The Reason why Credit Under Writing Can’t be 100% Automated!

Over the past decade, AI & ML have transformed the Fintech industry in different ways. Whether examining use cases such as general robotic process automation (RPA), chatbots and Robo-advisors, personalized banking, cybersecurity & fraud detection, or numerous others, AI has streamlined processes for financial institutions & consumers. One of the most complex applications of AI is predictive technology for credit underwriting & risk monitoring.

But, some benefits of both AI & ML notwithstanding, several obstacles hinder the comprehensive automation of credit underwriting. Here’s all you need to know on why Credit Underwriting can’t be automated 100%.

Regulatory barriers, restrictive black-box algorithms, and other challenges

While there exists a seemingly infinite list of benefits, expecting swift & 100 percent automation of credit underwriting could go wrong for a while. There are technological shortfalls & regulatory roadblocks due to which 100% automation may not be achieved yet. The most significant barrier is the lack of explainability within AI. As a result of meticulous regulations the financial institutions face, AI models need to produce a definite explanation & reason for each decision, prediction & risk assessment.

While ML applications grow in specialized ways, the models become increasingly opaque and are challenging to interpret. The ability to define the black box, non-linear models, is critical, especially in finance, which makes both the predictive output & accuracy of prediction critical. To satisfy the regulatory demands, AI models should render plain-text & interpretable explanations, which is currently a challenge.

Another common barrier hindering wider adoption & complete automation of credit underwriting is data access. Lack of quality datasets may create issues in smooth functioning that may hamper operations as well. Minimal or compromised datasets are factors that are responsible for derailing a successful model. This is why predictive models must have access to global, varied & diverse datasets to achieve the highest levels of prediction accuracy.

Other hurdles include limiting third-party data silos that need administrative permission and overall prediction accuracy, which notoriously varies among different models & AI technologies.

The Future Path to Automation

In the upcoming decade, AI isn’t eyeing to replace credit risk officers. Instead, credit risk officers who utilize AI will replace those who aren’t handy with these tech-based solutions. We are currently in the latter stages of those initial decades when it comes to AI-assisted credit underwriting.

credit analysis courseBut automation will not sweepingly eclipse the work of fintech professionals. The expert human overview will be required to assure accuracy for cases of outliers & eliminate self-selection & biases.

For those eyeing a career in Banking and Finance, it is an opportunity to clinch the technology and fly high with the aspirations. A certificate course in banking and finance is an excellent option for employment after graduation or after B. Com!

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Credit Underwriting Standards: A Challenge for Smaller Banks!

The main revenue for a bank always comes from the money they lend to different borrowers. The interest obtained on that lent money generates revenue for them. Now, this lending process exposes a bank to risks.

In this article, we will discuss various aspects of credit underwriting standards and the importance of a credit analyst course or a PG diploma in banking and finance.

What are Credit Underwriting Standards?

Underwriting standards are a set of guidelines defined by banks or lending institutes, to determine if a loan applicant is qualified for the loan or credit. Credit underwriting standards determine the loan amount, loan terms and tenures, rate of interest, etc. This credit underwriting standard works as a risk management process that helps minimize the risk factor from the lent loan.

Key factors of Credit Underwriting

There are some basic points a bank should consider before granting the loan.

  • A common problem faced by credit approvers is that they often don’t get sufficient financial information from the applicant.
  • An efficient cash-flow projection report can be prepared with enough historical data, balance sheet statements, and a financial analysis system. However, appropriate information needs to be obtained from borrowers regarding expected trends, upcoming capital structure and incorporated in cash-flow modeling for better prediction.
  • Rating models can be efficiently predictive and render an effective early caution against credit deterioration only when the data fed to them are quality data.
  • When the process is more manual and duplicate data is kept in multiple systems, it causes an increase in “time to cash”. The key factors that contribute to “time to cash” are the market environment, the efficiency of decision-makers, and system infrastructure.
  • To understand the key performance indicators and meet the audit requirements, extracting the right data is essential. Also, a user-friendly way of capturing data and a strict well-defined process is essential to make sure the data is correctly apprehended and managed.
  • Understanding the business model sustainability of the borrower is important. The borrower should have better alignment between business strategy and financially reliable sectors to recover the losses when one sector is underperforming.

Challenge for Smaller Banks

When it comes to smaller banks, they face few challenges while maintaining credit underwriting standards, which either cause problems for them in the present or might create in the future.

  • Major small banks face significant challenges in terms of their ability to produce, manage and maintain sufficient data. This is a clear indication that small banks suffer due to a lack of IT infrastructure and strong risk governance policies.
  • Another key trend among smaller banks is that because of the extremely competitive market, the interest rates that banks offer on loans are not calculated based on the underlying credit risk of those loans, but rather they are more intended towards capturing the market. This lack of risk-based pricing may cause a future inability to recover the money lent.
  • The banks are launching new products, offers, expanding themselves into new markets, re-adjusting risk strategies because of intense market competition. There was a drop in average lending margins which basically reduced the overall profit margin for a bank.

Conclusion

Credit risk management comes with various challenges. Proper analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, decision-making ability, and mutual relationships can help to reduce the risk and only a properly trained professional can do that.

When you are looking for a career in the banking sector, deep knowledge of credit underwriting standards is essential.

Credit risk underwriting courseA credit analyst course or PG diploma in banking and finance may help you to achieve that. Credit Risk and Underwriting Prodegree In Collaboration with Moody’s Analytics is such a tailor-made course for you.