The partnership launches through ROGER, with plans to expand to the 125-year-old bank’s footprint
Citizens Bank of Edmond, ROGER.bank, and Parlay Finance announced a partnership that brings Parlay’s Loan Intelligence System (LIS) to Citizens Bank of Edmond‘s ROGER, the digital bank founded in 2023 to serve the military community. ROGER’s small business lending program, powered by Parlay and SBA preferred lender, Citizens Bank of Edmond, will give service members, military spouses, and veterans a rapid, clear path to capital. More than 1.6 million veteran-owned businesses operate nationwide, and access to capital remains the barrier their founders cite most. Similarly challenged, military spouses regularly turn to business startups but rarely have small business funding available to them. The founders of Parlay and ROGER are both military spouses and understand the communities’ business opportunities and barriers firsthand.
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“When today’s service members and military spouses become tomorrow’s founders, the lending experience waiting for them will be worthy of their service.” Jill Castilla, Citizens Bank of Edmond
“We built ROGER so the military community would always have a bank in their corner with all the technology of a fintech and the hyper-community focus of our 125-year-old community bank,” said Jill Castilla, Chairman, President, CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond, founder of ROGER. “As a former service member, veteran military spouse, and Blue Star mom, I understand the obstacles of the military community’s path to business ownership. When our Chief Lending Officer and Air Force veteran, Josh Pape, and I met Parlay at the Association of Military Banks of America Summit last year, we were excited to see how Parlay could allow our lenders to spend more time guiding military-affiliated entrepreneurs. When today’s service members and military spouses become tomorrow’s founders, the lending experience waiting for them will be worthy of their service.”
The LIS intakes applications, verifies borrower information in real time, and hands credit teams complete files on day one. At other institutions, Parlay has helped lenders cut processing time by up to 86% and helped mission-oriented lenders approve up to three times as many loans. Following the ROGER launch, the partners plan to extend the LIS to Citizens Bank of Edmond’s other small business lending products.
“Citizens Bank of Edmond is the bank other community banks study, and ROGER is the boldest expression of its mission,” said Alex McLeod, CEO and founder of Parlay Finance and veteran military spouse. “Veterans are among America’s most entrepreneurial people. Parlay’s founding team is made up entirely of veterans and military spouses, so we are thrilled to partner with ROGER and Citizens Bank of Edmond to expand access to capital for America’s incredible military and veteran community.”
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