Ask any Australian lender or broker where delays occur, and you’ll hear the same answer:

“Before it even reaches credit.”

The Hidden Cost of Intake

Borrower intake looks simple on the surface:

• Capture personal details

• Collect documents

• Submit for assessment

In reality, intake is where:

• Applications stall

• Files bounce back

• Brokers chase borrowers

• Credit teams reject incomplete submissions

Each handoff introduces delay.

Common Bottlenecks

Across banks, non-banks, and broker networks, the same issues repeat:

• Missing or incorrect documents

• Inconsistent naming and formats

• Manual data re-entry

• Policy interpretation differences

• Broker vs direct channel variability

By the time a file reaches a credit assessor, it often requires rework.

Why This Matters

Delays at intake:

• Increase cost per loan

• Reduce broker satisfaction

• Impact conversion rates

• Slow settlements

• Create compliance risk

Most importantly, they waste senior credit talent on administrative work.

How Agent-Based Intake Changes the Game

AI agents can:

• Guide borrowers and brokers in real time

• Validate completeness against lender policy

• Normalise data before submission

• Flag issues early

• Prepare structured credit summaries

Crucially, they don’t approve loans.
They prepare credit-ready files.

The Result

• Faster cycle times

• Fewer reworks

• Consistent submissions

• Happier brokers

• More scalable operations

The biggest gains in lending don’t come from automating decisions — they come from fixing intake.