The bank purchased DNA and other ancillary products during the 2010 Open Solutions Client Conference & Solutions Expo and the conversion is planned for Spring 2011. Open Solutions Inc.® is a leading provider of integrated enabling technologies for financial service providers throughout the United States, Canada and other international markets.

Headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., Freedom Bank has taken a non-traditional approach to banking and has more than 2,100 accounts and $92 million in assets in its third year, as well as an "excellent" rating from Bauer Financial. The bank resembles a private club, complete with a groundbreaking "Guest PlazaTM" design that features a concierge and private rooms in which to conduct business (versus traditional teller lines). With its uniquely personal approach to customer service, the bank began to look for a more compatible core provider that would bring additional functionality and modern architecture to support its current and future business goals.

"Freedom Bank has an innovative approach to customer service - unlike any other traditional banking institution," said Greg Saville, CFO and COO for Freedom Bank. "Open Solutions takes this same approach with its clients and, during the selection process, we were impressed with the solutions and strategies offered by its team that would further enhance our business model. It was evident Open Solutions employs seasoned industry veterans who understand the needs of community financial institutions. A key factor that contributed to our selection of Open Solutions was the alignment of our vision, mission and values - including our mutual commitment to continuous improvement and client service."

Enhanced by Open Solutions' advanced open platform and using .NET technology, DNA capitalizes on the strength of Open Solutions' unique universal data model and design and its client-centric processes, while greatly enhancing workflow, flexibility, navigation and productivity. Built on a powerful, centralized Oracle® relational database, the solution provides the flexibility necessary for running a service-oriented financial institution. Available as an in-house or outsourced solution, it helps banks streamline both front- and back-office processes and creates a centralized view of customers, employees and business partners. Freedom Bank will implement DNA in an outsourced environment.

"We observed that, unlike some of their competitors, Open Solutions has been investing heavily in updating its technology," said Saville. "Their platform is built on a modern, open architecture that makes it very easy for us to keep data consistent across the entire bank. We believe in using technology tools to make our guest experience the best it can be and our existing platform wasn't meeting our expectations. We believe DNA's intuitive design and modern .NET architecture will enhance the end-user's experience, further enabling us to serve our guests. Additionally, Open Solutions has a proven reputation in the industry for investing in and improving its products. This was important to our executive team and aligns with our commitment to continuous improvement."

Open Solutions remains committed to research and development, which is demonstrated by the launch of 20 new product releases and four new products in 2009 alone. Additionally, since 2006 the company has invested more than $80 million in its systems, technology, people and infrastructure.

"Open Solutions' DNA platform is written on .NET from front to back," said Saville. "It isn't simply a Windows user interface built on a 1980s backend. The database is compiled in Oracle, which is one of the best database warehouses on the market. This places DNA significantly ahead of most other core vendors in the market today. Long-term, DNA offers the bank flexibility to implement our employees' suggestions to improve workflow and customer service. Additionally, it easily integrates with third-party applications - allowing us to tailor the system to better meet our needs."

In addition to DNA, Freedom Bank also purchased Open Solutions' financial accounting suite, eCommerce BankerTM (e-CBTM Internet banking), cViewTM (CRM), digital document solutions (electronic content management) and item processing with branch capture.

Saville continued, "We are thrilled with our decision to partner with Open Solutions. 'Partner' is a term that is used fairly loosely in today's business environment. However, our experience with Open Solutions has been a true partnership in every sense of the word. Their blend of honesty, sincere concern for our organization's needs and product functionality are a rarity in our industry today."

"Freedom Bank is one of the more innovative and progressive financial institutions in the country," said Louis Hernandez, Jr., chairman and CEO of Open Solutions. "We are pleased to be selected as their technology partner and look forward to working together to help the bank provide superior service to their guests. We have invested and will continue to invest in our products and solutions to ensure community financial institutions have the tools they need to succeed in today's market. We solicit constant feedback from our clients and use their suggestions and observations to enhance and improve our solutions. Our DNA platform is a perfect example of Open Solutions heeding the needs of the market and responding with a modern solution that is unmatched by anything else available in the industry."