Are You Approving the Right Borrowers—or Risking the Wrong Ones?

In Q1 of 2023 alone, the four largest U.S. lenders wrote off $3.4 billion in bad consumer loans. That level of risk is avoidable—with better data.

Relying only on what applicants provide or what’s in your internal systems isn’t enough. Without third-party validation, financial institutions risk lending to the wrong people—and missing out on deserving borrowers with thin credit files.

🧠 External data helps institutions assess creditworthiness with greater confidence, accuracy, and reach.

Why External Data Sharpens Credit Decisions

With third-party data layered into your credit evaluation process, you can:

✅ Validate applicant income, employment, and debt obligations in real time
✅ Expand access to credit for applicants with limited history
✅ Reduce loan defaults by spotting early red flags
✅ Build more accurate credit risk scores using verified external data
✅ Improve underwriting decisions while boosting revenue and inclusivity

How It Works

🔹 Combine applicant-provided info with verified external data like payment history, income, or utility bills
🔹 Train machine learning models to flag risky applications or identify high-potential borrowers with limited credit history
🔹 Incorporate real-time economic and market data to adjust lending criteria dynamically
🔹 Automate data checks across public records, rental payments, and third-party credit reports

Real-World Impact: Broader Credit Access with Less Risk

Most major lenders use external credit bureaus to verify credit scores and histories—but the next frontier is expanding that scope. By using alternative third-party data, financial institutions can serve more people while lowering default rates.

📩 Want to make smarter lending decisions with better data?

Let’s talk about how Blue Street Data can connect you to the most relevant third-party sources to upgrade your creditworthiness assessments.

👉 Talk to a Data Expert

Live Webinar

Building a Strategic Data Sourcing Function: Governance and Technology

December 11th, 2025 / 1:00 PM EST

Is your organization prepared for the next generation of data sourcing, including AI-generated and high-volume unstructured data? Simply applying traditional sourcing rules to data acquisition exposes your business to financial and compliance risks. Our two expert speakers will detail how to move from reactive purchasing to a proactive sourcing function, utilizing structured vendor management, existing category acquisition frameworks, and centralized governance to build a foundation that ensures continuous quality and value from all external data assets. Reserve your spot today!