Cass Information Systems, Inc. (Cass) provides payment and information processing services to large manufacturing, distribution and retail enterprises across the United States.
The company’s services include freight invoice rating, payment processing, auditing, and the generation of accounting and transportation information. Cass also processes and pays facility-related invoices, which include electricity and gas, as well as waste and telecommunications expenses; and is a provider of telecom ex...
Cass Information Systems, Inc. (Cass) provides payment and information processing services to large manufacturing, distribution and retail enterprises across the United States.
The company’s services include freight invoice rating, payment processing, auditing, and the generation of accounting and transportation information. Cass also processes and pays facility-related invoices, which include electricity and gas, as well as waste and telecommunications expenses; and is a provider of telecom expense management solutions. Cass solutions include integrated payments, a B2B payment platform for clients that require an agile fintech partner.
Additionally, the company offers a church management software solution and an on-line platform to provide generosity services for faith-based and non-profit organizations. The company’s bank subsidiary, Cass Commercial Bank (the ‘Bank’), supports the company’s payment operations. The bank also provides banking services to its target markets, which include privately held businesses in the St. Louis metropolitan area and restaurant franchises and faith-based ministries within the United States.
Segments
The company operates through two segments: Information Services and Banking Services.
The Information Services segment provides transportation, energy, telecommunication, and environmental invoice processing and payment services to large corporations. In addition, this segment provides church management software and on-line generosity services primarily for faith-based ministries.
The Banking Services segment provides banking services primarily to privately held businesses, franchise restaurants and faith-based ministries, as well as supporting the banking needs of the Information Services segment.
Strategy and Core Competencies
Cass is an information services company with a primary focus on processing payables and payables-related transactions for large corporations located in the United States. Cass possesses four core competencies that encompass most of its processing services.
Data Acquisition – This refers to the gathering of data elements from diverse, heterogeneous sources and the building of complete databases for the company’s customers. Data is the raw material of the information economy. Cass gathers vital data from complex and diverse input documents, electronic media, proprietary databases and data feeds, including data acquired from vendor invoices, as well as customer procurement and sales systems. Through its numerous methods of obtaining streams and pieces of raw data, Cass is able to assemble vital data into centralized data management systems and warehouses, thus producing an engine to create the power of information for managing critical corporate functions and processing systems.
Data Management – Once data is assembled, Cass is able to utilize the power from derived information to produce significant savings and benefits for its clients. This information is integrated into customers’ unique financial and accounting systems, eliminating the need for internal accounting processing and providing internal and external support for these critical systems. Information is also used to produce management and exception reporting for operational control, feedback, planning assistance and performance measurement.
Business Intelligence – Receiving information in the right place at the right time and in the required format is paramount for business survival. Cass’ information delivery solutions provide reports, digital images, data files and retrieval capabilities through the internet or directly into customer internal systems. Cass’ proprietary internet management delivery system is the foundation for driving these critical functions. Transaction, operational, control, status and processing exception information are all delivered through this system creating an efficient, accessible and highly reliable asset for Cass customers.
Financial Exchange – Since Cass is unique among its competition in that it owns a commercial bank, it is also able to manage the movement of funds from its customers to their suppliers. This is a distinguishing factor, which clearly requires the processing capability, operating systems and financial integrity of a banking organization. Cass provides immediate, accurate, controlled and protected funds management and transfer system capabilities for all of its customers. Old and costly check processing and delivery mechanisms are replaced with more efficient electronic cash management and funds transfer systems.
Loans
The company originates commercial, industrial and real estate loans to businesses and faith-based ministries throughout the metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri area, Colorado Springs, Colorado and other selected cities in the United States. The company also has a substantial portion of real estate loans secured by mortgages that are extended to faith-based ministries in its market area and selected cities in the United States.
The company has identified the following portfolio segments:
Commercial & Industrial (‘C&I’) – C&I loans consist of loans to small and medium-sized businesses in a wide variety of industries, franchise lending, and equipment financing to companies of all sizes. These loans are generally collateralized by inventory, accounts receivable, equipment, and other commercial assets; and may be supported by other credit enhancements, such as personal guarantees.
Commercial Real Estate (‘CRE’) – CRE loans include various types of loans for which the company holds real property as collateral. Commercial real estate lending activity is typically restricted to owner-occupied properties or to investor properties that are owned by customers with a current banking relationship.
Faith-based CRE – Faith-based CRE loans include loans to faith-based ministries for which the company holds real property as collateral.
Construction and Land Development – The company originates loans to finance construction projects, including faith-based and commercial projects.
Investment Portfolio
As of December 31, 2023, the company’s investment portfolio included state and political subdivisions; mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government agencies or sponsored enterprises; corporate bonds; asset-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government agencies or sponsored enterprises; and treasury securities.
Deposits
As of December 31, 2023, the company’s deposits included interest-bearing demand deposits; savings deposits; time deposits >=$250; and other time deposits.
Marketing and Customers
The company, through its Transportation Information Services business unit, is one of the largest firms in the transportation bill processing and payment industry in the United States based on the total dollars of transportation bills paid and items processed.
Available data indicates that the company is one of the largest providers of utility information processing and payment services. Various ESPs market the company’s services, adding value with their unique auditing, consulting and technological capabilities. The company's TouchPoint division offers a church management software solution and an on-line platform to provide generosity services for faith-based and non-profit organizations. Also, the company, through its CassPay operation, competes with providers of corporate payment solutions.
The company holds several trademarks for the payment and rating services it provides. These include FreightPay, Transdata, Ratemaker, Best Rate, Rate Exchange, CassPort, Cass Freight Index, Cass Truckload Linehaul Index, Cass Intermodal Price Index Expense$mart, ExpenseSmart, TouchPoint, Gyve, Generosity Made Simple, WasteVision and Direct2Carrier Payments.
Supervision and Regulation
The bank is subject to regulation and supervision by the Missouri Division of Finance, the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the ‘FDIC’).
The company is a financial holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the ‘BHC Act’), and as such, it is subject to regulation, supervision and examination by the FRB.
The impact of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act on the company and the bank has been substantial.
Substantially all of the deposits of the bank are insured up to applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund (‘DIF’) of the FDIC, and the bank is subject to deposit insurance assessments to maintain the DIF.
The bank received a rating of ‘satisfactory’ in its most recent CRA (Community Reinvestment Act of 1977) exam.
The Bank Secrecy Act (‘BSA’), the USA PATRIOT Act and other laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other duties, to institute and maintain an effective Anti Money Laundering (‘AML’) program and to file timely reports, such as suspicious activity reports and currency transaction reports that assist government agencies in detecting and preventing money laundering. The company is also subject to increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The federal banking agencies and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) are authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of those requirements and have recently engaged in coordinated enforcement efforts against banks and other financial services providers with the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service. The Company is also subject to increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. The federal banking agencies and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (‘FinCEN’) are authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of those requirements and have recently engaged in coordinated enforcement efforts against banks and other financial services providers with the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service.
The operations of the company and the bank are also subject to:
Truth-In-Lending Act, governing disclosures of credit terms to consumer borrowers;
Fair Credit Reporting Act, governing the provision of consumer information to credit reporting agencies and the use of consumer information;
Fair Debt Collection Act, governing the manner in which consumer debts may be collected by collection agencies;
Electronic Funds Transfer Act, governing automatic deposits to and withdrawals from deposit accounts and customers’ rights and liabilities arising from the use of automated teller machines and other electronic banking services.
Fair Housing Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, prohibiting discrimination against borrowers seeking housing and mortgages; requiring transparency and public reporting on mortgage and lending activities; and requiring that borrowers for mortgage loans for one- to four-family residential real estate receive various disclosures, including good faith estimates of settlement costs, lender servicing and escrow account practices, and prohibiting certain practices that increase the cost of settlement services;
Equal Credit Opportunity Act, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed or other prohibited factors in extending credit;
Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (also known as Check 21), which gives substitute checks, such as digital check images and copies made from that image, the same legal standing as the original paper check.
History
Cass Information Systems, Inc. was founded in 1906. The company was incorporated in 1982.