Every credit union knows this too well: borrowers who want to pay but just… don’t. Not because they’re dodging you, but because remembering to log into online banking, find the right account, and click through five screens feels like homework.
MessagePay has been solving that friction for a while now—letting borrowers pay loans via text, email, or web with a simple tap. No app downloads, no password resets, no drama. And apparently, financial institutions are here for it.
The company just announced it’s signed its 400th customer, with 86 new credit unions and community banks coming aboard in August 2026 alone. They’re also on track to process north of $1.2 billion in payments by the end of next year.
Why This Matters (Hint: People Actually Pay on Time)
“When borrowers can pay with a tap instead of a phone call or a trip to the branch, they actually pay on time,” said Greg Pesci, President and CEO of MessagePay. “That’s what’s driving adoption—institutions are seeing delinquencies drop and payment volume climb, and borrowers like the convenience.”
Translation? Make it stupid-easy to pay, and people will pay. Revolutionary? No. Effective? Very.
Two Big New Features: Smarter Conversations and AI That Sees the Future (Sort Of)
MessagePay isn’t just resting on its text-to-pay laurels. The platform recently rolled out two new capabilities that take things up a notch.
First up: MessagePay Direct, which adds real two-way communication to the mix. Think of it as upgrading from a one-way loudspeaker to an actual conversation. Collections teams can now text back and forth with borrowers to resolve payment issues without playing phone tag or leaving voicemails that never get returned.
Then there’s AI Pay+, and this is where it gets interesting. This new AI-powered tool analyzes borrower behavior to predict when and how someone is likely to pay. Instead of lumping everyone into generic “30 days past due” buckets, collections teams can now segment their portfolios with actual intelligence behind it.
“Our customers were already seeing results with the core platform,” said Brandon Alletto, SVP of Sales. “AI Pay+ and MessagePay Direct give their teams something more specific: a way to prioritize which accounts need a human touch and which ones don’t.”
In other words, your collections team can focus their energy where it actually matters instead of dialing through a list like it’s 1997.
Built for Everyone (Seriously, Everyone)
MessagePay’s customer base reads like a geography lesson—institutions from Hawaii to Florida, ranging from tiny $10 million credit unions to banks managing over $20 billion in assets. The platform plays nice with more than 30 different cores and third-party systems, including the big names like Fiserv, Jack Henry, Corelation, CU Answers, and Flex.
The Fiserv integration is particularly noteworthy because it opened the door for community banks to use MessagePay for the first time in 2026—expanding beyond credit unions into a whole new segment.
“The range of institutions we work with, from small community financial institutions to billion-dollar ones, tells us this isn’t a niche solution,” Pesci said. “It’s becoming a standard part of how financial institutions communicate with the people they serve.”
The Bottom Line
Payments shouldn’t be complicated. MessagePay’s growth suggests a lot of financial institutions agree—and now with predictive AI in the toolkit, they’re not just making it easier to pay, they’re getting smarter about who to reach out to and when. That’s the kind of upgrade that actually moves the needle on delinquency rates and borrower satisfaction.
And frankly, anything that spares us all from another “please call us regarding your account” robocall deserves a standing ovation.