Risk Solutions

For some credit applications, it’s a fast and straightforward decision whether to grant or deny approval. For others, evaluating a borrower’s credit risk isn’t as easy, requiring more time and work chasing up referrals and double-checking background information. These marginal applications are a drag on efficiency, slowing down processes and impacting profitability. Too many credit opportunities are rejected because not enough is known about an applicant at this early stage of the credit lifecycle.

We all know how important it is to be able to explain and justify the basis for a credit decision. It’s not just lenders and regulators seeking greater explainability, but consumers too want the transparency of understanding why a loan was approved or denied.

Alternative data opens up a world of possibilities for more accurately determining creditworthiness. Where a person lives, where they dine out and how they spend their income…these are all data sources that have the potential to enhance traditional credit score models for improved assessment of financial reliability.

Predictability, continuity and reliability are crucial prerequisites for successful credit scoring. Sound risk assessment decisions rely on credit score models that move with the times, evolving to reflect changes in consumer credit behaviour and improvements in risk prediction technology.

Treasurer Frydenberg’s announcement on 25 September is about simplifying Australia’s credit framework.  As part of the proposed changes, APRA becomes the key regulator for home and personal lending with the intent of removing duplication by two regulators and freeing up the flow of credit, to help kick-start economic recovery.

COVID-19 has fast-tracked existing shifts in Australian consumer retail behaviour, promising to change the marketing, distribution and selling of automobiles forever.

Auto retailers need to adapt now to a new reality because businesses waiting for stabilisation are taking a considerable risk, said KPMG National Leader of Motor Industry Services, Steven Bragg. Speaking at the recent Equifax Automotive Finance Forum, Mr Bragg said the auto industry was in crisis and in need of transformation before the pandemic even came along.

It’s a well-known fact that registering on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) boosts your rights when faced with customer insolvency. It’s a lesser-known fact that it’s equally useful when a customer wants to sell their business.

If one of your customers goes bust and you’re not a secured creditor, expect to lose out. There’s a world of difference between registering on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) to become a secured creditor or remaining unsecured by not registering.

When a business goes into insolvency, there’s an order by which creditors are paid. Secured creditors take precedent, along with the insolvency practitioner, who receives a fee for managing the process. To be a secured creditor, you must have successfully registered your security interests in equipment and goods (‘personal property’) that you’ve sold on terms or leased to the customer. This registration happens on a national online noticeboard known as the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR).

Few can predict what the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis will look like long-term, but even before this pandemic, there was a growing need for lenders to get better at predicting credit risk.  With a greater influx of data and rapid changes in consumer behaviour, traditional risk scoring models like linear regression, are often not up to the task of predicting default risk for complex applications involving multiple data sources and relationships.