Premier's integrated document imaging capabilities and enhanced report writing were also factors in the Grand Rapids, Mich., bank's choice to implement the core system later this year in an outsourced environment through the regional Fiserv ITI data center in Brookfield, Wis.

"Part of our niche is to provide innovative lending products to markets that don't always fit the conventional lending mold," said Martha Blandford, Northpointe's vice president and controller. "Premier fits our business model by giving us the flexibility we need with respect to program offerings, designing products and accessing our own data."

Available for both outsourced and in-house environments, ITI's openly integrated software suite offers products for virtually every function, including Internet banking, enterprise content management, executive intelligence, relationship management, branch automation and core accounting, all available on the industry's most popular hardware platforms.

"Premier's scalability also played a role in our decision. Our bank is relatively young and very growth-focused, so we needed to have a core processing tool that would grow with us, and help us expand and become more diverse," said Blandford. The bank currently has loan production offices in Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio.