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Credit Scoring Algorithm Overview

The algorithm evaluates loan applications in several steps: it collects customer data, runs a fraud check, assigns a credit score, and either approves the loan with a limit or rejects it. It was trained on customer financial, identity, device, and historical loan data. The algorithm outputs a repayment probability, credit score, and approved loan limit. It handles new customers conservatively due to lack of repayment history. The algorithm rewards on-time repayments by adjusting credit scores over time. Portfolio health is measured using metrics like repayment rates and amounts over time. The main limitations are over-reliance on past customer data and inability to predict major economic changes.

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Abdelaziz Lotfy
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
18 views5 pages

Credit Scoring Algorithm Overview

The algorithm evaluates loan applications in several steps: it collects customer data, runs a fraud check, assigns a credit score, and either approves the loan with a limit or rejects it. It was trained on customer financial, identity, device, and historical loan data. The algorithm outputs a repayment probability, credit score, and approved loan limit. It handles new customers conservatively due to lack of repayment history. The algorithm rewards on-time repayments by adjusting credit scores over time. Portfolio health is measured using metrics like repayment rates and amounts over time. The main limitations are over-reliance on past customer data and inability to predict major economic changes.

Uploaded by

Abdelaziz Lotfy
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

FAQs

Technical Questions:

1. What is the main framework of the algorithm? (E.g. process flow of how a score is generated, how
a customer is approved …etc.)

The process of how a loan application is evaluated, is described as follows:

Customer requests a loan

Data collected from phone

Loan questionnaire

Fraud Engine

Credit Scoring API

Limit assignment and allocation

Details associated with each of the above steps are given below:

 The customer requests for a loan using Kashat mobile application


 Information is extracted from the customers’ phone with based on the permissions
 The customer is directed to fill a questionnaire
 The user passes through a fraud rule engine. If the user is marked as a non-fraud case, the
loan application proceeds to the next step
 Kashat application calls the credit scoring API to assign a credit score the loan application
 The scoring API returns the credit score and level/band (business abstractions) against the
loan request
 Kashat application receives the results from scoring API and either rejects the application or
assigns a limit amount to loan application based on the provided information. A user is
rejected in case the score is below an acceptance threshold. Different thresholds are
supported for new and repeat customers. For example, if the acceptance threshold for new
customers is 45, then Kashat app will accept new customer requests with score equal or
greater than 45
2. What are the specifications of the data upon which the algorithm was built/trained?

The algorithm utilizes the following types of data to train the machine learning model to predict
repayment probability against loans

Financial profiling and activity indicators

Name identification

User subscriptions

Installed Applications

Historical loan attempts and counts

Questionnaire information

Loan performance history

Travel history

Association with defaulters

Phone specifications

Synced accounts features

Calendar events
3. What is the output data from the algorithm? (Credit score? specific limit? default probability?
Multiple of them?)

Kashat utilizes a customized algorithm for determining the optimal limit amount for each loan
request based on the customer’s probability of repayment, historical loan repayment behavior
and business rules. The algorithm encapsulates a machine learning model which computes
probability of repaying a loan on time.

The algorithm is designed so the users progress or fall across limit amount tiers (designated
internally as levels and bands) based on their ongoing loan performance. It returns the following:

 Repayment probability for the customer


 Credit score
 Business abstractions (limit/band), which can be used to decide the limit amount

4. What are the input data points to the algorithm? And what is the historical depth of the needed
data?

We have different models to handle requests from new and recurring customers separately.
Currently deployed models specs are:

 New customers model


o 160 features (number of columns) – These features are related to customer’s
phone data, past loan attempts and other information
o ~18,000 loans (number of rows) – Data used to train the currently deployed
model is from January 2021 till January 2022
 Recurring customers model
o 60 features (number of columns) – These features are related to customer’s
phone data and historical loans repayment behavior. We have fewer features
here, but these are more robust as historical repayment behaviors are better
indicators of future performance
o ~16,000 loans (number of rows) – Data used to train the currently deployed
model is from January 2021 till January 2022

5. How does the algorithm handle new customers with no available data?

For new customers, the model is trained using their phone data. Features derived from the
customers’ phone data are particularly helpful in predicting customers’ repayment probabilities.
However, these customer are always treated as a higher risk due to no prior loan repayment
behavior. The business rules dictate the assignment of a low limit amount to ensure we don’t lose
much money due to these customers.
6. Does it rely on external data sources or data collection packages?

No. As explained above, our algorithms only use the data collected from the customer at runtime
and onboarding, questionnaire filled for the loan request and their historical repayment behavior
(or no historical behavior if new customer).

7. How frequent does it run/evaluate customers?

Answer 1: If the question is referring to model training cycles

Within the current loan contract parameters, we need to wait for 2-3 months to see a model’s
true performance in production in order to start building next model. This is due to the two
months loan cycle.

Answer 2: If the question is referring to customers being evaluated at runtime

The scores are not pre-computed and are generated on-the-go (as loan requests come in).

8. Does it take into consideration the customers’ existing loans?

Yes, as already mentioned in previous answers, we use customers’ historical loans and their
repayment behaviors in our algorithms to build model. The features related to customers’ past
loans are very robust and contribute a lot in predicting repayment probability of loan applicants.

Historical loan Indicators for timely Total amount


counts payments borrowed so far

Number of times
Frequent Special offers
user cancelled a
repayment methods availed
loan

Sample features related to users' repayment history

9. How does Kashat measure the portfolio health? And does the algorithm reward/punish the
customer's repayment commitment and consistency (or other behavior)?

Algorithm reward/penalize strategy: Yes, our algorithm rewards/penalizes customers based on


their historical loans repayment behavior. We have two mechanisms doing this:

1. Initial Scoring: The historical loan performance information is embedded within the credit
scoring and limit assignment strategy, and is reflected in its output
2. Score Revisions: During a loan cycle, we adjust the users’ score based on their payment
behavior and business rules. These changes are reflected on the mobile app’s UI

The score revision mechanism acts on the events associated with loans repayments mentioned
below:

 First installment repayment early or on time


 First installment repayment in grace period
 First installment overdue
 First installment repayment late
 Second installment repayment early or on time
 Second installment overdue
 Second installment repayment late
 Full loan repaid through special offers

Kashat portfolio health: To measure Kashat’s portfolio health, we look at the PAR report
(portfolio-at-risk). PAR measures loans disbursement and their repayments numbers on different
time intervals, and includes measures related to principal disbursed and its recovery (due or not-
due) over time. Some of these are described below:

 Number of loans disbursed in a month


 Principal amount disbursed in a month
 Number of loans repaid overall in a month
 Number of loans and principal amount repaid – on-time (60 days of disbursement)
 Number of loans and principal amount repaid – 7 days late (67 days of disbursement)
 Number of loans and principal amount repaid – 15 days late (75 days of disbursement)
 Number of loans and principal amount repaid – 30 days late (90 days of disbursement)
 Number of loans and principal amount repaid – 60 days late (120 days of disbursement -
Defaulters)
 Total amount recovery (principal amount + interest) over time (on-time, 7 days late, 15
days late, etc.)

The above numbers are tracked for each month, and updated every week. Through this report,
we can analyze how our models are performing in terms of recovering loan amount on on-time, 7
days late, 15 days late, etc basis

10. What are the known limitations of the algorithm?

The limitations of the algorithm are as follows:

 Our models rely a lot on the customer base they get trained on. If the model is trained on a
particular customer mix, it assumes that it will be dealing with a similar customer base at
runtime as well
 We have to wait for 2-3 months to evaluate a newly deployed model’s actual performance in
production due to the nature of our loan cycle

Common questions

Powered by AI

The Kashat algorithm relies on several data types to predict repayment probabilities. These include customer phone data, historical loan attempts, and user-specific information such as financial profiling, activity indicators, travel history, and phone specifications. For new customers, the primary reliance is on phone data. In contrast, for recurring customers, the algorithm considers historical repayment behavior, which serves as a robust predictor of future repayment performance .

The Kashat algorithm faces several limitations related to its model training and deployment. The model heavily depends on the customer data it is trained on, assuming future customers will reflect a similar data profile. There's also a performance evaluation delay, as it requires 2-3 months of running time in production to analyze a model's true efficacy due to the loan cycle length .

Customers are evaluated by the Kashat algorithm at runtime, meaning their scores are generated on-the-fly as loan requests come in. This real-time evaluation aligns with the loan contract parameters, requiring a 2-3 month period to assess a model's performance post-deployment due to the loan cycle, which typically spans over two months .

The handling of new customers by the Kashat algorithm highlights their inherent risk by treating them differently due to a lack of prior loan repayment history. The algorithm uses phone data as a primary input for new customers but recognizes the higher risk associated with them. To mitigate potential losses, the business rules assign a lower initial loan limit to new customers, acknowledging the uncertainties around their repayment behavior .

Kashat's business rules significantly influence its algorithm’s operation for customers with no loan history by focusing on minimizing risks associated with their unestablished repayment practices. For these customers, have no prior borrowing data, Kashat resorts to cautious limits from initial scoring based on phone data. The models train on these types of data to estimate credibility, assigning lower loan equivalents to mitigate potential financial risks .

The PAR report plays a critical role in assessing Kashat's model performance by providing a detailed analysis of loans disbursement and repayment across various timeframes. Measures taken from this report include the number of loans disbursed per month, principal amounts, and the timeliness of repayments (e.g., 7 days, 15 days, 30 days late). These metrics help determine how effectively the model predicts loan recoverability and manage risks while informing strategic adjustments to the algorithm based on observed repayment trends .

The Kashat algorithm incorporates a score revision mechanism during a loan cycle that evaluates and adjusts user scores based on repayment behavior. Adjustments are made for events such as early, on-time, or late repayment of installments. For example, scores are revised if the first installment is repaid early or within a grace period, or if the second installment is overdue. These adjustments are reflected in the Kashat application interface, modifying the customer's credit profile based on their repayment consistency and compliance with set business rules .

The Kashat algorithm evaluates a loan applicant's eligibility and credit score by performing several steps: The customer requests a loan using the Kashat mobile application. The application then extracts information from the customer’s phone based on permissions and directs the customer to fill out a questionnaire. The user passes through a fraud rule engine, and if not flagged as fraudulent, the application calls the credit scoring API to assign a credit score. The scoring API returns the credit score and level/band, which determine the loan acceptance or rejection based on a set threshold for new and recurring customers. The algorithm also utilizes historical data where available to assign a credit score and limit amount .

For recurring customers, the Kashat algorithm utilizes around 60 features primarily focusing on historical loan repayment behavior. These include data points like payment history, past loan amounts, repayment patterns, and other personal loan-related metrics. These features are considered more robust than those used for new customers, as they offer a more accurate prediction of future repayment behaviors .

Kashat measures the health of its loan portfolio using the Portfolio-At-Risk (PAR) report, which evaluates loans based on their disbursement and repayment trajectories over specified intervals. Indicators include the number of loans disbursed, principal amounts, and repayment timelines (on-time, 7 days late, etc.). These metrics include the tracking of repayment performance, such as the proportion of loans and amounts repaid across different delayed intervals, offering insights into the portfolio's risk and recovery efficiency .

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