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Field note · 10 min read

Seafarer-loan underwriting: the one signal that outperformed the credit bureau pull

Cross-referencing seaman's books against vessel manifests turned a 31-day approval into a 48-hour decision in Manila.

Seafarers are hard to underwrite. The credit bureau sees gaps where there is steady employment, just offshore and paid in foreign currency.

The signal

Seaman's books cross-referenced with vessel manifests. When both documents check out, name, rank, vessel, dates, you have a verifiable employment record the credit bureau cannot see.

The result

Approval rate: 40% → 71%. Decision time: 31 days → 48 hours. Default rate on the new cohort after six months: within acceptable range.

Floowed's lending and credit document automation handles the full underwriting document workflow, bank statements, payslips, tax returns, with preset flows that go live in days.

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