ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

In case you missed it – 8.27.2025

Big money for banking AI, how to help stressed members, more online auto loan opportunities, a feel-good newsletter, and the Cracker Barrel rebrand brawl. Here’s what we noticed, in case you missed it:

Big bank, big budget, big tech, big numbers, big wow

Just let this sink in a bit… according to this CU Daily article, “Bank of America’s newly appointed chief technology and information officer Hari Gopalkrishnan… told the Wall Street Journal that in 2025, $4 billion of that $13 billion (total technology budget) has been set aside for developing new technologies like artificial intelligence.” Also from the article: “BofA has applied for about 1,400 AI patents, more than half of which have been granted so far.” and “Gopalkrishnan oversees a staff of 60,000”.

Mind-blowing and frankly intimidating numbers for us credit union geeks and pipsqueaks. But one of the more portable takeaways from the article is the high portion of resources that BoA puts toward R&D. Experimentation, for example, is something any credit union with any budget can and should do more of, on your website, in your marketing, and in your products.

Consumers are stressed

That’s not a shocking headline, of course, and we all know many of the reasons why people are stressed out about money and their futures. This article published on The Financial Brand by Nicole Volpe caught our eyes by outlining some thoughtful conclusions from new consumer research from TruStage, and some very practical ways for showing members how their credit union can help manage their risks during tough times.

Hertz used cars on Amazon

You’ve probably already seen the news: Hertz and Amazon just announced a new partnership to sell Hertz used rental vehicles through Amazon. The program will initially launch in four cities (Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle), with plans to expand to all 45 Hertz Car Sales locations nationwide.

“But what about the financing?” we all cry. Details are scarce, but the phrase “Flexible financing options from top lenders” appears time and again (whatever that means). In Amazon’s partnership with Hyundai last year, the financing was through Hyundai Capital, but we couldn’t find any details on the Amazon arrangements. Make sure you invite your early adopter members to get in touch and help them figure out how to finance with their credit union.

Better Allies newsletter

One of the more interesting and valuable newsletters I’ve signed up for lately is called “Better Allies”, touting “Everyday actions to create inclusive, engaging workplaces”. Although it’s focused on workplaces, it’s it’s much more than that; it’s an incredible collection of things everyone can do to be a better human to other humans. Every week, I get five gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) nudges, like “Embrace the do-over” and “Address algorithmic bias”, complete with thorough citations and explanations.

Cracker Barrel’s Brand Brouhaha

It seems like everyone has something to say about Cracker Barrel’s new rebranding project. Bold or bland, that’s beside the point. There are a few lessons about rebranding on display here. The foremost seems to be that a rebrand is almost guaranteed to bring out the haters. The marketing folks at Cracker Barrel hopefully saw this coming, since their brand is essentially synonymous with nostalgia and Americana. Which brings us to the next lesson, waiting too long to rebrand can amplify the discontent. Cracker Barrel has had the same logo since 1977, which was nearly 50 years ago. It’s really not surprising people are upset about the change. Can Cracker Barrel communicate the new brand effectively, or will they have to backtrack? We’ll have to wait and see.

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