Non-bank lender embeds real-time document authentication into its income verification workflow
Specialist non-bank lender RedZed has entered a partnership with technology firm Fortiro to deploy automated fraud detection across its lending operations.
The arrangement centres on real-time screening of income documents submitted by brokers, with the aim of identifying manipulated or synthetic files earlier in the assessment process.
The technology extracts income data and flags discrepancies at the point of submission, targeting documents such as payslips and individual tax returns. RedZed said the move is intended to support faster credit decisions without weakening risk controls.
"Speed and security are non-negotiable for our clients, and we're committed to ensuring that we have these strong foundations in our operations," said Jayne Kerford (pictured right), chief risk officer at RedZed. "As automation becomes more critical to lending, it's essential that risk controls evolve at the same pace.
"By streamlining these processes, RedZed can deliver faster lending decisions, stop fraudulent applications earlier, and provide a more seamless experience for both brokers and borrowers. This frees up our team to focus their knowledge and skills on areas of the process that benefit most from human judgement and tailored solutions."
Income verification is typically one of the more time-intensive stages of the lending process. RedZed said automating this step reduces complexity for brokers while improving accuracy.
The announcement comes as lenders face heightened exposure to document fraud, a risk that has grown alongside advances in generative AI. Fortiro's chief executive flagged a material gap between actual fraud rates and what lenders currently detect.
"Fortiro's data reveals up to 7% of income documents have high-risk characteristics, many lenders today detect only a fraction of this, highlighting a material gap between actual and observed risk," said Sean Quagliani (pictured right), chief executive officer at Fortiro.
"There is a growing mix of both edited documents ('shallowfakes') and more sophisticated AI-generated documents ('deepfakes'). These trends are making traditional reviews increasingly difficult to scale and reinforce the need for automated, real-time document authentication."
The partnership aligns with a broader shift in the industry towards integrating risk controls directly into automated workflows, as regulatory expectations around lending conduct continue to evolve.
"Our continued investment ensures we can deliver fast, reliable outcomes for our clients, while maintaining the highest standards of security and service," Kerford said.
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