Center Parc Credit Union Taps Alacriti for Loan Modernization and Real-Time Payments

Center Parc Credit Union has overhauled its lending operations by deploying Alacriti’s Orbipay Loan Payments platform to consolidate fragmented legacy systems. For fintech professionals, this move highlights the ongoing shift toward unified payment hubs that bridge the gap between traditional loan servicing and the emerging demand for real-time, multi-channel member experiences.

What was announced

Center Parc Credit Union has transitioned from a series of disconnected payment systems to Alacriti’s Orbipay Loan Payments solution. Previously, the credit union relied on multiple workflows and manual handoffs to process loan payments, which created operational friction for staff and limited digital options for members. The new unified platform automates key workflows and reporting, allowing members to manage loan payments through a self-service model across Web, Agent, and IVR channels.

The implementation includes automated recurring ACH and debit card payment processing, alongside a "Guest Web" feature for non-authenticated users. Beyond immediate loan servicing, the credit union is integrating Alacriti’s Orbipay Payments Hub to expand its infrastructure. This phase of the project involves enabling instant payment "Send and Receive" capabilities via both the RTP network and the FedNow Service. This centralized infrastructure is designed to provide intelligent payment routing and fraud controls as the institution scales its real-time payment offerings. By consolidating these functions, Center Parc Credit Union aims to reduce manual intervention while providing a single login experience for its membership base.

"From the start, our priority was a seamless experience for our members—one login, one platform, no friction. That's exactly what Alacriti delivered," said Michelle Sass, Senior Vice President of Digital and Project Management at Center Parc Credit Union. "With Alacriti, we've established a stronger foundation for loan payments today and a clear path toward expanding our real-time payment capabilities in the future."

Michelle Sass, Senior Vice President of Digital and Project Management at Center Parc Credit Union.

The companies involved

Alacriti is a financial technology company focused on payments modernization. Based in Piscataway, New Jersey, the firm provides cloud-native solutions designed to help financial institutions navigate the transition to real-time payments. Its Orbipay platform is a central component of its market offering, serving as a bridge for banks and credit unions looking to connect to the FedNow Service and the RTP network. Alacriti has established itself as a significant player in the mid-market financial sector, often competing by offering unified hubs that replace siloed legacy software.

Center Parc Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative. Like many institutions in the credit union sector, it has faced the challenge of "technical debt"—the accumulation of various point solutions for specific payment types over several years. By partnering with Alacriti, the institution is attempting to move away from the fragmented operational model that characterizes many community-based lenders, focusing instead on a centralized digital-first strategy that prioritizes member self-service and operational visibility.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed Alacriti’s efforts to educate the market on the transition to instant settlement. The company recently launched its Alacriti Launches Nationwide Payments Masterclass Roadshow for Financial Institutions, a series of events aimed at helping banks and credit unions understand the operational requirements of new payment rails. This focus on infrastructure was further emphasized when Alacriti Appoints Michael Lovell as CFO to Scale Cloud Payments Infrastructure, a strategic hire intended to support the company’s growth as financial institutions accelerate their cloud migrations. Additionally, Alacriti’s leadership has been active in broader industry initiatives, such as the U.S. Faster Payments Council Unveils New Strategy for Cross-Border Interoperability, which explores the future of global payment standards.

What this means

The consolidation of loan payments into a broader payments hub is a clear signal that the era of "point solution" fintech is ending for credit unions. As FedNow and RTP become baseline expectations rather than competitive advantages, institutions are under immense pressure to fix their back-end fragmentation. The real challenge for the sector is no longer just providing a digital interface, but ensuring that the underlying infrastructure can handle the velocity of real-time data without increasing manual overhead. This move puts pressure on legacy core providers who have traditionally kept these payment channels siloed, forcing a choice between deep integration or total replacement.