Ceto today announced a strategic partnership with Vertice AI designed to further strengthen how community banks and credit unions apply intelligence to drive meaningful growth and engagement. Through this collaboration, Vertice AI’s capabilities will be integrated into the Ceto NOVA™ platform, expanding Ceto’s ability to help financial institutions translate data into targeted, practical action across the customer lifecycle.

For more than three decades, Ceto has served as a trusted strategic partner to community financial institutions, guiding leaders through periods of change by aligning strategy, technology, and execution. The Ceto NOVA™ platform brings that approach together, combining human expertise, strategic insight, and software to help institutions make better decisions, operate more effectively, and grow with confidence.

The integration of Vertice AI within NOVA™ enhances Ceto’s intelligence framework by supporting more precise personalization and engagement strategies. As part of this evolution, Ceto is advancing a new intelligence capability within the NOVA™ platform, internally referred to as NOVA Vector™, designed to translate Vertice AI-powered insights into predictive signals and actionable engagement strategies that help financial institutions scale smarter, more personalized growth. Vertice AI’s analytics capabilities will be embedded directly into the NOVA platform, allowing Ceto clients to access predictive insights within a unified experience and apply them in ways that align with their broader growth and relationship strategies.

“Growth today requires more than just acquiring new members or customers; it requires building sustained, personalized relationships,” said Douglas Ceto, Jr., CEO at Ceto. “This strategic partnership allows us to expand the Nova platform with powerful, proven technology from Vertice AI, giving our clients new ways to engage their audiences and support viable growth.”

By integrating Vertice AI into the NOVA platform, Ceto continues to advance its role as an interpreter and steward of complex data, ensuring intelligence is not only available but also actionable. The partnership supports financial institutions as they modernize their engagement approaches while maintaining clarity, control, and alignment with long-term objectives.

“This integration reflects a desire for AI-powered tools that drive real growth and personalization, not added complexity,” said Mitch Rutledge, CEO of Vertice AI. “By embedding Vertice directly into Nova, we’re making data-driven engagement immediately actionable for Ceto’s clients. Together, we’re helping organizations turn complex data into clear insights that strengthen relationships and fuel smarter growth.”

Together, Ceto and Vertice AI are helping community banks and credit unions apply intelligence with purpose, supporting stronger engagement, better decision-making, and sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive environment.

About Vertice AI

Vertice AI is a leading provider of AI-powered member growth solutions leveraging predictive analytics to help credit unions and community banks employ data to drive smarter business decisions. By harnessing artificial intelligence and account holder data, Vertice AI delivers actionable, member/customer-centric insights that enable financial institutions to optimize marketing investments, foster deeper relationships, and achieve measurable growth. Vertice AI was named Best in Show during Finovate Fall 2025, and received the ICBA ThinkTECH Banker’s Choice Award.

About Ceto

Founded in 1994, Ceto is a long-standing strategic partner to community banks and credit unions, focused on strengthening profitability, performance, and long-term resilience. Over the past three decades, Ceto has supported more than 2,000 financial institutions across the United States and Canada. Through a combination of strategic guidance, human expertise, and technology, Ceto helps institutions navigate complexity, apply intelligence effectively, and build stronger communities.

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This partnership strengthens how community banks and credit unions translate data into practical, personalized growth, without adding operational complexity or losing strategic control.