Fintech innovation is not only being fueled by faster, lower cost alternatives but also by the potential to reach a broader market demographic; while financial inclusion is a current market focus, many lenders have positioned their underwriting for the extreme opposite; American Banker’s Penny Crosman analyzes both market extremes; notes the prevalence of current underwriting systems that integrate college degrees attained as a factor for credit approval resulting in a greater number of loans to elitist borrowers; identifies potential reform that could infuse financial inclusion mandates for all fintech companies beginning with provisions in the OCC’s fintech charter that require financial inclusion considerations and following with further direction from the CFPB who is currently studying the use of alternative credit data for more inclusive borrowing; if financial inclusion mandates do become requirements it could provide even more momentum for the growing number of inclusive credit providers but also significantly upend a majority of the market’s underwriting schemes which are based on algorithmic analysis with variables targeting socioeconomically elite borrowers. Source
