Apple Federal Credit Union - Card Solutions - Fiserv

Case Study
Apple Federal Credit Union
With the Risk Office SM from Fiserv, Apple Federal Credit Union Keeps
Fraud Losses Down and Members’ Card Usage Up
Collaboration and risk management program customization
available through the Risk Office helped the Credit Union
regain the upper hand against fraud.
“We were experiencing some debit fraud
but were very reactionary to fighting it,”
said Dana Blanton, Card Services Manager
for Apple Federal Credit Union. “Our fraud
was fairly widespread – PIN-based activity,
fake cards at grocery stores, the purchase
of gift cards. And then, in February 2009,
we experienced $21,000 in fraud in a single
day and a substantial part of our cardbase
was hit.”
The rampant fraud was a turning point for
Apple. “We started using the Risk Office
in May and we’ve seen over $10,000 in
savings in six months, and almost $3,000 in
savings within the last few weeks. They’ve
sent us information on airlines, Internet
sites, foreign fraud in Brazil, and merchant
IDs. I’ve learned it’s best to act on whatever
the Risk Office tells me.”
The Risk Office works in tandem with
other risk management tools – EnFact SM
TranBlocker SM and CardTracker SM from
Fiserv – to help Apple identify transaction
tracking options, create custom
authorization rules and make risk tolerance
refinements. “We now block specific
transaction types in certain states and have
identified merchant category codes we
monitor closely,” said Blanton.
The result is a collaboration that is clearly
benefiting Apple and its members. “I’m
Client Profile
In 1956, a group of educators working within
the Fairfax County Public School system
assisted a colleague in purchasing a set of
car tires. This simple act planted the seeds
for a partnership that would span half a
century and serve thousands of members.
Today, Apple Federal Credit Union provides a
full-range of high-quality, low-cost financial
products and services designed to help
members achieve their financial goals.
• 102,000 members
• $1.2 billion in assets
• 18 branches
www.applefcu.org
Member NCUA

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very involved with the Risk Office and get
to talk things over with them regularly,”
said Blanton. “We don’t want to block
our members’ valid transactions, so
we’ve worked tirelessly with the Risk
Office to create successful authorization
rules that haven’t denied transactions
for our cardholders. With the Fiserv risk
management tools we don’t block where
our cardholders shop or get gas. The Risk
Office helps us create custom approaches
we can’t develop on our own.”
One of the best by-products of the Risk
Office is that it provides Apple with a
competitive advantage. “When there are
large compromises we’re not reissuing
cards, and our members can continue to
feel confident using their debit card.”
The Risk Office is great and I strongly recommend
it. When considering whether or not to use the
service, the question to ask yourself is “how much
can you afford to lose” The fraudsters are getting
smarter, but with the Risk Office we’ve been able
to stop them from getting our members’ money.
Dana Blanton
Card Services Manager
Connect With Us
For more information call us at
800-888-0085 or visit www.fiserv.com.
Fiserv, Inc.
255 Fiserv Drive
Brookfield, WI 53045
800-872-7882
262-879-5322
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