# How Desert Valleys FCU uses Zest AI

**$1M**: “In the first three months, Desert Valleys saw over $1M in loan growth”

As published on [zest.ai](https://www.zest.ai/customer-stories/desert-valleys-fcu). Captured by usedby on 2026-10-24.

- Company: [Desert Valleys FCU](https://www.usedby.ai/companies/desert-valleys-fcu.md)
- Tool: [Zest AI](https://www.usedby.ai/tools/zest.md)
- Industry: [Banking & Mortgages](https://www.usedby.ai/companies/industry/banking-mortgages.md)

## The use case: how Desert Valleys FCU deploys Zest AI

The credit union uses Zest AI's automated underwriting to make faster, more accurate lending decisions and to support fair lending and model risk compliance with built-in documentation.

Summary written by usedby from the source page, in English. The figures are those of Zest AI and Desert Valleys FCU, not ours.

> In their first three months, Desert Valleys saw over $1 million in loan growth, with broader expectations of 60% resource efficiency gains, a 20% increase in approvals without added risk, and a 40% increase in approvals across protected classes.

- **60%**: “60% resource efficiency gains †”
- **20%**: “20% increase in approvals with no added risk †”
- **40%**: “40% increase in approvals across protected classes †”

> Zest AI brought an incredible amount of data-driven analytics to support our compliance with the Fair Credit Act. We knew we were compliant, but there’s a big difference between saying you’re doing it right and having the documentation that you’re doing it right. Zest gave us incredibly comprehensive reporting and documentation that instilled confidence and lessened the compliance burden, which is huge for smaller credit unions.
>
> Eric A. Bruen, President/CEO, Desert Valleys FCU

Source: [zest.ai](https://www.zest.ai/customer-stories/desert-valleys-fcu), captured 2026-10-24.

## Zest AI users in Banking & Mortgages

- [All In Credit Union](https://www.usedby.ai/companies/all-in-credit-union.md) — Confirmed
- [Altra Federal Credit Union](https://www.usedby.ai/companies/altra-federal-credit-union.md) — Confirmed
- [Clark County Credit Union](https://www.usedby.ai/companies/clark-county-credit-union.md) — Confirmed
- [Commonwealth Credit Union](https://www.usedby.ai/companies/commonwealth-credit-union.md) — Confirmed
- [Community Choice Credit Union](https://www.usedby.ai/companies/community-choice-credit-union.md) — Confirmed
- [Credit Union West](https://www.usedby.ai/companies/credit-union-west.md) — Confirmed

## What usedby checked

We compared the story with its live page on 2026-10-24.

- Checked: the figure $1M is printed word for word on the page, near the name of Desert Valleys FCU.
- Checked: the passage quoted above is copied word for word from the page, near the name of Desert Valleys FCU.
- Checked: Desert Valleys FCU uses Zest AI. Confirmed line. Latest check across sources: 2026-10-24.
- Not checked: the result itself. We quote it; we did not measure it.

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Source: https://www.usedby.ai/case-studies/desert-valleys-fcu-zest · How we check: https://www.usedby.ai/methodology