Jessica Carta is a self-described "payments geek." As the senior vice president for consumer and small-business payments, Carta leads all digital consumer and small-business payment initiatives across the bank. Prior to joining Citizens, she worked at Mastercard and built payment products at two different fintechs.
"Payments and money movement touch every part of our day, every part of our ecosystem," Carta said. "I particularly love the consumer angle because I'm a consumer, you're a consumer. We can all understand and relate to it."
One of Carta's main focuses at Citizens is Zelle, the bank-backed P2P network that enables users to transfer funds to others on the platform, often within minutes. Integrated into Citizens' mobile app, Zelle has become one of the bank's most-used digital features. That, in turn, drives deeper engagement among the bank's customers, who increasingly expect speed and convenience in everyday transactions, Carta said.
"Our customers who use Zelle are inherently digital customers," she said.
Carta's responsibilities at the bank expand beyond Zelle. She oversees Citizens' money movement capabilities for both consumers and small businesses, from wires and transfers to digital wallets and bill pay. As is the case at many banks, small-business owners use many of these same tools. But Carta's team also manages platforms such as cash flow essentials and small-business bill pay.
Across all of these channels, her team's main priority is improving the overall customer experience.
"We are almost maniacal about our customer experience," Carta said. "Nothing is too small for us to dig into. We want every click, everything, to be perfect for you."
With money movement as one of the top reasons for customers logging into the Citizens' mobile app, Carta and her team are deeply involved with how the bank continues to modernize the channel with payment at the center of it. That includes adding new capabilities for small-business customers and launching a new suite of consumer credit cards.
Behind the scenes, her team has worked with technology to make transactions faster, reduce API calls, improve load times, and enhance the look and feel of digital interfaces.
One of the biggest opportunities, and challenges, is personalization. Carta said customers expect their bank to understand their habits and preferences and to offer relevant, timely offers and experiences. Meeting that demand requires smarter and faster use of data.
"The longer it takes us to make decisions with our data, the more likely we are to miss the boat," she said.
At Citizens, she devotes time to talent development, mentoring interns and early career professionals. "I benefited so much from people helping me early in my career," Carta said. "I want to give that same opportunity to others."
Outside of work, Carta's life is just as full. She has two children, a new puppy and a passion for tennis, especially the U.S. Open. For more than a decade, she has volunteered with a Connecticut nonprofit serving immigrants and refugees, a cause she calls "near and dear" to her heart.
