GDS Link x Equifax:
Faster Lending Starts with Smarter Data – From Launch to Optimization

Start recording data on day one, even before you can use it

You cannot use first-party and third-party data inputs in the first 30 days, but you will be glad you have them later. Collecting everything from the start, stated application data, bureau pulls, and all third-party signals, is one of the most commonly overlooked steps new lenders miss.

New lenders are disproportionately targeted by fraud, establish layered controls early

Fraudsters identify and exploit new programs before risk teams have time to react. Validating identity and filtering fraud before any credit decision is made is not optional, it is the foundation everything else is built on.

Compliance is consistently the longest part of the launch timeline, plan for it first

Live audience polling confirmed what the speakers already knew: technology can be configured quickly, but compliance credentialing and legal checks are the gating factor. The teams that move fastest are the ones that start the compliance process before they need it.

Build flexibility into your decision policy from day one so strategy changes do not require rebuilds

Successful lenders run continuous champion/challenger testing and adapt proactively to portfolio performance and macroeconomic shifts. The teams that struggle are the ones waiting a year to revisit their strategy. The infrastructure you choose on day one determines how easy or hard that ongoing adaptation is.

VantageScore 5 and alternative data bridge the cold-start gap, especially for near-prime and sub-prime segments

Jonathan highlighted the Equifax One Score as a standout tool for near-prime and sub-prime segmentation, bringing in alternative finance, utility, specialty finance, and telco data to separate audiences with a high degree of confidence. The sessions consensus: using more than just a traditional credit score from day one meaningfully expands your addressable market.