WorkflowBranch, Cash & Contact Center

Branch Self-Assessment

Branch self-assessment with a photo behind every check, two thirds of it done by agents before the walk, and a second person on every signature

Quarterly branch reviews with photo evidence, and every exception closed by a named owner.

See one case, screen by screen ↓
demo42 of 64checksdone by the agents from the systems while the branch was closed, before the manager's walk
demo18samplesCIP, CTR, Regulation CC and retention files pulled from document imaging and checked against the core: 17 passed, 1 exception
demo96 %confidence on the vault log verdict, checked against the security system's alarm, door and badge records
targetHalfthe repeat findings in a year: 14 to 6 at the demo credit union
In short

What is Branch Self-Assessment?

Branch self-assessment is the scheduled review a branch manager runs of their own branch: cash and dual control, consigned items, new-account and BSA file samples, notices, record retention and the branch's part of the security program, with evidence. In Branch Self-Assessment, agents do the checks that live in systems before the walk, read every photo the manager takes, and follow each exception to closure, and a regional manager signs the review.

AI use cases in banking: a buyer's guide to agentic AI for bank and credit union operations →

Updated

The problem

Why a branch self-assessment proves so little on paper

Every credit union and bank runs a branch self-assessment of each branch on a schedule: vault and teller cash, dual control, consigned items, samples of new-account (CIP) files, currency transaction reports and Regulation CC hold notices, record retention, and the branch's part of the security program. A credit union's president certifies that program to NCUA every year in the Credit Union Profile. Most branch audit checklists still live on paper or in a spreadsheet, and the branch manager fits the review between member appointments.

A tick proves little. "Vault log reviewed: yes" cannot show that one opening on October 9 has one set of initials, so internal audit re-checks at the branch and examiners write the same finding again. Half the review is pulling CIP files, CTRs and hold notices from document imaging and comparing them to the core screen by screen. Exceptions live in email and next quarter's checklist, and the security program report to the board is assembled once a year from every branch's paper.

estimated6hoursa branch manager spends on one quarterly review on paper at the demo credit union
typical15daysto file a currency transaction report, one of the files every branch review samples
typical5yearsto keep the CIP and BSA records a branch review samples, and the review's own evidence
Where a branch manager's hours go on one quarterly reviewestimated
By hand6 hours
With the solution2 hours
  • Pulling CIP, CTR, hold notice and retention samples and comparing them to the core1.5 → 0.2 h
  • Counting the vault and a teller drawer, reconciling consigned items1 → 0.5 h
  • Walking the logs, alarm panel, cameras and notices1.5 → 0.8 h
  • Writing up the evidence and the exceptions1.3 → 0.2 h
  • Chasing owners and answering follow-up questions0.8 → 0.3 h

Estimated split of the branch manager's hours on one quarterly review at the demo credit union, on paper and with the solution. Regional and internal audit follow-up, about 2 more hours on paper, is not included.

How it works

How a branch review moves

Seven agents do two thirds of each branch review from the systems and read every photo; the branch manager walks and the regional manager signs.

What comes in
Data in6 systems · imaging, core, teller, security, BSA, ledger
Agents at work
Review plannerchecklist and samples
Then
Sampling agentCIP, CTR, Reg CC
Cash agentvault and consigned items
Security agent12 CFR 748 items
Then
Reading agenta verdict on every photo
Then
Follow-up agentowners to closure
Roll-up agentboard report
A person decides
Branch and regional managerswalk, then sign
What comes out
Signed review
Exceptions to closure
Board report
One case, step by step

One branch self-assessment, from prepared to signed

Cedar Hollow is branch 17 in the North region of Norrell Federal Credit Union, which reviews all 38 of its branches every quarter. Here is its fourth-quarter 2026 review, R-26Q4-17, screen by screen, in the working solution.

  1. 01Monday, 6:00 a.m.

    The agents prepare the review while the branch is closed

    Review planner

    The Review planner builds the review from checklist Q4 2026 v7: 64 checks, 22 to walk and 42 from the systems. The Sampling agent pulls 18 samples: 5 of 61 new memberships, 3 of 9 CTRs, 4 of 27 Regulation CC exception hold notices and 6 retention records. The Cash agent reconciles the vault, 4 drawers, 212 official checks, 147 money orders and 38 gift cards to the teller platform and the general ledger, and the Security agent runs 11 checks from the security system.

    What the agents may not do: pass a step under 85% confidence without a person, close an exception or sign a review, change a member record.

  2. 02Monday, 6:31 a.m.

    One new membership has no ID expiration date

    Sampling agent

    Seventeen of 18 samples pass. Hollis Brandvold's membership, opened September 14 by Ana Ferreira, has no ID expiration date in the core, while the imaged driver's license shows 03/14/2029. The imaged license sits beside the core record, with member details masked and every reveal logged. The agent prepares the correction; Ana enters it and the branch manager verifies it against the image.

    “I cannot change the member record myself.”

  3. 03Thursday, 8:12 a.m.

    Four stages, most of it already done

    Leah Okafor · Branch Manager

    Leah opens the review as four stages: prepared by the agents, the walk, exceptions and sign-off. When she starts the walk, the Review planner chooses drawer 3 for the surprise count, which nobody at the branch saw in advance. Drawer 3 counts $11,482.00 and the vault, counted by Leah and Jamal Price, $186,420.00, both equal to the teller platform.

    “Tell me what to look at, let me take the picture, and don't make me type it up.”

  4. 049:02 a.m. · step 6 of 22

    Vault dual control: a photo, and a verdict beside it

    Leah Okafor · Branch Manager

    On her phone, one check per screen, Leah photographs the vault access log. The Reading agent transcribes ten openings from October 8 to 22: nine have two sets of initials. The Security agent finds the alarm disarmed at 7:49 a.m. on October 9 by Kevin Doyle's code, the vault door open from 7:52 to 8:06, and nobody else badged in until 8:31 a.m. The vault balanced that evening at $201,860.00.

    “Exception, 1 of 10 openings: October 9, 7:52 a.m. has one set of initials (K.D.). Nobody else entered the branch until 8:31 a.m.”

  5. 05One click

    She agrees, and the Security Officer knows the same day

    Leah Okafor · Branch Manager

    Leah agrees with the verdict. Exception EX-26Q4-17-01 opens as high and a repeat, because the vault was also opened by one employee on May 28. She owns it, due Monday, November 2. Teresa Vance, the Security Officer, is told the same day and sees it in the branch's 16 security program items, 11 of them checked from the security system.

    If anything suggests an internal incident, the Security agent refers it to the Security Officer only; branch staff are never contacted by an agent.

  6. 069:46 a.m.

    One page of exceptions, then submit

    Leah Okafor · Branch Manager

    The walk is finished: 62 of 64 checks passed. Both exceptions are on one page with their photos, owners and due dates: the vault opening (coach Kevin Doyle, collect a dual-control attestation from all 11 staff) and the missing ID expiration date, owned by Ana Ferreira and due Thursday, November 5. A fogged drive-up camera goes to facilities as an observation. Leah submits the review at 9:52 a.m.

  7. 073:40 p.m.

    Signed by someone who did not perform it

    Graham Ostrander · Regional Branch Manager

    Graham reads the agents' cited summary, both exceptions and the photos: the vault access log, the vault cash count, the drawer 3 surprise count and a camera still. 22 photos, 18 samples and 42 system checks are stored with the review for five years. He signs; Cedar Hollow is the 12th of 38 fourth-quarter reviews signed. Leah could not have signed it herself.

    “Signed by the Regional Branch Manager, never by the person who performed it.”

  8. 08Until it closes

    Exceptions followed up at every branch

    Follow-up agent

    The exception queue shows 21 open at 38 branches, 3 overdue and 3 repeats. The Follow-up agent reminds owners 3 days before the due date and escalates the day after. To close the vault exception, Leah proposes closure with a coaching note and the attestation; the agent checks 11 signatures against the staff list, and Graham or Teresa verifies and closes it.

    The Follow-up agent never closes an exception; a second person does.

  9. 09Without a branch visit

    Internal audit re-performs step 6 from the evidence

    Nadia Kowalczyk · Internal Auditor

    Nadia picks Cedar Hollow, step 6, vault dual control. She sees the stored photo without the agent's marks, so she judges it herself, then the original result: Reading agent v2.3, 96%, agreed by Leah Okafor at 9:04 a.m. Her conclusion, the same result or a disagreement with a reason, is recorded next to the original.

  10. 10Before the November 18 board meeting

    The security program report, drafted from every review

    Roll-up agent

    The Roll-up agent drafts the 2026 security program report to the Board of Directors from 125 signed reviews, every number linked to its evidence: exceptions down from 84 in the first quarter to 71 in the third, repeat findings from 14 to 6, 342 of 342 alarm tests recorded. Teresa Vance reviews it and Celeste Harmon approves. The Credit Union Profile certification draft goes to the President and CEO after the meeting.

    The Roll-up agent never sends to the board and never certifies.

Who it’s for

Built for everyone who signs off a branch.

The same Cedar Hollow review, seen by the five people it passes through: what their quarter looked like, and what it looks like now.

LO
Leah OkaforBranch Manager, Cedar Hollow · a branch of 11 staff
Branch Manager
Before
Spends most of a day on the quarterly checklist between member appointments, pulling files by hand and ticking boxes nobody can check.
Now
Walks only the 22 checks that need eyes, one per screen on her phone, and takes the photo; the agents read it and write it up.
GO
Graham OstranderRegional Branch Manager, North · 9 branches
Regional Branch Manager
Before
Signs reviews on the strength of a tick, then finds out a quarter later that an exception never closed.
Now
Signs after reading the cited summary and the photos, and closes exceptions only when he has checked the evidence.
TV
Teresa VanceSecurity Officer · the security program at 38 branches
Security Officer
Before
Learns about a vault opened by one person when the paper reaches her, and builds the board report once a year.
Now
Is told the same day, owns and signs each branch's security items, and reviews a board report already drafted from every review.
NK
Nadia KowalczykInternal Auditor · reports to the Supervisory Committee
Internal Auditor
Before
Drives to branches to re-check what the checklist says was reviewed.
Now
Re-performs any step from the stored evidence, and her agreement or disagreement is recorded next to the original.
OL
Owen LiddellBranch Operations Program Manager · administrator
Branch Operations Program Manager
Before
Keeps the checklist, sample sizes and schedules in spreadsheets sent to 38 branches.
Now
Proposes one change to the checklist, samples or due dates; once the VP approves it, it is live at 38 branches.
Built on the engine

7 agents. Each with one job, and hard limits.

Seven agents do two thirds of each branch review from the systems and read every photo; the branch manager walks and the regional manager signs.

Review planner

Builds each review from the checklist version, sets sample sizes, picks the surprise teller drawer when the walk starts, and schedules the quarter around holidays and staffing.

  • Never changes the checklist
  • Never tells the branch the surprise drawer in advance
Reading agent

Reads every photo taken on the walk, from handwritten logs to count sheets, notices and screens, transcribes it and gives a verdict with its confidence.

  • Never passes a step under 85% confidence without a person
  • Never edits a photo
Sampling agent

Pulls CIP files, CTRs, Regulation CC hold notices and retention records from document imaging and checks them against the core and the BSA reporting system.

  • Never changes a member record
  • Never shows a SAR or its existence
Cash agent

Reconciles vault and drawer counts and consigned items (official checks, money orders, gift cards) to the teller platform and the general ledger.

  • Never adjusts a balance
  • Exact match only
Security agent

Checks the branch's security program items from the security system: alarm and door events, badge entries, alarm tests, camera recording and retention, and training.

  • Never contacts staff about a possible internal incident
  • Refers it to the Security Officer
Follow-up agent

Proposes each exception's owner and due date, reminds, escalates at the due date, reads the closure evidence and flags repeat findings across quarters and branches.

  • Never closes an exception; a second person closes it
Roll-up agent

Writes the quarterly roll-up, the annual security program report to the board and the Credit Union Profile certification draft, every number linked to its evidence.

  • Never sends to the board
  • Never certifies
Regional Branch Manager

Signs each review. The agents propose; a named person decides.

Ask in plain words

Ask about any branch, step or sample

Ask about any branch, step, photo, sample or exception, or say what to do. Every answer points to its source.

Was the vault really opened by one person on October 9?

Yes, as far as the records show. The vault access log has one set of initials at 7:52 a.m. on Friday, October 9 (K.D.). The security system shows the alarm disarmed at 7:49 a.m. with Kevin Doyle's code, the vault door open from 7:52 to 8:06, and no other employee in the building until 8:31 a.m. The vault balanced that evening at $201,860.00. It is a repeat of May 28.

Which branches have repeat findings this year?

Three open repeat findings: Cedar Hollow, vault opened by one employee (October 9, after May 28); Stonegate, a combination not changed after a departure, 13 days overdue and escalated to Celeste Harmon; Riverbend, a teller drawer over its $15,000 limit. Across the credit union, repeats fell from 14 in the first quarter to 6 in the third.

What must we certify under 12 CFR 748, and are we ready?

Each year the President and CEO certifies compliance with Part 748 in the Credit Union Profile. The program must protect every office from robbery, burglary, larceny and embezzlement and keep member records secure, with a report to the board at least annually. The 2026 report is drafted from 125 signed reviews and 342 alarm tests; it waits for Teresa Vance, then Celeste Harmon.

Fix the missing ID expiration date for the September 14 membership

Hollis Brandvold's membership, opened September 14 by Ana Ferreira, has no ID expiration date in the core. The imaged driver's license shows 03/14/2029, and the record must include it. I have prepared the correction: Ana enters it in the core and you verify it against the image. I cannot change the member record myself.

Every screen

The working solution, as it ships.

13 screens from the working solution, on its sample data. Pick one to see it large.

The guided walk: vault dual controlStep 6 of 22 on the branch manager's phone: the photographed vault access log, the Reading agent's verdict beside it, and the security system's alarm, door and badge records that confirm it.
The branch review in four stagesThe branch self-assessment as the manager sees it: prepared by the agents, the walk, exceptions with owners and the regional sign-off, with the agents' briefing beside it.
How the agents prepared the reviewEvery step the agents ran before the walk, with its version, confidence and time, the hand-offs to named people and what the agents may not do.
File samples against the coreCIP, CTR, Regulation CC hold notice and retention samples checked against the core banking system, the imaged ID beside the core record, and a correction for two people to enter and verify.
The branch's security program itemsThe bank security program section under 12 CFR 748: 16 items, each with its evidence and owner, signed by the Security Officer.
Exceptions on one pageThe end of the branch audit walk: every exception with its photo, owner, due date and next action, and the review submitted for sign-off.
Regional sign-offThe regional manager reads the cited summary, the exceptions and the photographed evidence, then signs; the branch manager who performed the review cannot.
Exceptions at every branchOpen exceptions at 38 branches with due dates, overdue counts and repeat flags, bulk reminders, and one exception followed to a second person's closure.
The quarter at 38 branchesThe branch audit program for the quarter: each branch's state and due date, a preparation that failed and can be retried, and next quarter scheduled in one action.
The board's security program reportThe annual security program report and the Credit Union Profile certification draft, every number linked to its evidence, reviewed by the Security Officer and approved by the VP.
The audit trailEvery action by people and agents with who, what, when, why and the evidence, kept five years and exported for examiners, the Supervisory Committee and internal audit.
Re-perform a stepInternal audit repeats step 6 from the stored photo without visiting the branch and records whether it reaches the same result.
Roles and separation of dutiesWho performs, signs, owns the security items, re-performs and approves settings, and what each role cannot do; nobody approves their own change.
Governance

Built for the examiner and the Supervisory Committee: evidence, two signatures, on the record.

Performed by one person, signed by anotherThe branch manager performs the review and the regional manager signs it, never a review they performed. Sign is disabled for the performer, and a return to the branch carries a reason.
A second person closes every exceptionThe owner proposes closure with evidence, the Follow-up agent reads it, and the regional manager or the Security Officer verifies and closes. Repeat findings go to the Security Officer or the BSA Officer.
Member records: two people, masked by defaultAgents prepare a core correction but never make it: a member service representative enters it and the branch manager verifies it against the image. Member details are masked unless the role needs them, and every reveal is logged.
Under 85% confidence, a person decidesEvery verdict shows the agent's version and confidence. The manager can disagree with a reason code, and the override is on the record when the regional manager signs. Agent prompts are versioned and run in shadow before release.
SAR referrals never reach a branch reviewA referral to the BSA Officer never appears in a branch review, an export pack or a member view, and the Security agent never contacts staff about a possible internal incident.
Every action on the record, kept five yearsWho did what, when, why and with which evidence, for people and agents alike, read-only for everyone. Export packs are built for NCUA examiners, the state regulator, the Supervisory Committee and internal audit.
Configuration

Your branch audit program, not ours

Every rule the review runs on is a setting. The program manager proposes a change, the VP of Member Experience approves it, nobody approves their own, and it is live at all 38 branches from the next review.

SettingDefaultChoose from
ChecklistQ4 2026 v7: 64 checks, 22 walked, 42 from the systemsVersioned: v5, v6 and v7 kept, and any two compared
Sample sizes per quarterCIP 5 · CTR 3 · Reg CC exception notices 4 · record retention 6Set per sample; all of them if there are fewer
Surprise teller drawerChosen at random when the walk starts; never shown beforeOn · Off
Unannounced reviewsOne per branch a year; dates kept from the branchOn · Off
Exception due dates by severityHigh 10 days · medium 14 · low 30Set per severity; reminders 3 days before
Escalation1 day overdue to the regional manager; 10 days to the VP of Member ExperienceOn · Off; repeats to the Security Officer or the BSA Officer
Reading agent confidenceUnder 85%: the person decidesSet per agent; the Sampling agent asks under 90%, the Cash agent accepts an exact match only
Retention and offline captureReview evidence 5 years; photos encrypted on the phone until they syncLegal hold overrides destruction · offline capture On · Off
Connections

Works with the systems a branch already runs on

Document imagingCIP files, Regulation CC hold notices and retention records, read only
Core banking systemmember records and ID fields; corrections by people only
Teller platformvault, drawers and recycler balances
Branch security systemalarm, door, badge and camera records
BSA reporting systemCTR filing dates, with no SAR data
General ledger and HR rosterconsigned items; staff, leave and departures
What it changes

The difference, in numbers.

Every figure is labelled: a target the solution is built to, an estimate, a typical published result, or a proven one.

estimated
2hours
per branch review, against about 6 on a paper checklist
Paper checklist6 hours
With agents2 hours
target
Everyexception
with a named owner and a due date, closed only when a second person has checked the evidence
target
Halfthe repeats
repeat findings in a year, from 14 in the first quarter to 6 in the third at the demo credit union
Q114
Q36

“demo” = seen in the working solution, on its sample credit union, branches and reviews · “target” = the design goal, measured in the live solution · “estimated” = our estimate of a branch manager's hours on one quarterly review at the demo credit union · “typical” = published rules (31 CFR 1010.306 on filing a CTR within 15 days; 31 CFR 1020.220 and 1010.430 on keeping CIP and BSA records five years; 12 CFR 748.0 and 748.1 on the credit union security program and its annual certification; 12 CFR 229.13 on Regulation CC exception holds; 31 CFR 1020.320(e) on SAR confidentiality). People, credit unions, branches, members and accounts named on this page are fictional: characters and sample data in the working solution.

Questions

What branch, security and audit teams ask about branch self-assessment.

What is branch self-assessment?

Branch self-assessment is the scheduled review a branch manager runs of their own branch: cash and dual control, consigned items, new-account and BSA file samples, notices, record retention and the branch's part of the security program, with evidence. In Branch Self-Assessment, agents do the checks that live in systems before the walk, read every photo the manager takes, and follow each exception to closure, and a regional manager signs the review.

What does the branch audit checklist cover?

The one in the working solution, Q4 2026 v7, has 64 checks: 22 the manager walks with a photo each, from the vault access log to the cash counts and the notices, and 42 the agents run from the systems. Those cover CIP, CTR, Regulation CC and retention samples, cash and consigned items against the teller platform and general ledger, and alarm tests, cameras and user codes from the security system. The checklist is your own and versioned.

How does it check vault dual control?

The manager photographs the vault access log. The Reading agent transcribes the last ten openings and their initials, and the Security agent checks each one against alarm, vault door and badge events, so the verdict says whether a second person was really there. The Cash agent adds whether the vault balanced that day.

Can internal audit rely on a branch self-assessment?

Internal audit reads everything and can re-perform any step from the stored evidence: the photo without the agent's marks, the original verdict, the agent version and the person who agreed. Their conclusion is recorded next to the original, and export packs are built for the Supervisory Committee and NCUA examiners.

Does it help with the security program report and certification?

The Roll-up agent drafts the annual security program report to the board and the Credit Union Profile certification draft from every signed review, each number linked to its evidence. The Security Officer reviews it and the VP of Member Experience approves it; the agent never sends to the board and never certifies.

Can a branch manager walk the review without signal in the vault?

Yes. With offline capture on, photos are stored encrypted on a credit-union-managed phone and sync when there is signal. They go only into the review, never to the camera roll.

Do people stay in control?

Yes. Agents propose and people decide: the manager agrees, disagrees with a reason code or retakes the photo, and under 85% confidence the person decides. The regional manager signs, a second person closes every exception and verifies every member record correction, and settings changes need a second approver.

How long does it take to go live?

The Agentic Solution Engine builds and deploys it from your requirements and documents, such as your branch audit checklist, sample sizes and escalation policy, and it goes live once every quality gate has passed. We will walk you through it on your own branches first.

See it on
your branches.

We'll run Branch Self-Assessment on your own branch audit checklist and a sample of last quarter's reviews.