Summary
Austin-based financial connectivity company Method launched Portfolio Intelligence for lenders, a product that monitors borrowers after loan origination across 90+ financial health signals through direct connections to thousands of financial institutions. In an eight-week pilot with a national mortgage provider, the lender saw a 40% increase in borrowers qualifying for debt consolidation and a 27% increase in borrowers eligible for home equity lines of credit. Method's platform connects with 20,000+ financial institutions, is used by 100+ fintechs and financial institutions, and has 55M+ people connected through its system. Clients include SoFi, Figure, Bilt, Aven, and Cleo.
Key Facts
- Portfolio Intelligence: monitors borrowers post-origination across 90+ financial health signals
- Direct connections to thousands of financial institutions; no reauthentication needed
- 8-week pilot with national mortgage provider: +40% debt consolidation qualification, +27% HELOC eligibility
- Pilot: borrowers moved from median 24% credit card APR to ~7% mortgage rate, saving ~$4,000/borrower
- Platform: 20,000+ financial institutions, 100+ fintechs/financial institutions, 55M+ connected people
- 1 in 3 credit cards connected to Method's network
- Clients: SoFi, Figure, Bilt, Aven, Cleo
- Three use cases: identify cross-sell opportunities, spot credit deterioration, reconnect with declined applicants
- CEO Jose Bethancourt: lenders have been "blind to both the opportunities and risks within their existing customer set"
- Liability data focus: visibility into obligations outside lenders' internal records
Why It Matters
Method's Portfolio Intelligence addresses a structural gap in consumer lending: lenders know a lot about borrowers at origination but very little afterward. By providing continuous monitoring of 90+ financial health signals, Method enables lenders to proactively identify both opportunities (debt consolidation, HELOCs) and risks (credit deterioration). The pilot results — 40% more borrowers qualifying for debt consolidation — suggest significant consumer benefit from moving high-interest credit card debt to lower-rate mortgage products. The product also reflects the broader trend of financial data connectivity platforms (Plaid, Finicity, Method) expanding from account verification into ongoing portfolio monitoring.