Commercial Lending Operations
Why Commercial Lenders Receive Unqualified Loan Leads
Most commercial lenders do not have a marketing problem.
They have an intake problem.
Applications arrive daily, yet underwriting teams still struggle to find fundable transactions. Originators spend hours responding to inquiries that never progress to a credit memo. Follow-ups lead to missing documents, unrealistic expectations, or businesses that never qualified in the first place.
The issue is not borrower demand. The issue is that most borrower acquisition systems are built to generate inquiries, not financeable transactions.
Where Bad Leads Actually Come From
Broad Advertising Keywords
Generic search phrases attract startups, consumers, and businesses far outside lending criteria.
No Financial Gating
Most intake forms do not ask revenue, collateral, or facility size before submission.
Rate Shopping Traffic
Applicants compare offers without documentation or intent to close.
Incomplete Applications
Underwriters must spend time extracting basic information before even determining eligibility.
Commercial Borrower Pre-Screening and Qualification Process
A fundable borrower is not defined by interest.
It is defined by documentation, operating history, and alignment with a lender’s credit parameters.
A structured pre-screening process requires applicants to declare key credit indicators before submission. Instead of a contact form, the borrower completes a financing application.
- Revenue band and operating history
- Requested facility size
- Collateral profile
- Use of proceeds
- Decision-maker confirmation
Applications outside defined underwriting scope are filtered before reaching the credit team.
Implement Structured Borrower Intake
Financely designs and operates borrower intake funnels aligned with your underwriting criteria and routing preferences.
What Changes When Intake Is Structured
Fewer Applications
But a higher percentage qualify for review.
Faster Underwriting
Key financial indicators are known before first contact.
Less Follow-Up
Borrowers provide operational data before reaching originators.
Higher Close Rate
Applicants already understand the facility they are requesting.
Why Most Lead Vendors Fail Lenders
Traditional lead generation vendors optimize for volume.
Commercial lending requires qualification.
More inquiries do not improve originations if underwriting cannot use them.
Lenders do not need more conversations.
They need more viable credit opportunities.
Operate a Dedicated Borrower Acquisition Channel
Financely manages paid acquisition, borrower pre-screening, and structured routing so your underwriting team reviews organized financing requests instead of general inquiries.