Equifax Launches New Tool to Help Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage Faster

Equifax® (NYSE:EFX) today announced the launch of Income Qualify, a new product that delivers income and employment insights from The Work Number® to mortgage lenders during the prequalification and pre-approval phase as a value add alongside the Equifax consumer credit file.

 

Currently lenders are limited in their ability to confidently make prequalification offers. Income Qualify provides verified income and employment data earlier in the process, empowering mortgage lenders to conduct an initial assessment faster and with less burden on the borrower. This helps reduce risk in the lending process and supports affordability in the home buying process.

"Mortgage lenders are facing increased competition for qualified buyers. They need to be able to assess borrower eligibility and make critical lending decisions more quickly while also managing costs," said Joel Rickman, General Manager and Senior Vice President of U.S. Mortgage and Verification Services at Equifax. "By delivering key income and employment data alongside our trusted credit report at the prequalification stage, Equifax is helping lenders act faster, support affordability, and move the borrower forward in the process with more confidence."

Home ownership is an important goal for many U.S. consumers and can help build wealth that can last for generations. Equifax is committed to making home ownership more affordable and believes that comprehensive data solutions, such as Income Qualify, are a key component of supporting affordability.

Leveraging data from The Work Number, Income Qualify provides the following data points alongside the Equifax Mortgage Credit Report, where available:

• Name/SSN: Gain confidence in the name of the potential borrower.
• Employer Name: Capture the name of the borrower's employer, helping to reduce employer name match errors during later submission to Government-Sponsored Enterprise platforms.
• Tenure: Provides confidence in the borrower's job tenure and informs the lender on future income data needs for underwriting.
• Prior-Year Total Income: Allows for high-level debt-to-income (DTI) ratio assessment and categorical confirmation of data provided on an application.

With this information available before origination, Income Qualify can help lenders assess borrowers earlier in the loan process. Additionally, it can help lenders manage costs by making more informed purchases of The Work Number at origination.