Theo — we walked through Kestrel's underwriting funnel. Here's what we'd build.
Average application-to-decision cycle is 11 days; competitive lenders close at 3-5
You're losing winnable borrowers to faster decisions, not better terms.
KYC + AML packets are assembled by 4 ops staff manually pulling from 6 systems
A senior underwriter's time gets spent on packet assembly, not credit judgment — the actual differentiator.
Collections cadence runs from a shared spreadsheet; 22% of past-due accounts go untouched in their first 30 days
Recovery rate on day-30 contact is 4× higher than day-60. The window passes silently.
Capital partner reporting takes 3 days monthly across 4 partners (different formats, overlapping data)
Three days that should go to growth go to formatting spreadsheets for people who pay you.
The SMB lenders that scale past $500M originations without proportional headcount aren't the ones with the lowest rates — they're the ones who automated the operational drag (packet assembly, collections cadence, partner reporting) so underwriters keep underwriting and reps keep reaching borrowers.
We set up a workspace that owns packet assembly, collections cadence, and partner reporting — so underwriters spend their day on credit decisions, not file gathering.
We configured 4 agents for Kestrel Lending. Each one knows your world.
Packet Assembler
Pulls KYC + AML + bureau + bank-statement + cash-flow data from all 6 source systems into a complete underwriting packet on application receipt; underwriter reviews instead of assembles
Collections Cadence
Tracks every past-due account, picks the right contact (call/email/text) at the right interval, escalates to recovery only when in-house fails
Capital Partner Reporter
Generates each partner's monthly report in their format from one shared dataset; ops review for accuracy instead of building from scratch
Fraud Sentinel
Cross-checks application data against known fraud patterns + recent declines; flags suspicious applications before underwriter time is spent
Because I know Kestrel Lending's world, I can:
Cut application-to-decision cycle from 11 days to under 4
Win 25-30% more applications because borrowers don't walk to faster lenders
Hit every past-due account at day 7, 14, 30 with the right cadence
Recovery rate climbs 30-40%; charge-offs drop materially
Ship every partner report on day 2 of the month, accurate
Reclaim 36 days/year of ops time + partners trust your operational rigor
Filter ~5% of applications as fraud-flagged before underwriter review
Underwriters spend their day on real credit calls; loss rate stays controlled
SMB lending is won on cycle time, not rate cards. Want Kestrel's decision-cycle to be the one borrowers tell each other about?
This page was made for Theo at Kestrel Lending.