AgentHive/case-studies/thin-file-underwriting
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Thin-File Lending

18% lift in approval rate for credit-invisible applicants

A regional CDFI used AgentHive to expand credit access to consumers with fewer than 3 trade-lines — without relaxing risk thresholds.

+18%approval-rate lift

Context

A mission-driven CDFI serving 400,000+ members lacked the data depth to make confident decisions on credit-invisible applicants. Traditional bureau scores returned either no-hit or shallow files for nearly 30% of their pipeline.

What we built

AgentHive's underwriting module was configured with an alternate-data feature set: cash-flow volatility from bank-feed data, rent-payment history (via Plaid), and utility trade-lines. The SHAP explainability layer surfaced which signals drove each decision — satisfying FCRA adverse-action disclosure requirements automatically.

Results

MetricBeforeAfter
Approval rate (thin-file)41%59%
Average time-to-decision3.1 days12 seconds
Model-governance findings0
Default rate (6-month)4.2%4.0%
"For the first time, we could approve a qualified applicant without a bureau score and hand them a printed adverse-action notice instantly — all compliant, all explainable." — Chief Credit Officer

See it live in the Interactive Lab

Run the same decision scenarios yourself — no setup required.

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