Credit Card Underwriting API
Project Information
- Category: Automated Underwriting
- Client: Fintech Card Issuer
- Stack: Bureau Data, Account Aggregator, Behavioural Signals
- Delivery: Real-Time Underwriting API
Card application decisions dropped from 24–48 hours to sub-2 seconds.
A fintech card issuer was running a manual review process for new card applications, declining thin-file applicants systematically and making card applicants wait up to 2 days for a decision. We built the underwriting API that returns an instant approve/decline and credit limit recommendation in the same call.
The Challenge
The card issuer's underwriting process relied on bureau score alone for initial screening, followed by manual review of applications that passed the score threshold. Thin-file applicants—those with limited bureau history but strong bank transaction patterns—were systematically declined because the process had no way to evaluate alternative data. The manual review step added 24–48 hours to the application experience, a significant friction point in a market where applicants expect near-instant decisions. The process also produced no structured reason codes for declined applicants, complicating regulatory communication.
What We Built
We built a credit card underwriting API that evaluates each application using CIBIL bureau data, Account Aggregator bank statement analysis for income verification and obligation assessment, and the issuer's own behavioural signals for their existing customer segment. The API returns an approve, decline, or refer decision alongside a credit limit recommendation and structured reason codes—all in a single call, in under 2 seconds. The API integrates directly into the issuer's card application flow with no manual review step in the automated decisioning path.
Key Capabilities Delivered
- CIBIL bureau integration for primary credit assessment
- Account Aggregator bank statement enrichment for income and obligation verification
- Behavioural signals for existing customer segment underwriting
- Instant credit limit recommendation alongside the credit decision
- Structured reason codes for all decline decisions
- Sub-2-second API response time under production load
The Outcome
Decision time dropped from 24–48 hours to under 2 seconds for the automated decisioning path. The issuer gained the ability to approve thin-file applicants with strong bank statement signals who would have been declined under bureau-only screening—expanding their approachable market without materially increasing credit risk. Structured reason codes enabled clear, compliant communication with declined applicants and simplified the regulatory reporting process.