TrailWest Bank Elevates Digital Transformation Strategy with IMM eSign

IMM, the only eSignature provider that specializes in eSignature and digital transaction solutions exclusively for financial institutions, today announced Lolo, Montana-based TrailWest Bank (TWB) has successfully deployed IMM eSign for Banks across all departments to process digital transactions faster, providing customers a more convenient and engaging experience. TWB is a locally owned, independent bank with more than $668 million in assets, operating 16 branches across four counties in Western Montana.

Mike Putnam, VP Information Technology Manager of TrailWest Bank, said, “Most vendors we considered were trying to be all things to every vertical. IMM was different. For instance, the company focuses strictly on the financial industry and understands the nuances that banks have, with regulators for instance. For TrailWest, our digital strategy was to become a paperless office, so we needed an all-encompassing solution.”

When TWB initially began looking for an eSignature provider, it did not anticipate all the areas where the bank could benefit from being paperless. Originally, eSignatures were only going to be deployed in one department.  However, after the ease of the initial implementation, the bank realized that any department whether it be customer service, commercial or real estate lending that needed documents signed provided an opportunity to digitize the process.

Putnam continued, “When TrailWest first considered eSignature adoption, we did not know how valuable it could be to the bank, so we only used it in a small segment of our business. However, we quickly saw that having this capability could benefit any department that needed to capture a customer signature. Not every customer can visit the bank so implementing the process throughout our operations will provide efficiencies to our employees as well as customers who do not live near a branch. Today’s savvy consumers expect eSignatures whenever they need to sign documents. Using IMM eSign throughout the bank has truly enhanced our processes.”

IMM eSign powers end-to-end electronic signature transactions and can interface with virtually every business system used across the bank today. The signing experience is easy to use for customers as well as seamless for bank employees managing the signing transaction.  Of additional value is the back-off benefits afforded to a bank as IMM eSign streamlines internal business processes and the way transactions flow across an institution.

TrailWest explained one of the earliest successes with eSignatures came when loan documents needed to be signed by two parties; however, they were in different states thousands of miles apart. Within an hour and a half, both individuals had not only eSigned the documents but had also sent them back to the bank for final approvals. Today, all of the bank’s employees are excited about using eSignatures across as many business solutions as possible.

Putnam continued, “In an age where the promise of service is ubiquitous, but not always followed through, IMM has delivered on our service expectations. Its implementation service and project management were personal and made what could have been a potentially stressful process, very easy and comfortable for our team. Most companies tout their service as exceptional and that does not turn out to be the case.  However, with IMM, that is 100 percent factual. They delivered on every promise they made to us. We felt a real personal connection with their team.  They have fast turnaround times and a knowledgeable and genuinely helpful staff.”

Michael Ball​, vice president, IMM Bank Solutions Division, said, “Without having a cohesive eSignature solution, financial institutions can miss the target of their digital experience goals and strategies. Together with TrailWest Bank, we have been able to implement our solution in a manner that addresses the bank’s specific needs and goals, helps to create a paperless office and compliments its overall digital transformation strategy.”