Every extra minute a loan application spends waiting on a decision is a minute a member can back out, or a dealer can route them into financing elsewhere. Clutch’s new partnership with Zest AI is built to close that window, pairing Clutch’s application experience with decisioning models designed to move faster without compromising underwriting quality.
Zest AI builds credit decisioning models that process more data points per application than traditional scoring methods, aimed at giving credit unions sharper, faster decisions on applicants who might otherwise fall into a manual review queue. Layered into Clutch’s digital loan opening, that means members move through the same low-friction application flow they already expect, backed by decisioning that keeps pace with it.
“Our goal is to turn credit unions into fintechs. The partnership with Zest AI will remove further friction from the loan application process and will bring us yet another step closer to our goal. We fell in love with what Zest AI is doing, and both our products become even better through this partnership,” said Nicholas Hinrichsen, CEO and Co-Founder of Clutch.
José Valentín, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at Zest AI, framed the timing around member financial pressure: “It’s extremely important in today’s economic climate that financial institutions figure out every possible way to help members maximize their disposable income. Working with the Clutch team means that together we can provide members greater flexibility through fair and affordable reduced monthly payments on their loans.”
For credit union lending leaders, the partnership is worth watching for a specific reason: it’s an example of decisioning speed and decisioning quality improving together rather than trading off against each other — typically the harder problem to solve in consumer lending technology.
Request a demo to see how faster decisioning could work for your credit union.