When applying for a loan, income certificates are carefully checked by the bank security service. If a forged document is suspected, the bank will not only refuse a loan, but will also blacklist the client. There are a number of signs that allow you to identify falsification of certificates.

Basic verification methods

When analyzing documents on the borrower’s income, regardless of whether the certificate is provided in the form of a bank or 2-NDFL, the following methods are used:

1. Visual inspection for errors or tampering.
2. Personal conversation with the borrower's employer.

General principles of verification

A certificate of income in the form of a bank or 2-NDFL is drawn up indicating mandatory information, including not only information about income, but also details of the employing organization. The bank may have doubts about the validity of the data provided in the following cases:

1. Information about the organization. Banks use information about the borrower's employer details to verify its actual existence. Information is freely available on the official website of the tax service. Checking an organization by TIN will allow you to find out the period of existence of the company, its legal address, and also clarify whether the organization is in the process of liquidation or bankruptcy.
2. The salary amount is the same in all periods. In practice, with real accrual, this situation occurs extremely rarely. This is due to the fact that payroll is usually calculated after the end of the working period. Therefore, in “real” certificates the amounts differ from each other and are indicated to the nearest kopeck.
3. The borrower's position does not correspond to the salary level. If an application for a loan is submitted, for example, by a store salesperson or an office administrator, whose average income in the certificate is indicated in the amount of 100,000 rubles per month, then the security service may suspect data falsification.
4. The print data does not match the information about the organization. The income certificate is signed by an authorized person and certified by a seal. If the information about the organization indicated on the seal does not correspond to the information in the “header” of the certificate, this indicates a forgery.
5. Call the employer. A conversation with the manager or accountant of the organization where the potential borrower works makes it possible to check the fact of employment, length of service, position and regularity of salary receipt. The employer is not obliged to provide information about the employee’s salary to banks, but can indicate an approximate income order.

How to check the 2-NDFL certificate

These certificates are most often automatically downloaded from the program for maintaining personnel records and wages. In cases where the certificate is drawn up “manually” on a blank form, errors may be made that will lead to a denial of the loan. Filling out information about an employee’s income in Form 2-NDFL is regulatedBy order of the Federal Tax Service of October 30, 2015 N ММВ-7-11/485@.

Data about an individual

Doubts about the authenticity of the certificate may arise if the borrower’s personal data does not match. The most common mistakes are:

• incorrect indication of last name, first name or patronymic;
• data from the previous passport if the employee changed the document but did not notify the employer;
• the previous place of registration is indicated.

If there are discrepancies between the data in the certificate and the passport, the bank may require that errors be corrected and a document with up-to-date information provided.

Income, deductions and taxes (sections 3, 4, 5)

This section is checked by the bank with special care. Main points of suspicion:

If the security service has doubts about the originality of the certificate, they can request from the client an extract from the pension fund, which can be used to estimate the approximate level of the client’s salary.

Myths about how banks verify income

1. Banks transmit information about real income from certificates in the bank form to the Federal Tax Service. Credit institutions use this information only to assess the client’s solvency in the absence of officially confirmed income.
2. The borrower's income is checked by the security service through requests to the Federal Tax Service. This option is possible in exceptional cases if the bank’s security service has a communication channel with the tax office and the loan involved is a fairly large one.
3. Providing a false income certificate does not threaten the client in any way. In the best case, the bank will blacklist the borrower without the possibility of reapplying for a loan. In addition, forgery of documents is punishable by law.

Before submitting documents, you must ensure that the information is correct, and also check that the certificate complies with the rules for filling out or compare with

You thought for a long time and weighed the pros and cons. And finally, the decision was made. You collect everything
necessary documents and come to the bank to take out a loan. You are looking forward to a positive decision, and... you are denied because you have not passed the test. Let's figure out why this happened.

How does the bank verify clients?

Before lending money to a potential borrower, the bank needs to assess the likelihood that the loan will not be repaid. And this is an absolutely natural process: after all, if there is no return, then this is a direct loss for the financial organization. And no one likes such losses.

There are two options for assessing the borrower:

• Scoring is a simplified check based on an assessment of the number of points scored by a completed questionnaire.
• Underwriting is an in-depth check of the borrower.

The first is used when issuing loans for relatively small amounts. By filling out a questionnaire developed by credit risk examiners (underwriters), you earn a certain number of points. Each question has its own “cost”. If, after filling out the form, the total amount exceeds a certain limit, the loan is in your pocket. As you can see, the assessment technology is simple and
can be automated quite easily. Scoring is most often used by microfinance organizations that promise “cash loans without
refusal." Automated verification systems allow such verification to be carried out around the clock in a fully automatic mode. Even if the system incorrectly assesses credit risks, the organization's losses will be small.

In the case of large transactions, such as a mortgage loan, a car loan, a simplified review is not enough. Losses due to incorrect estimates can be quite large. Therefore financial
organizations resort to underwriting. With such a check, the potential borrower is literally examined under a microscope:

• The borrower's income is assessed. Moreover, not only their quantity, but also their “quality”. That is
  “white” income is more attractive for a bank than “gray” and “black” ones.
• Work experience: both general and with the current employer.
• Availability of property that can be used as collateral and willingness to provide guarantors for the transaction.
• Having a good credit history or, conversely, outstanding debts.
• Marital status: presence of a spouse, children, dependents.

The loan rate may vary depending on the results of the underwriting review. Of course, such a “deep” check takes time and can take up to a month.

But assessment by credit specialists is only part of the whole range of procedures. The next step is a security check.

Criminal background check.

The task of any security service, among others, is to prevent or minimize losses to the organization. And since the client’s failure to fulfill loan obligations is a direct loss, the potential borrower must be checked by the Security Council. Each bank has its own methods for assessing a client, and they are in no hurry to share secrets. We can only list the main checks that are carried out by the security service of any bank:

1. The client has traffic fines, debts for housing and communal services and other credit obligations;
2. Having a criminal record (expunged and unexpunged);
3. Existing enforcement proceedings against the borrower based on the FSSP;
4. Other checks on specialized databases (for example, “Debtors”, “Anti-Crime”, “InterBank”, etc.)

The security service is also responsible for ensuring that the potential borrower does not turn out to be a fraudster.

How are scammers identified?

As a rule, wanting to get more favorable loan terms (or an increased amount), people try to somewhat embellish the real picture. Indicate a little more income, slightly reduce your fixed expenses. This misrepresentation of facts is called fraud. If documents are also falsified, then this is a good chance not only of not getting the coveted loan, but also of ending up on the bank’s “black list.” We'll talk about this list below, but now let's get back to fraud. Most of the “minor” deceptions described above are easily detected. According to statistics, the most frequently forged document is the 2-NDFL certificate. If there is an agreement between the bank and the Pension Fund, this information can be easily verified. Knowing the amount of contributions transferred to the Pension Fund, calculating the real “white” salary is not difficult. Sberbank, for example, has such an agreement.

Using the passport validity check service, the borrower's passport is verified.

Interaction with the unified credit history bureau (UCB) allows you to obtain information about the client’s credit history and the presence/absence of debts at the current moment.

We have described only some typical assessment methods. As with criminal background checks, each bank has its own unique evaluation criteria. For example, security officers may enlist the help of their colleagues from other banks. Or even use the services of specialized organizations. There are also extreme variants when Security Service officers who came from law enforcement agencies (Ministry of Internal Affairs, FSB, etc.) “contract” their former colleagues to check.

Bank black list.

Let's return to the "black" list. This is the name of the list where the bank includes unreliable clients, for whom, in the bank’s opinion, it is undesirable to issue loans. You can get into it if you meet several conditions:

• Systematically and constantly commit delays on previously taken out loan obligations with this bank.
• Failure to repay the loan (for example, by initiating bankruptcy proceedings for an individual).
• There is a high probability of being included in such a list if you have a criminal record. It is especially high if the criminal record was for financial fraud or fraud (Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

In general, the bank’s “black list” is the “Credit History Bureau” within a specific financial organization.

Loan to a terrorist? Never!

Another stage of verification of a bank client is verification by the financial monitoring service. All bank clients are subject to verification by this department, and not just those who are planning to take out a loan. The main criteria by which the check is carried out is the so-called list of terrorists. This list is an official document provided by the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring. This document is called “List of organizations and individuals in relation to which there is information about their involvement in extremist activities or terrorism.” It consists of three sections containing information about terrorists:

• Active;
• New (included in the list);
• Excluded from the list.

Other checks.

In general, each bank uses its own methodology for assessing the creditworthiness of its borrowers. Now that there is a boom in social networks everywhere, analysis of the client’s personal page is used. Therefore, before going to the bank for a loan, you should remove compromising materials from social networks. It is unlikely that your drunk photos from a party will be a significant advantage when deciding whether to issue a loan.

The bank checks the borrower for a mortgage in various ways. Each individual lender has its own approach, so it is difficult for a client who wants to purchase real estate on credit to predict what exactly may influence the bank’s decision. In this article we will look at what verification methods are most often used by credit specialists and security services.

Scoring system

Many banks use so-called scoring. This is a special computer program into which data about the borrower is entered: age, profession, income, length of service, availability of property and current obligations, etc. The data is analyzed automatically and the applicant’s solvency is calculated. For small consumer loans, scoring is often the only way to assess the borrower's creditworthiness, and when considering an applicant for a mortgage, it will only be the first stage. Thanks to it, the loan officer understands whether it is worth further conducting a detailed check of the potential borrower.

Client identification

To undergo verification in order to obtain a loan from a bank, an individual must provide a package of documents. It usually includes: passport; TIN; certificate 2-NDFL; marriage (divorce) certificate; child's birth certificate; documents confirming ownership of any property; certificates from existing lenders about the loan balance. The loan officer checks all documents and asks the client to fill out and sign a special form.

How to check the borrower's place of work

At the next stage, the place of employment of the potential borrower is checked. The bank's security service analyzes the reliability of the information specified in the certificate, namely, whether the company is actually located at the specified address and whether it is actually conducting business. The SBB also checks whether the organization is going through bankruptcy or liquidation.

How to check a borrower's income

Today there are banks that are ready to issue a mortgage without documentary proof of income. But for this you need to pay about 50% of the cost of housing with your own funds. If the borrower is not ready to do this, then the bank must bring a certificate in Form 2-NDFL or in the bank’s form.

The bank will double-check the numbers indicated in the certificate. They do this in different ways without notifying clients about them. State banks have the right to contact the Pension Fund and verify contributions. The check is also carried out on the government services portal.

Bank employees almost always make calls at the borrower’s place of work. They ask questions about whether such and such an employee actually works at the company, whether he plans to quit, and whether he is being laid off.

In addition to the official salary, borrowers often declare additional income. If we are talking, for example, about renting out real estate, the loan officer will ask for a lease agreement. If you have deposits in other banks, you will need to provide a deposit agreement. Income that the applicant cannot confirm is usually taken into account by the bank with a reduction factor.

If a private entrepreneur applies for a mortgage, then to verify income, he will need to submit registration documents and declarations for several reporting periods. Bank specialists often check whether the entrepreneur really conducts his business. To do this, additional documents are requested and a visit to the potential borrower’s place of work is carried out.

How to check your credit history

The bank has the opportunity to check information about the applicant’s closed and current loans at the credit history bureau. It should be noted that in Russia this requires the client’s permission. But if he refuses, the loan will not be approved for him.

The presence of information about overdue debts in the BKI is one of the most common reasons for refusal. If the client continues to prove that he has no overdue obligations to other creditors, he will be asked to document this.

In order to determine the client’s reliability, the bank checks information about criminal records, as well as open trials.

If the client has successfully completed all stages, he is issued a letter about the possibility of mortgage lending. Next, he will have to select real estate and submit documents for it to the bank.

How to check the subject of a mortgage

A characteristic feature of checking a borrower for a mortgage is that the property that he wants to purchase is also checked. First of all, lawyers will do this. They will study all title documents. If there are controversial issues in terms of ownership and use of real estate, the bank usually refuses, as this is fraught with problems with the collateral. An expert also visits the property and determines its market value.

When someone wants to take out a loan from a bank, it immediately becomes obvious that documents will be required. And, depending on the amount, their number will vary. After they have been submitted, as well as the corresponding application has been written, you will need to wait. But why can’t the bank make a decision right away? It's simple - he needs to check the information provided and find out about you.

So how does this mysterious background check happen? On what basis is it carried out and what data does the bank request about you? Where is credit history stored and is it the only thing that matters? This is exactly what we will talk about in our article, and we will also tell you which criteria are especially important when applying for a loan from a bank.

How banks check clients' income

The key point in making a decision, of course, is the client’s income. Its size must be sufficient for monthly payments, and the bank must have guarantees of its stability. The higher the requested amount, the more carefully the data specified in the application (questionnaire) is checked and verified.

Amount of official income

Information for 3-6 months is subject to verification. First of all, if you have official income, 2-NDFL format certificates are requested, which show wages for the required period. But the certificate may be of a different format, because different institutions may have a slightly different established format.

However, even if you have unofficial income, you may be approved for a fairly large amount. This will be directly related to your income, although such income carries a large number of risks.

There are many cases of falsification of such certificates in order to receive a large amount on credit, but such fraudulent actions are easily detected. Regardless of the place of work and the size of the company, it is usually not difficult to find out the actual income by call, letter or request.

Cost to income ratio

Even with a sufficient amount of income, it may ultimately turn out to be insufficient. Many banks ask you to provide information about where exactly you live, how much you pay for housing maintenance, and whether you have dependents.

It is in the bank's interests to approve loans to those people whose expenses take up less than half of their income. Plus, the need to pay alimony or support for children (other relatives) is taken into account. You should not provide false information or hide the fact that you need to pay alimony. If they were appointed by the court, then the bank can easily figure this out upon request to the authorities.

Large expenses do not always mean receiving a refusal from the bank. If it is possible to increase the loan term, a convenient repayment schedule will be developed for you. Yes, in this case the interest will be a larger amount, but the monthly payment itself will be relatively small. Don’t forget about additional sources of income, if any.

Checking the client's place of work

Limiting yourself only to the client’s income would be stupid, to say the least. Even if you have official earnings, without checking the employer himself, this information will not be a guarantee of payments.

Employer information

When filling out forms, you are asked to provide various numbers, legal addresses of companies or other information about your place of work. The specified company is subsequently subject to inspection for:

• Timely payment of taxes;
• Contributions to the pension fund and their amount;
• Tax deductions of the company for the required period.

It is mainly not the activities that are checked, but the availability of the required documents, the company’s compliance with current laws and the period of existence of the organization. Information is searched through the general databases of existing legal entities, as well as through requests to tax services.

Even with a large official salary, you can get a refusal due to the fact that the employing company has problems. Seized property, violations of the law and the risk of bankruptcy will be strong arguments in favor of a real one.

If the work is unofficial

Organizations that issue wages in envelopes or are not even registered as a legal entity often raise doubts about their existence. Of course, if the employer does not even have an open individual entrepreneur, it will be extremely difficult to get approval for a loan. In such situations, either extremely small amounts are approved, or

Work experience

It is checked both at a specific position and in the organization as a whole. If you just got a new job, then even if it is official, you have a high risk of being rejected. The optimal period for consideration is six months. During this time, a sufficient amount of information about income is collected.

In the loan application, they are also often asked to immediately indicate previous places of work. That is, past places of work are also subject to verification. If you often change your place of work, this will not classify you as a positive client. Such an approach will mean that you have a huge risk of financial difficulties. The result is overdue debt.

Credit history and other nuances

First of all, the bank checks whether this person was a client of the bank, after which it sends a request to Credit History Bureau (BKI). It is where data is stored about people who took out loans from banks and how conscientiously they repaid them, regardless of the type of product. Moreover, any citizen can make a request to the BKI by paying a fee and receiving information about themselves from the bureau in the form of a document.

Retirement age

The presence of a pension among income will increase their total amount, but this means the risk that in the near future a person may leave work. Consequently, there is a risk of late payments. Retirement age is often the reason for refusal of large loan amounts. The date of retirement age is also taken into account.

That is, if you want to get a loan for several years, but after about the same time you will reach retirement age, there is a risk of being refused. Since retirement age may come earlier than the generally accepted period, the client’s possibility of retiring earlier is checked. This can be caused by working in hazardous industries or under special working conditions.

Lending is not only a principle of earning money for banks and other financial institutions, but also a way of development and existence of many individuals and legal entities of the Russian Federation.

This type of economic activity is quite risky, so assignors cannot lend certain amounts to each applicant, so as not to incur losses and not end up in the hands of fraudsters.

As a result, each lender tries to carefully check its clients, using various methods that make it possible to determine the solvency and honesty of the payer, as well as to preliminarily assess the repayment of the debt. The main ways to study the applicant’s data will be discussed later in the article.

How do banks check their clients before lending money?

But it’s worth saying right away that there are differences between lenders and lenders; some prefer some kind of leniency towards users, which implies a minimum of checks and requirements, but at the same time is characterized by maximum interest rates.

Others traditionally involve the security service and its databases in order to be completely confident in the legality of a citizen’s actions.

Sponsors are especially biased towards new visitors who have not previously dealt with debts and have not been tested by time.

For regular borrowers who have not been found to be in arrears or other conflict situations, investors are ready to provide servicing programs with individual conditions, lowering interest rates, providing credit holidays and other benefits, since they had previously been given the opportunity to test them for honesty.

The main banking methods for checking the payment and creditworthiness of consumers can be included in a single list.

It includes checking, studying and evaluating:

• using databases;
• client income;
• loan repayment;
• collateral;
• loan quality;
• scoring and underwriting;
• applicant's credit history.

Usually, one and the same assignor uses several of the above methods simultaneously, which allows you to quickly and effectively find out data about the exciting aspects of the consumer’s financial security.

Bank assessment of credit history

Information about the credit history that specialists receive through the CCI allows one to predict one’s own risks and assess one’s financial security at the initial stage of cooperation with a person. This structure is initially sent a request from the assignor about what CI the consumer has.

Based on the information received, competent employees analyze the documents, in the process determining:

• how many loans the applicant was able to obtain and close over the entire service period;
• how many loans were closed without delays;
• whether there were loans that were sent to debt collectors or trial;
• was the consumer declared bankrupt;
• whether the client’s requests are recorded in the BKI.

The ability to identify the payer using this method provides the sponsor with accessible information, which allows, although not completely, to realistically assess the possible risks of non-payment and become more familiar with the person who is requesting the loan amount before the start of cooperation.

It is more difficult for a financial institution to make initial conclusions about applicants who have not previously participated in loan procedures, so the assignor practically loses the ability to predict the development of events in advance.

How are consumers who want to get a mortgage checked?

Banks provide their consumers with the opportunity to acquire a mortgage for both targeted and non-targeted purposes. It is immediately worth noting that this type of service provides for larger amounts than consumer loans, therefore the testing of the sponsor, as well as its requirements, are strict and thorough.

In addition to checking the credit history, assignors collect data from the place of work, communicate with employees and acquaintances, the presence of guarantors, co-borrowers and the inclusion of collateral in the case.

Therefore, the question of whether banks check the place of work when issuing a loan can be answered positively. It is the mortgage that is the reason for calls on behalf of the assignor to the applicant’s workplace.

When applying for a loan for the purchase of movable and immovable properties, the borrower undertakes to provide the department with an extensive package of documents, submit certificates of income and the collateral, which must be entered in the state register.

It is worth noting that with targeted lending, the user is subject to reduced minimum annual interest, since many projects have the support of the competent authorities.

For non-targeted services, where the investor does not require reporting on spent resources, the annual percentage is significantly higher.

Do banks check the place of work before applying for a loan?

When applying for financial assistance to a specific structure, it is sometimes very important for an applicant that the matter about his debt remains confidential and is not taken outside the organization.

This is quite possible, but only if we are talking about large sums, for a minimum period, and at the same time the payer can document himself as a creditworthy person.

If the client is planning a large loan, then the question of whether banks call at work when applying for a loan can be answered with one hundred percent affirmation, they call and perhaps not only at work.

In order to reinsure themselves, lenders intend to communicate with representatives of the accounting department, and with relatives, as well as with potential guarantors who are ready to share responsibilities to the bank along with the borrower.

If the applicant is temporarily unemployed, then on-demand service may be limited for him.

In this case, he may face either a complete refusal or a tiny loan amount at a high interest rate. In such situations, only liquid collateral can serve as compensation for risks.

How does the data bank study a legal entity applying for a loan?

Bank representatives treat legal entities who most often need a loan for business development, that is, a targeted loan, with particular rigor, thoroughness of verification and requirements.

This means that the requested amounts are quite high, and in order to issue them, the lender needs to evaluate all repayment guarantees.

Before approving a loan to a particular organization, the assignor checks:

• credit history of the institution as a whole and its individual representatives;
• business reputation of the organization's leaders;
• financial statements for the last year of activity;
• Availability of current loans at the time of applying for the next one;
• dynamics of revenue receipts and expenses;
• number of assets - real estate and movable objects, valuable documents, taxes.

When approaching a lender for a large sum, a legal entity needs to be prepared for the fact that consideration of its application will take a lot of time, so the assignor needs to get real conclusions about the solvency of the borrowed representative.

Bank scoring system

Consumers who need small debt financing undergo an internal bank check for a minimum period, which is managed by a competent manager and computer. This method is called scoring, which is also called an easy way to get some money.

During the verification process, a special program is launched on the bank representative’s computer, into which the employee enters indicators from the applicant’s appearance to demeanor.

Data on the availability of property, income, and workplace are noted. At the end of processing the information entered into the system, results appear, which are the basis for approval or refusal of debt investment.

Thus, we can say that Russian lenders practice different methods of verification that allow them to obtain complete, open information about the client about his solvency, real financial situation and honesty before investors.

As for studies in the workplace, they are relevant only in cases where large sums of money are involved, for example, those intended for the purchase of housing, vehicles, and expensive equipment. Lending for small requests may remain under absolute confidentiality.