MDT: Share the machinery. Keep the identity.

In 2003, seven Michigan credit unions tried a sensible economy: share the computers. They formed Member Driven Technologies, chose Symitar’s Episys core platform, and hired Larry Nichols to get the operation running. Processing began that July. Then an awkward thing happened to the plan. Other credit unions wanted in. Two newcomers were onboarded before the original seven had finished converting. A service built for a small circle had discovered a larger audience.

That origin helps explain MDT today. Its customers are institutions with familiar local names, while its work happens largely out of sight. More than 100 credit unions use its services. The interesting question is what they have decided to share, and what they still want to make their own.

01The expensive part is connecting it

A core system keeps the financial records that banking depends on. Around it sit the services members actually touch: payments, loan applications, mobile banking, account opening. Each additional capability creates another connection to maintain. Buying the pieces is only the beginning of the job.

MDT hosts Jack Henry’s Symitar platform and handles implementation and continuing operations. Its surrounding services cover digital banking, IT infrastructure, data and content management, security, compliance and consulting. It occupies the practical space between a software supplier and a credit union’s own technology department.

The security offering shows how broad that responsibility becomes. MDT describes continuous network monitoring, incident response planning, business continuity work and help preparing for audits. Its infrastructure service includes redundant data centers and hardware procurement. A credit union can draw on that expertise without creating a separate internal specialty for every task. The arrangement still requires decisions inside the institution: which risks matter, who approves a change, and how the service will be judged.

This puts it in a specialist market alongside providers such as Synergent and CU*Answers, with other core platforms offering different routes. MDT’s distinction is the combination of credit union ownership, hosted Symitar expertise and responsibility for the surrounding connections. Comparing providers means comparing that whole operating arrangement.

02Homeland needed a different starting point

Consider Homeland Credit Union in South Central Ohio. Its problem was an aging core system and the need for broader digital capabilities. In May 2025, MDT announced Homeland’s launch on hosted Symitar, integrated with Jack Henry’s Banno digital banking platform, alongside tools for business intelligence and data insights.

The work included training and transition support. That detail matters. A conversion changes what employees do each morning, where information lives, and how people solve members’ problems. The software has to function; the institution has to learn how to use it. Homeland’s decision illustrates why a buyer might want technical operations and implementation help in the same relationship.

03The same platform. A different front door.

Embers Credit Union, based in Marquette, Michigan, posed a different challenge. It already had a digital foundation. It wanted more freedom to shape the experience. MDT’s April 2026 report describes their work extending Banno through custom development. The decision was to build on an existing platform.

Here the distinction becomes useful: sharing a foundation need not mean accepting every standard feature as the limit. MDT uses Jack Henry’s Digital Toolkit and open APIs to connect custom functionality to Symitar. Its published process begins with a development environment in Google Cloud, then moves through discovery, development, testing and launch.

The current offering includes ready-made starting points, too. Expedited Loans gives eligible members a three-step path from a predetermined small-dollar offer to funding. Rewards Checking supports configurable rewards and qualification tracking. These are concrete ways a credit union can turn a shared technical base into something members can use.

“Our job is to ask: what is it you really are trying to do?”

Chris Kowal · The Voices of MDT, September 2025

04A bill for coordination

The economics begin with pooling costs. Instead of each institution independently assembling all the expertise required, MDT supplies a shared service operation. Client contracts sit alongside implementation, consulting and custom development work. For a buyer, the meaningful comparison is the cost of the complete arrangement: conversion, hosting, interfaces, support and the changes employees must absorb.

There is another side to the model. MDT’s Partner Program connects fintech suppliers with its credit union community. Its Premier tier has annual participation fees. The company therefore serves both institutions seeking technology and vendors seeking access to those institutions. Buyers should understand the scope and responsibilities of each relationship.

People are part of the infrastructure. MDT’s careers page lists employer-paid health premiums for eligible employees and dependents, tuition reimbursement and work-from-home opportunities. In May 2026, it announced its seventh consecutive Best Places to Work in Financial Technology recognition. These details give substance to its emphasis on retaining expertise.

05Start with the work

The newer services follow the same operational logic. An August 2026 partnership added OnTrac AI’s Ignite program to MDT’s consulting: assess readiness, identify useful applications and plan implementation. Its October cybersecurity report emphasized patching, access reviews, critical assets and vendor oversight. Both begin with how an institution operates.

Earlier experience makes the point more vividly. During the pandemic, MDT’s own employees already had laptops and remote access. Some smaller client institutions did not. Nichols later described arranging VPN access for nearly 1,700 credit union employees. The immediate constraint was getting people connected to work they still had to perform.

The lesson readers can copy is to map those dependencies before adding another feature. Decide which work can be shared, which experience needs to be distinctive, and who will maintain the connection. MDT suits credit unions prepared to build around its Symitar-centered approach. Institutions committed to a different core need a different comparison. Sharing works when the foundation fits, responsibilities are clear, and local judgment survives the arrangement.