"EDGE has worked closely with Index Loans' senior management team to drive a better UX/CX, refine score thresholds, provide predictive logic, and provide benchmarking across peers. This goes well beyond standard API delivery. It is an advisory support that strengthened our business outcomes."

– Adam Diekelman - CEO

Challenge

For more than 30 years, Index Loans has served consumers who are often overlooked by traditional underwriting models. While many applicants demonstrated stable income and responsible financial behavior, thin credit files and past credit setbacks frequently resulted in declines despite strong repayment potential.

As the company sought to expand access responsibly, several challenges emerged:

Thin-file borrowers were being overlooked

Many applicants had healthy financial behavior but lacked sufficient credit history to qualify through traditional models.

Credit scores provided an incomplete picture

Bureau data alone often failed to capture income stability, spending habits, and real-world financial health.

Manual underwriting created friction

Additional verification and documentation requirements slowed decisioning and reduced conversion rates.

Solution

Index Loans partnered with EDGE to supplement traditional credit data with real-time cashflow intelligence, giving underwriters a more complete view of each applicant's financial health.

By analyzing income stability, recurring obligations, spending behavior, and cashflow trends, the lender could identify borrowers with strong repayment capacity who may have been overlooked by conventional underwriting models.

The implementation focused on three key areas:

More Complete Risk Assessment

Traditional credit scores were enhanced with real-time cashflow insights, providing visibility into a consumer's current financial behavior rather than relying solely on historical credit performance.

Improved Borrower Experience

Applicants were given the opportunity to demonstrate their financial health through bank transaction data, helping qualified borrowers tell a more complete financial story while reducing reliance on documentation and manual review.

Strategic Optimization

EDGE worked alongside Index Loans' leadership team to refine score thresholds, benchmark performance, and continuously improve underwriting strategies as results were measured and validated.

Impact: Broader access without added risk

With EDGE, Index Loans increased approvals among thin-file and underserved borrowers without increasing default risk. By adding real-time cashflow intelligence to its underwriting process, the lender improved borrower experience, strengthened risk visibility, and created a more scalable path for serving non-prime applicants.