Underwriting
What Underwriters Really Look For
Inside the file review: the metrics that set your approval amount and the texture that sets your price.
April 29, 2026 · 8 min read
The five quantitative gates
Average monthly deposits, deposit count per month, average daily balance, negative days in the last ninety, and total existing daily debits. Those five numbers set the size of the approval before anyone forms an opinion.
A rough industry norm: monthly advance capacity near 80 to 120 percent of average monthly deposits, reduced by whatever existing positions already consume.
The qualitative texture
Underwriters read patterns: are deposits from many customers or one, are they growing or drifting, do transfers between accounts inflate the apparent volume, are there payments to other funders not disclosed on the application.
Texture is why two files with identical totals receive different terms. Diversified daily deposits from hundreds of customers price better than three large wires.
What you control in the last thirty days
Avoid overdrafts entirely. Deposit daily rather than in batches. Stop inter-account transfers that muddy the picture. Disclose everything up front.
None of that is manipulation — it is presenting an accurate business accurately.