One of the greatest advancements in digital banking solutions is being used to combat “silent attrition.” Understanding why account holders leave is critical to developing an effective intervention strategy. Often, silence is mistaken for satisfaction, but in a market where account holders are being courted by high-spending fintechs advertising sleek solutions, silence is becoming a sign that they’re moving their financial life elsewhere.
The primary cause of silent attrition is a lack of personalized engagement and digital friction. According to half of all U.S. digital banking users surveyed, they would switch financial institutions if another company offered a much better digital banking user experience. Thirty one percent reported to have already done so. A key insight indicates that when account holders are completely satisfied with how their data is used to make relevant product recommendations, they are…
For many, they demonstrate their engagement with a financial provider not by visiting their physical locations or ATMs, but by conducting the majority of their mobile and online banking with that financial institution. When they feel their primary financial institution no longer provides relevant value or ease of use, they quietly stop using their accounts. This often happens without a formal complaint, as users simply migrate their balances and transactions to more modern, competitive digital banking platforms.
“This shift is not limited to younger, tech-savvy demographics—but it is led by them. Millennials and Generation Z (Gen Z) are especially likely to rate digital experience as a critical element in selecting a new financial partner 37% and 33% respectively, saying the quality of a new financial provider’s digital banking experience is essential to their consideration.”
Anticipatory Banking enhances the account holder experience by using predictive artificial intelligence (AI) to meet individual needs before they are explicitly communicated. By analyzing data signals (such as a paid-off loan) institutions can serve personalized recommendations, like high-yield savings accounts, that align with the user’s new monthly cash flow and financial goals.
We already know that account holders want to see their data used to provide helpful, relevant recommendations. They will return that favor with loyalty and growth. With satisfaction and loyalty hinging on that, and on how seamlessly tech features fit into their lives, bankers need to be aware that as of 2025, just 38% of consumers at regional and community financial institutions said their provider’s product recommendations had become more relevant over the past year. That’s not just behind, it’s statistically behind both mega/national financial institutions (45%) and online-only neobanks (53%), with the gap widening year-over-year.
Anticipatory Banking is the mindset and strategy model necessary to shift focus from traditional satisfaction scores toward increasing engagement and fostering active relationships. By leveraging a digital sales and service platform, financial institutions can build trust that scales, transforming from passive service providers into active financial partners.
Reducing friction is essential because abandonment rates for digital account opening averaged 3.38 times higher than successfully opened accounts in 2024, according to The Digital Banking Performance Metrics Report by Cornerstone Advisors, commissioned by Alkami. Modern applicants expect a five-minute digital account opening experience; if they encounter manual reviews or clunky interfaces, they will abandon the process entirely, resulting in thousands of lost potential relationships annually.
To prevent this, institutions must move beyond legacy systems. Leading Onboarding & Account Opening solutions automate decisioning and allow applicants to start, pause, and resume applications across any channel without losing progress.
“70% of digital banking Americans think a bank or credit union’s digital experience today reflects how much they care about their account holders.”
To make the best first impression on prospective customers and members, remove friction from the very beginning.
Technologies like transaction data cleansing, predictive artificial intelligence, and full funnel marketing automation are empowering data-informed bankers to make intelligence actionable and reduce time-consuming tasks, allowing staff to focus on high-value advisory conversations. Equipped with details from behavioral data tags, front-line staff can proactively offer support or products. For example, when data indicates an account holder is experiencing subscription overload or a rising debt ratio, staff can recommend budgeting tools or debt consolidation.
This proves the financial institution is watching out for the account holder’s financial wellness, not just collecting fees. Technology does not replace the human-centricity of credit unions and banks; it scales it.
Financial institutions improve satisfaction by investing in platforms that power data-driven personalization, smart onboarding, and proactive engagement. Seamless digital experiences that fit into an account holder’s daily life are the primary drivers of modern loyalty and long-term retention.
This is the natural lifecycle of a financial relationship. Put them together, like with Alkami’s Digital Sales & Service Platform, and suddenly you’re not just leading, you’re driving strategic business outcomes, like churn reduction, cross-selling, customer lifetime value, and profitability.
For many, the account opening process is their first interaction with a brand. If an applicant cannot open an account in minutes from a mobile device, they may never become an account holder, making subsequent satisfaction scores irrelevant to the growth of the institution. Reducing friction is essential because abandonment rates for digital account opening averaged 3.38 times higher than successfully opened accounts in 2024, according to a 2025 Cornerstone Advisors study. Modern applicants expect a five-minute digital account opening experience; if they encounter manual reviews or clunky interfaces, they will abandon the process entirely, resulting in thousands of lost potential relationships annually.
A data-informed banker is a financial professional who uses technology to surface insights, such as spending changes or held-away accounts, to transition from transactional tasks to meaningful, advisory conversations that improve the user’s financial health. Data-informed bankers are now adopting the Anticipatory Banking model to know sooner, act faster, and build longer lasting relationships with their account holders.
