As the “Great Wealth Transfer” begins to shift an estimated $124 trillion in assets over the next two decades, financial institutions are facing a systemic threat: the loss of deposits. When an account holder passes away, approximately 70% of inherited balances typically leave the original bank as heirs move funds to their own preferred institutions.
Prismm, a Newark, Delaware-based fintech founded in 2020, is attempting to reverse this trend by providing banks with “estate orchestration” infrastructure. Rather than operating as a standalone consumer app, the company integrates its services directly into the core platforms that power the U.S. banking system.
On October 14, 2026, Prismm presented its B2B approach as a finalist in the Startup Battlefield competition, highlighting how its software allows banks to engage with the next generation of customers before a death occurs. By facilitating the transition of assets and information, the company aims to convert a moment of friction into a retention opportunity.
The Infrastructure of Inheritance
The core of Prismm’s strategy is its deep integration into the industry’s primary technology providers. The company has established partnerships to embed its tools within major banking cores, including FIS, Fiserv, and Jack Henry.
By joining the Jack Henry Fintech Integration Network and similar ecosystems, Prismm allows banks to offer estate planning tools directly within their existing mobile and online banking portals. This B2B model bypasses the customer acquisition costs that often hamper consumer-facing “digital vault” startups.
The product suite is divided into three primary functional areas:
- Prismm Anchor: A secure digital vault where account holders can track assets and grant controlled access to survivors or executors.
- Prismm Designate: A tool designed to streamline beneficiary updates, ensuring that account information remains current and legally actionable.
- Prismm Continuity: A survivor-focused checklist and transition guide that assists families during the immediate aftermath of a loss.
Quantifying Deposit Mortality
To help banks understand their specific exposure to wealth transfer risks, the company launched the Deposit Mortality Index (DMI). This data tool evaluates potential deposit runoff risk for 8,429 federally insured U.S. banks.
The index uses demographic data and account holder profiles to estimate the volume of deposits at risk of exiting a specific institution. By quantifying this “attrition cost,” Prismm argues that estate orchestration is not merely a value-added service for customers, but a critical defensive strategy for a bank’s balance sheet.
Founders Martha Underwood and Shella Sylla, who are sisters, launched the company following a personal experience during Hurricane Irma in 2017. A medical emergency highlighted the difficulty of accessing vital family and financial information during a crisis, leading to the development of a platform designed to remove those barriers.
For banks, the incentive to adopt such technology is increasingly clear. As the older generation of depositors ages, the ability to build a relationship with heirs through shared digital tools may be the only way to prevent trillions of dollars in liquidity from migrating to larger national banks or digital-first competitors.
