The credit union also feels it is a priority to provide new technology to its members.

"We strive to provide more accessible and secure ways for members to handle their finances," Norris said.

The credit union saw biometric authentication as a perfect fit. "We are excited to begin offering Touch ID for mobile banking, which is the latest addition to our availability of state-of-the-art technologies to benefit our members."

Touch ID, which can be accessed through the MC EFCU mobile banking app, is available for download through the App Store. It is available to members using one of the following devices: iPhone 5 running on iOS 8 or higher, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It will be available for iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 beginning in the fall.

To gain access, the member first must download and register with the latest version of the MC EFCU mobile banking app. Upon returning to the app, the member will see a Touch ID prompt. To Use Touch ID, the member must add his or her fingerprint by touching the home button on the device.

With Touch ID, members can log into their mobile banking accounts as if they entered a traditional username and password; store their fingerprints on their devices; and safeguard sensitive financial information with encrypted fingerprints, which are only accessible through the member's device.

"We feel it is a safer and more secure method for authentication into our mobile app," Norris explained.

"Our goal is to make [credit union members'] lives easier," Dan Weis, senior product manager at Digital Insight, said. "We are taking advantage of a really amazing piece of functionality that Apple uses in Touch ID."

Weis explained that mobile banking users use their fingerprints as validation against what has been stored on a particular device. Apple then checks the fingerprint on the device, and if there's a match, Apple will verify the user.

"The speed and ease of use of Touch ID will provide financial institutions another innovation to offer their customers and members, and further help them differentiate in the marketplace," Weis said.

Digital Insight's mobile apps are white labeled. For Touch ID functionally, Digital Insight provides the heavy lifting, including the marketing campaigns to help increase adoption.

Touch ID is currently only available on iOS. Android announced it will be fingerprint-enabled with the release of its next operating system and Digital Insight says it will be ready when that takes place.

"One of the things that is great about Touch ID is that our members are already using it to get into their iPhones," Norris revealed. Just a week after its launch, more than 200 users logged into mobile banking using their fingers on 791 occasions.

Overall, one in two iPhone mobile banking users have adopted Touch ID when it's available to them, according to Weis. He added that all folks take to the touch, not just the younger demographics.

"No one really likes to enter a password," he said. "It's easy to fat finger. With Touch ID you just use your finger. It's about making the app easy to access."

Read more: MC EFCU offers many more mobile services …

The Boulder, Colo.-based market intelligence firm Tractica forecasts that shipments of onboard fingerprint readers in mobile devices will surpass one billion units annually by 2021.

The new service is just one of many mobile features offered by MC EFCU. Its mobile banking members can view balances, transfer funds between accounts, use mobile check deposit, earn purchase rewards, and utilize branch and ATM locators. They also provide a P2P payment offering so members can send money using their mobile phone number or email.

MC EFCU said it takes the quality of its app very seriously.

To gain access to Touch ID, members add their fingerprint on their iPhone's home screen.

"Our iPhone app is rated five stars by our members," Norris pointed out. "We are the highest rated iPhone app of any credit union in Maryland over $100 million in assets. We feel really good about that. Were always checking our ratings and what members are saying about the app."

In addition to the iPhone app, the credit union provides mobile banking access for iPad, Kindle, and Android phone and tablet users.

"Any which way our members want to get onto mobile banking, it is available to them," Norris added.

The credit union is working on developing elements to allow Apple Pay, Android Pay and Google Wallet – because MC EFCU knows members have an ongoing thirst for new technology.

"Our members are very tech savvy," Norris maintained. "We feel we need to stay right behind the cutting edge. We don't want to be on the bloody edge, but right behind that."

Staying behind the cutting edge doesn't just apply to mobile banking – the credit union offers a full suite of online banking features as well. Norris noted that the credit union does not even have to promote its new technology.

"We just make it available, and members just take advantage of it right away," he said.

In addition, the financial institution is on a roll growth-wise.

"As we are meeting our members' needs, we are growing quite a bit," Norris said. "We grew 10% last year. We're growing at a 12% rate this year."

The credit union is seeing a switch from branch transactions to online and mobile, Norris noted, with about a 5% reduction in branch transactions taking place each year. "We're seeing online and mobile growing exponentially."

MC EFCU has seen a reduction in ATM usage as well. "When we look at ATM check deposits, most of it has moved to mobile check deposits," he said.

As the credit union meets its members' needs, members respond by doing additional business with MC EFCU.

"We are not going to slow down," Norris added. "We are going to keep on being out there, being in front. We have to compete with the largest banks in the country. By adopting some of these different technologies, members notice. They see we are responding to what they want and need."