Expanded partnership delivers smarter, seamless AI fraud detection to lenders nationwide.

BURBANK, Calif., June 17, 2025 – Zest AI, a leader in AI lending technology, today announced Zest Protect will integrate with Origence, a leading provider of lending technology solutions, through its arc OS loan origination system – bringing faster, more accurate fraud protection to Origence’s network of 1,100 credit unions and nearly 20,000 auto dealers.

Fraud threats have continued to escalate, with 33% of credit unions reporting a 50% to 100% increase in scam cases in 2024. Amid rising threats, financial institutions need more sophisticated protection measures. This new integration  enables Origence clients with smarter, AI-powered solutions to detect and prevent fraud during the loan application process, all without slowing down decisioning or compromising the member experience.

Zest Protect is a fully integrated, seamless fraud detection solution that helps lenders spot threats throughout the application process, such as compromised identities, first- and third-party fraud, misreported income, and synthetic fraud. It is also highly configurable, allowing lenders to tune fraud risk thresholds by portfolio, fraud type, and more—all within their existing workflow.

“Fraud is one of the fastest-growing threats for lenders—last year, auto lending fraud cost the industry an estimated $9.2 billion with first-party fraud accounting for the majority (72%) of lender losses,” said Mike de Vere, CEO of Zest AI. “Zest Protect helps lenders get ahead of these attacks by detecting complex fraud—including synthetic and AI-generated activity—at the application stage. We’re thrilled to expand and deepen our collaboration with Origence, whose innovative approach makes them an ideal partner in empowering credit unions and auto dealers to fight fraud without impacting the member experience.”

This launch builds on a strong partnership between Zest AI and Origence. Since 2022, Zest AI has brought AI-powered underwriting to a growing number of lenders on the Origence arc OS platform, representing more than $81 billion in assets under management, helping financial institutions and lenders approve more loans, reduce risk, and deliver faster, fairer decisions to their members.

“Zest AI has been a trusted partner focused on improving the underwriting experience through AI automation, and Zest Protect adds a crucial layer of defense for our lending partners,” said Tony Boutelle, CEO at Origence. “With Zest AI’s fraud detection integrated directly into arc OS, we’re providing credit unions with the tools to confidently approve more loans while protecting their institutions and members.”

This marks the latest milestone in Zest AI’s focus to deliver industry-leading AI solutions to financial institutions and transform the lending experience. It also builds on Zest AI’s growing partner network to deliver wide and frictionless access to industry-leading technology.

About Zest AI‍

Zest AI is a tech company on a mission to broaden access to lending. Since 2009, the company has worked with financial institutions to use AI lending technology to better serve their borrowers. Today, Zest AI works with all types of lenders as a catalyst for economic opportunity by helping them leverage AI’s potential for good. Most recently, Zest AI was named in the Forbes Fintech 50. Learn more at Zest AI and connect on LinkedIn.

About Origence

Origence provides lending technology solutions credit unions need to advance their total origination experience. We were established in 1994 as a credit union service organization (CUSO) and have helped thousands of credit unions process more than 97 million applications, including 8.6 million applications in 2024. Our solutions include indirect lending, loan and account origination, auto shopping, marketing automation, lending operations, and more. Learn more at origence.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.