Mountain West Partners With CULedger to Broaden 'MemberPass' Data Safeguard
MWCUA says a "contactless and secure environment" is needed for members as the pandemic continues.
A new partnership between the Mountain West Credit Union Association and CULedger will help promote and implement the personal information safeguard MemberPass, the groups said in an announcement last week.
The MWCUA, which serves 123 credit unions with nearly four million members in Colorado, Arizona and Wyoming, said it will advocate for wider credit union participation in the digital registration component of the MemberPass data-protection technology.
MemberPass, provided by the CUSO CULedger, is a digital identification held by credit union members. The technology is designed to “safeguard members’ personal information and provide a touch-free member experience across all channels,” the MWCUA and CULedger said. The technology replaces other identity verification elements, including birthdays and Social Security numbers.
The system creates a “contactless and secure environment that members now need and want in the face of the pandemic and other challenges,” Scott Earl, president/CEO of the MWCUA, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to help bring this incredibly valuable solution that provides a secure digital ID to members and protects credit unions from fraud, to market.”
The Digital Trust Registry part of MemberPass gives credit unions access to the technology. A credit union that registers then receives a public digital identification. A registered credit union can issue MemberPass credentials to members.
The MWCUA, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Denver, said it will join other partners in “engaging credit unions in joining the Digital Trust Registry.”
“The unique privacy-first design creates a competitive advantage for credit unions by allowing members to have one single digital credential that is both portable and interoperable,” the MWCUA said in a statement. “CULedger’s long-term goal is to enable members to use their MemberPass identification to verify who they are with other highly regulated institutions, including in government and healthcare.”
In March, CULedger said three other credit unions had joined its pilot program MemberPass: Achieva Credit Union ($1.8 billion, Dunedin, Fla.); HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union ($1.8 billion, Honolulu) and Eagle Express Federal Credit Union ($59 million, Jackson, Miss.).