How decisions work

Part of our lending decision is automated, and the outcome is authoritative — but it is never the final word if you disagree. Under Article 22 of the UK GDPR you have the right not to be subject to a solely automated decision that significantly affects you, and to ask for a person to be involved. This article explains how to use that right.

What you can ask for

• A human re-review. A member of the lending team re-examines the application, taking into account anything you want to add.
• An explanation. We will set out, in plain English, the main factors that drove the outcome. We cannot disclose model internals that would help someone game our fraud controls, but you are entitled to understand the reasons.
• A contest with new evidence. If something has changed or was missed, you can submit further evidence. Contests go to a senior underwriter who did not take the original decision.

How to ask

Open the support tab in your customer portal and tick the option that says your message concerns an automated decision. That routes it straight to the right team rather than the general queue. If you would rather not use the portal, you can email Support from the address registered to the account, or use the Forms & Requests page and tell us it relates to an automated lending decision.

How long it takes

We respond to a request about an automated decision within two business days. If your contest needs a senior underwriter to look at fresh evidence, we will tell you that and keep you updated rather than leave you waiting in silence.

What it does not do

Asking for a review does not count against you and does not affect any future application. It also has no effect on the director's personal credit file — this is business lending to the company, and asking us to look again is simply part of being treated fairly. A review may confirm the original outcome, adjust it, or change it; what matters is that a person genuinely looks.

If the outcome was a decline

A decline is meant to be honest and specific, not a closed door. As well as asking for a review, it is worth reading what happens if your application is declined, which covers the common reasons and how to come back with a stronger application. And if a smaller amount might have worked, see why your company might be offered less than it asked for.

Open this answer →

When your company applies, part of the decision is automated. We think it is fairer to be open about that than to imply a person reads every line by hand. Here is exactly how it works, what the model does and does not see, and the rights you have over an automated outcome.

What the model does

An affordability and risk model reads the information you supply, the company's business credit reference data, and — where available — the signals from the business bank account you connect or upload. It produces a score and a recommended outcome: approve, decline, refer, or request more information. Because the model can do this in seconds, you usually get a fast, consistent answer rather than waiting in a queue. For the factors that feed it, see what information goes into a lending decision.

The decision is authoritative

The automated outcome is the decision, not a draft suggestion that someone later rubber-stamps. We hold ourselves to consistency: the same company facts produce the same answer, every time, without it depending on who happened to pick up your file or what mood they were in. The one step we always keep in human hands is releasing the money itself — funds are only ever paid out after a person has confirmed the payment.

It assesses the company, not you personally

The model is built around one question: can this company comfortably repay this amount on this schedule? Because the loan is to a UK limited company or LLP and we take no personal guarantee, it does not score the director's personal income, personal credit rating, household budget or benefits. An identity and anti-money-laundering check is run on the director, but that confirms who you are; it is not a personal credit search.

Your rights under UK GDPR Article 22

Under Article 22 of the UK GDPR you have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing where it significantly affects you, and to ask for human involvement. In practice that means you can:

• ask a member of our team to review any automated outcome;
• ask us to explain, in plain English, the main factors that drove it;
• contest the decision and add new evidence for a senior underwriter to weigh.

To use any of these, open the support tab in your portal and tick that your message concerns an automated decision — see how to ask a person to review an automated decision. We respond within two business days.

Why we build it this way

Automating the assessment is what lets us decide quickly and treat two identical companies identically. Keeping a clear right to human review, and keeping the money-out step manual, is what stops "the computer said no" from ever being the end of the conversation. For our wider approach, see how we lend. Whatever the outcome, you will see your figures in full — and if we can lend, your Key Information Sheet (KIS) shows the amount, term, total cost of credit and repayment schedule before you sign. Because this is lending to a company for business purposes, it sits outside FCA consumer-credit regulation under Article 60B FSMA RAO 2001 and is not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the FSCS.

Open this answer →

A fair question deserves a plain answer: what are we actually reading when we decide? Everything below is about your company, because the loan is to the company and we take no personal guarantee. We are not assessing the director as an individual.

1. How the company trades

We look at what the business earns and how steadily. A short-term Business Bridging Loan is repaid over a few weeks, so what matters is whether trading income comfortably covers the repayments alongside normal outgoings. We are not looking for a large company — just one whose income makes the specific amount you want affordable. A short but healthy recent trading history can be enough.

2. How the business bank account behaves

The company's main bank account tells an honest story across roughly the last six months: money in, money out, and whether the account is run in a healthy way. Regular income, an account that is not constantly at its limit, and an absence of returned payments all help. You share this either by read-only Open Banking or by uploading statements — see how we verify bank statements and Open Banking. Either way we are reading the account, never moving money from it.

3. The business credit file

We run a credit check on the company through business credit reference agencies — Experian Business, Creditsafe and Equifax Business. This shows the company's payment history with other creditors and any adverse markers against the business. We also carry out an identity and anti-money-laundering check on the director, but that is a verification step, not a personal credit search, and it does not touch the director's personal consumer credit file. See what we share with business credit reference agencies.

Behaviour, in context

Our assessment also looks at how an application behaves in context — for example the amount requested against the company's normal cash flow, the product chosen, and the pattern of any recent activity. This is read sensibly and in proportion: it is there to lend responsibly, not to catch you out. The aim is always the same single question, can this company comfortably repay this amount on this schedule.

What we deliberately ignore

We do not assess the director's personal income, personal credit score, salary, household budget or benefits, and we do not ask you to put up personal assets, because there is no personal guarantee. If a decision turned on your personal finances, that would be the wrong question for this product.

How it fits together

No single factor passes or fails on its own. A strong bank account can balance a thin credit file; steady turnover can offset a quiet recent month. That is also why we sometimes offer less than you ask for, or decline, even when parts of the picture look good — see why your company might be offered less than it asked for. For the principles behind it all, read how we lend.

Open this answer →

Being offered less than you asked for can feel like a half-no. It is not meant that way. A reduced offer almost always means the same thing: we think the company can comfortably afford this amount, but the full amount looked tight against how the business actually trades. Here is the honest reasoning, and what you can do about it.

What a smaller offer means

Our assessment is built around one question — can this company comfortably repay this amount on this schedule? When the answer is "yes, but only up to a point", we offer up to that point rather than stretching you to the edge of your cash flow. It is the responsible-lending version of "not this much, not yet". A loan you can clearly afford is better for your business than one that leaves no room if a customer pays late.

Why it happens

• Affordability headroom. Turnover and the rhythm of money through the business bank account support a smaller repayment more comfortably than the full one.
• Recent account behaviour. Returned payments, an account run at its limit, or a thin recent period can lower the amount we are comfortable lending right now.
• Business credit file. Markers against the company can reduce the amount even where some affordability is there.
• First loan with us. We often start smaller and increase what is available as you build a clean repayment history.

For the full picture of what feeds the decision, see what information goes into a lending decision.

What you can do

• Take the smaller amount if it still does the job — you will see the figures in full first.
• Decline with no obligation; a reduced offer never commits you to anything.
• Ask us to look again. If something about the company's position was missed or has changed, you can request a human review and add evidence — see how to ask a person to review a decision.

Borrowing again later

A smaller first offer is often the start of a longer relationship, not a ceiling. As you repay on time, the amount available to your company can grow. If a reusable line would suit your cash flow better than a one-time loan, Credicorp Flex lets you draw and repay against an agreed limit. Whatever you choose, every figure is shown before you commit, and you can compare amounts and terms on our business loans page.

Open this answer →