First Internet Bank Data: US Consumers Face $1,000 Surprise Expense Confidence Gap

First Internet Bank has released its latest Do More Business™ Report, revealing a significant shift in consumer financial behavior toward active debt reduction and budgeting. The findings coincide with the bank’s launch of a new AI-driven Model Context Protocol, allowing customers to query their financial data using large language models to gain actionable insights.

What was announced

The Do More Business™ Report, based on a nationally representative survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, highlights a proactive trend in personal finance. According to the data, 46% of consumers followed a budget in the past six months, while 36% focused on reducing debt and 31% built emergency savings. Additionally, 27% of respondents reported improving their credit scores during the same period. Despite this activity, a gap in financial resilience remains: while 76% of consumers feel optimistic about their financial future, only 32% are extremely confident they could cover an unexpected $1,000 expense.

To address the demand for better financial clarity, First Internet Bank has introduced the beta version of its Model Context Protocol (MCP). This optional capability allows eligible personal and business customers to securely connect authorized account information to AI assistants, specifically OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. Through this read-only connection, users can ask plain-language questions regarding their balances, transactions, and cash flow. The system is designed to provide immediate answers to everyday financial questions without sharing online banking credentials with the AI providers. The protocol ensures that AI assistants cannot move money or modify account settings, serving strictly as a tool for data interpretation rather than a replacement for professional financial advice.

"One of the clearest findings from this research is that consumers want answers, not more information. They want to understand what's happening with their money and what to do next. That's where banks have an opportunity to help."

Nicole Lorch, President and Chief Operating Officer of First Internet Bank.

The companies involved

First Internet Bank, the primary subsidiary of First Internet Bancorp, is a pioneer in the digital banking sector. Established as one of the first state-chartered, FDIC-insured institutions to operate entirely online without a physical branch network, the bank has long positioned itself as a technology-forward alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar lenders. It provides a full suite of commercial and consumer banking services across the United States, including residential mortgage loans, SBA lending, and specialized commercial real estate finance.

The bank’s market position is defined by its early adoption of digital-first infrastructure, which has allowed it to maintain a lower overhead cost structure compared to traditional competitors. By focusing on national reach through digital channels, First Internet Bank has historically targeted tech-savvy consumers and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) looking for streamlined financial management. The introduction of the Model Context Protocol represents the bank's latest attempt to integrate generative AI into the retail banking experience, moving beyond standard mobile banking interfaces to provide conversational data access for its customer base.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed the digital evolution of First Internet Bank. In July 2026, we covered the initial steps of this technological shift in First Internet Bank Integrates ChatGPT and Claude for Real-Time AI Financial Insights, which detailed the bank's strategy to leverage large language models for customer data. More recently, the bank has seen shifts in its leadership team to support its growth objectives, as reported in First Internet Bank Names Nick Campbell Chief Lending Officer to Drive Nationwide Growth. Furthermore, the institution has been active in modernizing its lending capabilities, evidenced by our 2025 report: Parlay Finance and First Internet Bank Join Forces to Modernize SBA Lending.

What this means

This announcement signals a move away from traditional Personal Financial Management (PFM) dashboards toward "conversational banking." For years, fintechs have provided charts and graphs that many consumers find difficult to interpret; by integrating with ChatGPT and Claude, First Internet Bank is betting that the future of the user interface is natural language. This puts significant pressure on legacy institutions that are still struggling with data silos and basic mobile app functionality. The industry is now facing a critical question: will consumers trust third-party AI assistants with their financial data, or will they demand that banks build these sophisticated reasoning capabilities natively within their own secure environments?