Blue Sky Bank picks Jack Henry & Associates for core modernization; company raises dividend

Blue Sky Bank picks Jack Henry to power expansion

MONETT, Mo. — Jack Henry & Associates is selected by Blue Sky Bank to modernize the regional lender’s core and digital systems as the bank pursues market expansion and acquisitions across Oklahoma and Texas.

Core consolidation and digital transformation

Blue Sky Bank chooses Jack Henry’s modern core processing platform alongside the Banno Digital Platform, LoanVantage lending system and Treasury Management components to consolidate retail and commercial operations. The deal covers both customer-facing digital channels and back‑office lending and treasury workflows, aiming to replace disparate systems with a single, integrated stack that supports more complex commercial relationships and a growing private banking business.

The decision reflects Blue Sky’s shift to a commercial-heavy business model — roughly 80% of its activity — and its rapid growth from about $200 million in assets in 2018 to $1.3 billion today. Hayden Blackford, the bank’s senior vice president of information technology, says the package positions Blue Sky to scale into new markets around Tulsa, Dallas and Fort Worth while preserving community banking decision‑making. He highlights Jack Henry’s open modernization approach, cloud delivery and investment in research and development as key factors in the selection.

Jack Henry says the integrated deployment is intended to improve operational efficiency, regulatory compliance and cybersecurity posture while enabling employees to manage commercial relationships more efficiently. The vendor frames the engagement as a way to deliver faster, data‑driven and personalized services across channels without sacrificing local service models, using a combination of internally developed tools and third‑party fintech integrations.

Dividend increase and capital approach

Separately, Jack Henry’s board raises the quarterly cash dividend by 6% to $0.61 per share, payable March 25 with a March 5 record date. The company emphasizes the raise as consistent with its long history of returning cash to shareholders, noting it has paid consecutive quarterly dividends since 1991 and has increased the dividend for more than two decades.

Company profile and market role

An S&P 500 financial technology provider with nearly five decades in the market, Jack Henry serves about 7,400 banks and credit unions with core processing, payments, risk and compliance, digital and omnichannel solutions, and data and analytics. The firm stresses openness, collaboration and integration with leading fintechs to help clients innovate and serve accountholders while maintaining community banking values.