Overpayment on Debit Processing Vendor Contracts Can Mean Millions in Lost Income for Bankers, Study Finds

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May 27, 2015, 08:58 ET

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report from management consulting firm Cornerstone Advisors http://www.crnrstone.com illustrates how a lack of market transparency results in overpayment by banks on their debit processing contracts.

According to the report, Drawing Back the Curtain on Vendor Pricing for Debit Processing, many banks are paying upwards of five times what institutions of similar size and transaction volumes are paying. Among the report's sources is the Cornerstone Contract Vault, a database of 15,000 pricing points collected from negotiating thousands of vendor contracts.

The report discusses how many vendors rely on payments processing for the majority of their revenue growth. In fact, the three largest providers receive up to one-half of their revenue from payments. "Payments is a very lucrative and commoditized business, and as long as vendors are not publishing their rate cards, banks can pay more than they should for services," said Bob Roth, managing director at Cornerstone Advisors.

Debit processing can account for a greater share of a bank's total vendor bill than core processing, the report states. For example, the median $1 billion financial institution spends $1.17 million per year on debit processing compared to $770,000 on core processing.

"This means that over the course of a five-year contract, a difference of just five cents per transaction amounts to more than $1.5 million in either lost income or resources lost for new initiatives," Roth pointed out.

Other key findings from the report:

Debit card usage has increased at a compounded annual growth rate of more than 15% over the past 14 years. Total revenue from facilitating those payments in North America is expected to jump from $117 billion in 2012 to $177 billion in 2022.
The average bank's annual interchange income-per-ATM/debit card climbed 92% between 2005 and 2014, from $36 to $69.
The difference between paying at the 25th percentile and 75th percentile level is equivalent to about 17% of a bank's annual profit.
Seven mid-size banks that negotiated vendor contracts with Cornerstone's assistance in 2014 saved at least $1 million. Two cut costs by more than $5 million.

Among other revenue boosting tips, Drawing Back the Curtain on Vendor Pricing for Debit Processing recommends that mid-size banks and credit unions do not auto-renew their vendor contracts and bundle their core and debit processing contracts.

Founded in 2002, Cornerstone Advisors, a management consulting firm focused exclusively on mid-size banks and larger credit unions, provides an array of customized solutions designed to assist financial institutions with their Strategic, Performance, Technology, Contract, Payment and Channel initiatives. The Cornerstone team founded industry renowned GonzoBanker and authors The Cornerstone Performance Report, a series of seven authoritative benchmarking and best practices studies for both mid-size banks and credit unions.

For more information, contact:
Bob Roth
Managing Director
480.663.2182
Email

Sam Kilmer
Senior Director
480.425.5210
Email

SOURCE Cornerstone Advisors