posting record earnings after two 2025 deals, with no disclosed AI programme and a customer-facing security stack built on authenticator apps rather than analytics.
How is Glacier using AI?
Glacier Bancorp, the Kalispell, Montana holding company for Glacier Bank, is the most acquisitive bank in the rank-51-to-100 group and one of the least communicative about AI. It more than tripled its assets through acquisitions in the decade to 2025 and has done 26 deals since 2000, each acquired bank kept as a locally branded division on the single Glacier Bank charter. In January 2025 it agreed to pay $245.4 million in stock for Bank of Idaho, its 12th announced bank deal in ten years; in June 2025 it agreed to pay $476 million in stock for Guaranty Bancshares in Mount Pleasant, Texas, its entry into that state and its 18th division, closing on 1 October 2025 with Guaranty's chairman Ty Abston staying as division CEO. Second-quarter 2026 net income was a record $97.9 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, up 85% from a year earlier, with net interest income of $276 million, a 3.90% tax-equivalent margin that had expanded for a tenth straight quarter; the Guaranty core systems conversion had been completed in the first quarter. Its public technology footprint is customer authentication and cash management: a quick-reference guide to the GAuth authenticator plug-in for online-banking login and a cash-management user guide covering ACH, wires and transaction downloads in formats such as QuickBooks. Neither the 2025 annual report nor the earnings releases describe any AI use, AI leader, vendor or budget, and the 2026 earnings releases mention AI only in a forward-looking-statement caveat. Beyond that, AI appears in two places: the 2025 10-K's risk factors, which warn that AI could 'significantly disrupt our business model', bring implementation and cost risks, arm bad actors and face conflicting state rules, and an investor-deck slide (August 2025, October 2025 and February 2026) saying a centralised data warehouse holding all key customer data 'sets the stage for more profitable relationships and use of Artificial Intelligence'. The May and August 2026 decks no longer carry that slide and instead stress one charter, one technology platform and centralised data governance. President and CEO Randy Chesler frames growth largely as geographic expansion into fast-growing Mountain West and Southwest markets. Glacier Bank is a Montana state nonmember bank supervised by the FDIC, so any AI it introduces in credit or fraud would be governed by the FDIC's model-risk and third-party guidance. Treat this as a thin record for a bank whose strategy is acquisition, not automation.
Thin public record: No disclosed AI deployment, vendor, budget or named AI leader, and no AI discussion in its 2026 earnings releases beyond a forward-looking-statement caveat; AI appears only as risk language (10-K risk factor) and an investor-deck line saying a central data warehouse 'sets the stage' for it.
Lead bank
Glacier Bank
Assets (lead bank, Jun 30, 2026)
$32 billion
Charter
Montana state nonmember bank (FDIC)
Headquarters
Kalispell, MT
AI leadership
Randy Chesler · Ty Abston · Mark D. MacMillan · Lee K. Groom · T.J. Frickle · Ryan T. Screnar
- No AI programme, leader, vendor, budget or roadmap disclosed in releases, the 2025 annual report or earnings materials; the 2026 earnings releases mention AI only in a forward-looking-statement caveat.
- AI shows up as risk and foundation only: the 2025 10-K's AI risk factor (business-model disruption, implementation cost, AI-enabled attacks, conflicting state AI laws) and a deck slide saying the central customer-data warehouse 'sets the stage' for AI.
- Guaranty Bancshares (Texas) acquired for $476 million in stock, closed 1 October 2025 as the 18th division; core systems conversion completed in Q1 2026.
- Bank of Idaho acquired for $245.4 million in stock (announced January 2025), the 12th bank deal in ten years and 26th since 2000.
- Record Q2 2026 net income of $97.9 million ($0.75 per diluted share), up 85% year on year; net interest margin 3.90%, up for a tenth straight quarter.
- Customer technology disclosures are authentication and cash-management guides: the GAuth authenticator plug-in and an ACH and wire user guide.
- Operating model: one Montana charter, 18 locally branded divisions across the Mountain West, Southwest and Pacific Northwest.
- Technology sits under Lee Groom, Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer, who took oversight of the information technology function from 1 November 2024 and reports to Chesler; the 10-K names a Strategic Technology Committee, an Enterprise Risk Management Committee and a Board Risk Oversight Committee as the bodies that review cyber risk, with the Chief Risk Officer and Chief Information Security Officer reporting to the board committee quarterly.
- The AI line on the investor deck came and went: the 'sets the stage' data-warehouse slide appears in the August 2025, October 2025 and February 2026 decks and is absent from the May and August 2026 decks, which describe 'Best-in-class technology' and one banking charter on one technology platform.
- On the Q4 2025 call (23 January 2026) Chesler said Glacier is giving Guaranty its 'automated commercial loan processing system', and CFO Ron Copher said technology spend is helping control noninterest expense as divisions adopt it; neither remark mentions AI, and the Q2 2026 call transcript contains no AI remarks.
- AI is listed as a forward-looking risk ('risks related to rapidly evolving artificial intelligence technologies') in the 10-Qs for the first and second quarters of 2026; the 10-K adds that AI-facilitated attacks are a cyber risk and that models face 'emerging risks from the use of applications that may rely on artificial intelligence'.
- In September 2026 Glacier Bank was named among the banks that put money into Cari, the bank-governed tokenised-deposit network that raised $32.5 million; it is Glacier's only disclosed fintech-infrastructure investment and is not an AI programme.
- Chesler's biography in the 2026 proxy cites technology and payments employers (Size Technologies, Associates First Capital, Visa, Citibank, CIT), but no remark of his on AI is on record in the 2026 earnings calls, releases or proxy.
What AI partnerships and patents does Glacier Bancorp have?
None are public. Glacier has not named an AI lab, cloud AI service, data vendor or core-AI supplier, and a Google Patents assignee search for Glacier Bancorp returned no granted patents or published applications on 14 October 2026. Its disclosed technology items are an in-house automated commercial loan processing system, a centralised customer data warehouse with in-house software development, and a September 2026 investment in the Cari tokenised-deposit network. The 10-K describes third-party risk management without naming vendors.[7][15][14][22]
| Item | What it is | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cari | Bank-governed tokenised-deposit network; Glacier Bank is one of the banks that funded its $32.5 million first tranche | Announced | 2026-09-02[22] |
| Automated commercial loan processing system | In-house workflow extended to Guaranty after its core conversion; not described as AI | In production | 2026-01-23[15][17] |
| Centralised data warehouse | Holds all key customer data; decks said it 'sets the stage' for AI until the slide was dropped in 2026 | In production | 2025-10-29[14][19] |
What has Glacier done on AI, and when?
- Sep 2, 2026
Glacier Bank invests in the Cari tokenised-deposit network[22]
Cari raised $32.5 million in a first tranche funded entirely by banks, with Glacier Bank among the investors alongside its six design-partner banks; Chesler is quoted in the announcement. Not an AI initiative.
- Aug 4, 2026
Q2 2026 10-Q repeats the AI risk language[21]
AI is again listed only as a forward-looking risk; the filing attributes a $236 million loan reclassification to the Guaranty core system conversion in the first quarter of 2026.
- Aug 3, 2026
Investor deck: one charter, one technology platform[11]
'Centralized risk, compliance, and data governance'; local bankers decide 'based on firsthand market knowledge, not distant models or committees'; plans to 'leverage GBCI’s leading technology and digital capabilities' for acquisition, onboarding and service efficiency.
- Jul 24, 2026
Q2 2026 call: efficiency ratio 56.21%[20]
Chesler credits 'margin, efficiency, and disciplined balance sheet growth'; the operating efficiency ratio improved to 56.21% from 63.05%; second-half quarterly expense guidance is $187 million to $192 million. The transcript contains no AI remarks.
- Jul 23, 2026
Record second-quarter 2026 results[12]
Net income $97.9 million; EPS $0.75; margin 3.90%.
- May 5, 2026
May 2026 deck drops the AI and data-warehouse slide[19]
The deck describes 'Best-in-class technology', 'Centralized risk, compliance, and data governance' and one banking charter on one technology platform, and plans to use technology and digital capabilities for acquisition, onboarding and service efficiency; the data-warehouse and AI wording from the February 2026 deck is absent.
- May 1, 2026
Q1 2026 10-Q lists AI as a forward-looking risk[18]
'Risks related to rapidly evolving artificial intelligence technologies' appears in the forward-looking-statement list; the filing describes no AI use.
- Apr 24, 2026
Q1 2026 call: conversion behind the bank[17]
Chesler: 'The conversion is behind us'; Texas loans grew more than 6% in the quarter; Copher keeps a cautious stance on hiring and spending. No AI remarks.
- Apr 23, 2026
Guaranty core systems conversion completed[10]
Completed in the first quarter of 2026, alongside record quarterly net income.
- Mar 12, 2026
2025 annual report filed[6]
Describes no AI use; the corporate officer list names SVP and CIO Mark MacMillan and EVP and Chief Experience Officer Lee Groom.
- Mar 12, 2026
2026 proxy statement filed[16]
The Risk Oversight Committee charter provides for quarterly reports by the Chief Information Security Officer; Chesler's biography cites technology employers (Size Technologies, Visa, Citibank, CIT). No AI committee or AI officer is named.
- Feb 25, 2026
2025 10-K carries an AI risk factor[7]
AI 'could significantly disrupt our business model'; implementation, cost and reputational risks, AI-enabled attacks, state AI laws and the president's executive order on AI policy; models may rely on AI applications.
- Jan 23, 2026
Q4 2025 call: technology spend and an automated loan system[15]
Chesler says Glacier converted the Bank of Idaho platform in September 2025 and plans to convert Guaranty in February, and will give Guaranty its 'automated commercial loan processing system'; Copher says technology spend is helping control noninterest expense. No AI remarks.
- Oct 29, 2025
Q3 2025 investor deck repeats the data-warehouse AI line[14]
The 'Foundation for Growth and Acquisitions' slide lists 'Best of Breed' technology, a dedicated Product Management Organization, in-house software development and a centralised data warehouse that 'sets the stage for more profitable relationships and use of Artificial Intelligence'.
- Oct 1, 2025
Guaranty acquisition completed[5]
33 locations across 26 Texas communities join Glacier Bank.
- Aug 15, 2025
Investor deck: data warehouse 'sets the stage' for AI[8][9]
A 'Foundation for Growth and Acquisitions' slide lists a centralised data warehouse holding all key customer data that 'sets the stage for more profitable relationships and use of Artificial Intelligence'; the line recurs in the February 2026 deck.
- Jul 7, 2025
Cash Management ACH and Wire user guide[4]
Treasury tooling documentation for business clients.
- Jun 25, 2025
Guaranty Bancshares deal to enter Texas[3]
$476 million in stock; Guaranty to operate as the 18th division.
- Jan 14, 2025
Bank of Idaho acquisition announced[2]
$245.4 million in stock; 15 branches, $1.1 billion of deposits.
- Nov 5, 2024
Information technology moved under the Chief Experience Officer[13]
An 8-K reports that Lee Groom, promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer, takes 'oversight of the information technology function', reporting directly to Chesler; Ryan Screnar becomes Chief Compliance Officer and then Chief Administrative Officer.
- Feb 5, 2024
Authenticator-app login guides published[1]
A GAuth Chrome plug-in that generates one-time PINs for online-banking login.
Where does Glacier use AI today?
| System | What it does | Status | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-factor authentication for digital banking[1] | GAuth authenticator plug-in generating one-time PINs for online-banking login. | In production | Cybersecurity |
| Acquisition systems conversions[3][8][10][5] | Bank of Idaho (closed May 2025) was scheduled for core conversion in early September 2025; Guaranty (closed October 2025) was converted in the first quarter of 2026. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| No disclosed AI deployment[6][7] | Annual report and earnings materials describe no AI use; AI appears only as a risk factor. | Announced | AI governance (general) |
| AI risk-factor disclosure[7] | The 10-K covers AI disruption of the business model, implementation and maintenance costs, reputational harm, AI-enabled security threats, divergent state AI legislation, and models that may rely on AI applications. | In production | Model risk management |
| Centralised customer-data warehouse as the AI foundation[8][9] | All key customer data stored centrally, which the bank's investor deck says 'sets the stage' for AI; no AI application on it has been disclosed. | Announced | Data & privacy |
| Automated commercial loan processing system extended to Guaranty[15][17] | Chesler told analysts in January 2026 that Guaranty would get Glacier's automated commercial loan processing system after the February conversion; the conversion was completed in the first quarter. Management did not describe the system as AI or machine learning. | In production | Credit scoring & underwriting |
| AI-enabled attacks recognised as a cyber risk[7] | The 10-K lists 'attacks enhanced or facilitated by AI' among information-security risks and names AI among the reasons cyber litigation and enforcement risk is elevated. | In production | Cybersecurity |
| Committee oversight of technology and cyber risk[7][16] | Cyber risk is reviewed by a Strategic Technology Committee, an Enterprise Risk Management Committee and the board Risk Oversight Committee, which receives quarterly reports from the Chief Risk Officer and Chief Information Security Officer. No AI-specific committee is named. | In production | AI governance (general) |
| Dedicated third-party risk department[7] | A department inside Enterprise Risk Management manages third-party risk and assesses providers' cybersecurity with the Bank's Information Technology Department; the 10-K names no AI vendor. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Investment in the Cari tokenised-deposit network[22] | Glacier Bank is among the banks that funded Cari's $32.5 million first tranche in September 2026; the network is described as moving toward production and is not an AI service. | Announced | Third-party & vendor AI |
Use-case links open the tracker's rules-by-use-case matrix: which documents govern each system type.
What has Glacier disclosed in numbers?
| Metric | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Second-quarter 2026 net income / diluted EPS | $97.9 million (record) / $0.75[12] | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Net interest margin, Q2 2026 | 3.90% (tenth straight quarterly expansion)[12] | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Guaranty Bancshares acquisition | $476 million in stock[3] | Jun 25, 2025 |
| Bank of Idaho acquisition | $245.4 million in stock[2] | Jan 14, 2025 |
| Bank deals since 2000 | 26[2] | Jan 14, 2025 |
| Operating efficiency ratio, Q2 2026 (Q1 2026) | 56.21% (63.05%)[20] | Jul 24, 2026 |
| Assets acquired in 2025 | Over $4.7 billion (prior record $4.1 billion in 2021)[15] | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Full-time-equivalent employees / locations, 31 December 2025 (2024) | 4,087 / 281 (3,441 / 227)[7] | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Quarterly noninterest expense guidance, Q3 and Q4 2026 | $187 million to $192 million[20] | Jul 24, 2026 |
| Guaranty (Texas) loan growth in Q1 2026, the quarter of its core conversion | More than 6%[17] | Apr 24, 2026 |
| Cari first-tranche round with Glacier Bank among investors | $32.5 million, funded entirely by banks[22] | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Chief Information Officer's years managing IT at the company | Over 32[7] | Feb 25, 2026 |
“Further expand our presence in the Southwest.”[3]
Randy Chesler · President and CEO · Jun 25, 2025
“We're giving them our automated commercial loan processing system. That's going to create some productivity, some improvement in how we can serve customers there.”[15]
Randy Chesler · President and CEO · Jan 23, 2026
“The technology spend, the really good news is that's helping us control our noninterest expense as we get more efficient as our divisions, our people embrace that technology.”[15]
Ron Copher · Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer · Jan 23, 2026
“The continued progress in margin, efficiency, and disciplined balance sheet growth, driven by Glacier’s community banking model, give us a solid foundation for the remainder of 2026.”[20]
Randy Chesler · President and CEO · Jul 24, 2026
“The best-in-class Cari Network brings those customers into the next era of bank-led digital money movement built on traditional bank deposits in digital form.”[22]
Randy Chesler · President and CEO · Sep 2, 2026
Who runs AI at Glacier?
Randy CheslerLinkedIn ↗
Ty Abston
CEO, Guaranty Bank & Trust division[3]
Mark D. MacMillan
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer[6]
Lee K. GroomLinkedIn ↗
Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer; oversees the information technology function (since 1 November 2024)[6][13]
Which regulators govern Glacier's AI?
| Authority | Why it matters here | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| FDIC | Glacier Bank is a state nonmember bank; FDIC model-risk and third-party guidance would govern any AI in lending or fraud across the divisions. | FDIC FIL-29-2023 FDIC FIL-15-2026 |
| Federal Reserve | Holding-company supervision of the acquisition programme and consolidated risk management. | SR 11-7 SR 23-4 |
| CFPB | Consumer lending across 18 divisions brings adverse-action and UDAAP duties to any automated decisioning. | ECOA / Regulation B adverse action (15 U.S.C. 1691(d); 12 CFR 1002.9) |
Side by side: SR 11-7 vs SR 26-2 · PRA SS1/23 vs SR 26-2 · MAS AI Risk Management Guidelines vs SR 26-2 · OCC vs CFPB on AI lending · all comparisons.
What does the public record suggest about Glacier's AI strategy?
Analysis by BankingNewsAI from the sources cited on this page. Observations, not advice.
01
Conversions are the proven capability
Two acquisitions converted within months of closing shows integration discipline; the same team could stand up a shared AI layer across 18 divisions, but nothing has been said.
02
One charter, many brands is an AI advantage waiting
A single data estate behind 18 local brands is unusual at this size; fraud and credit models trained once could serve every division.
03
Silence has not cost anything yet
Record earnings and margin expansion mean investors are not pricing AI disclosure; that changes as peers report efficiency gains.
04
Any first move faces the FDIC bar
As a nonmember bank Glacier's first AI deployment will be judged under FDIC third-party and model-risk guidance, so governance should precede pilots.
Where does the Glacier record go deeper?
Which leader rankings does Glacier appear in?
1 of the computed leaders rankings include Glacier, each ranked from the same sourced bank pages.
How does Glacier compare with its peers?
- How does Glacier Bancorp compare with its peers on AI and technology?
- Glacier Bancorp competitors and alternatives, by business line
Its peer group on this site, by business model and size:
Who leads AI at Glacier Bancorp?
No one is named as head of AI, and Glacier has no disclosed chief AI or data officer. Technology reports to Lee Groom, Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer, who took oversight of information technology on 1 November 2024. Mark MacMillan is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, T.J. Frickle is Chief Risk Officer, and President and CEO Randy Chesler sets strategy. A Strategic Technology Committee, an Enterprise Risk Management Committee and the board Risk Oversight Committee review cyber risk. No 2026 earnings call, release or proxy names an AI owner.
Does Glacier Bank use AI?
Glacier Bancorp has not disclosed any AI programme, leader, vendor, budget or use case. Its 2025 annual report and 2026 earnings materials describe no AI use, and those releases mention AI only in a forward-looking-statement caveat. The 2025 10-K lists AI as a risk factor, and investor decks say a centralised customer-data warehouse 'sets the stage' for AI; its other public technology disclosures cover authentication apps and cash-management tools.
What acquisitions has Glacier made recently?
It bought Bank of Idaho for $245.4 million in stock (announced January 2025) and Guaranty Bancshares of Mount Pleasant, Texas for $476 million in stock (closed 1 October 2025), its 18th division and first in Texas. The Guaranty core systems conversion was completed in the first quarter of 2026.
Has Glacier Bancorp talked about AI on earnings calls?
Not in the transcripts reviewed. The Q4 2025 call on 23 January 2026, the Q1 2026 call on 24 April and the Q2 2026 call on 24 July contain no AI remarks. Technology comes up only in cost and integration terms: Chesler said Guaranty would receive Glacier's automated commercial loan processing system, and CFO Ron Copher said technology spend is helping control noninterest expense. The Q2 2026 operating efficiency ratio was 56.21%, against 63.05% in Q1. AI appears in the 10-K and 10-Qs only as a risk.
What technology and fintech moves has Glacier Bank made recently?
It converted the Bank of Idaho operating platform in September 2025 and completed the Guaranty core conversion in the first quarter of 2026, with Texas loans growing more than 6% that quarter. Its decks describe one charter on one technology platform and, in 2025, a dedicated Product Management Organization. In September 2026 Glacier Bank was named among the banks funding Cari, the bank-governed tokenised-deposit network that raised $32.5 million. None of these is described as an AI programme.
- Authentication Quick Reference Guide
- Glacier in Montana takes prolific acquisition strategy to Idaho
- Glacier Bancorp to acquire Texas bank in $476 million deal
- Cash Management ACH Wire User Guide
- Glacier Bancorp Completes Acquisition of Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. in Mount Pleasant, Texas
- Glacier Bancorp 2025 Annual Report
- Glacier Bancorp, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Glacier Bancorp investor presentation, second quarter 2025 (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- Glacier Bancorp investor presentation, fourth quarter 2025 (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- Glacier Bancorp, Inc. Announces Results for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2026 (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- Glacier Bancorp investor presentation, August 2026 (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- Glacier Bancorp, Inc. Announces Results for the Quarter and Period Ended June 30, 2026
- Glacier Bancorp, Inc. Form 8-K, Item 5.02: appointment of Ryan Screnar and Lee Groom
- Glacier Bancorp investor presentation, third quarter 2025 (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- Glacier Bancorp (GBCI) Q4 2025 Earnings Transcript (call held 23 January 2026; transcript posted 21 April 2026)
- Glacier Bancorp, Inc. 2026 proxy statement (Form DEF 14A)
- Glacier Bancorp (GBCI) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
- Glacier Bancorp, Inc. Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026
- Glacier Bancorp investor presentation, May 2026 (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- Earnings call transcript: Glacier Bancorp posts Q2 2026 profit beat
- Glacier Bancorp, Inc. Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- Cari Raises Over $30 Million in First Tranche of Initial Funding Round, Backed Entirely by Banks
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