What dynamic pricing actually requires — and why static rate cards fail
A static rate card assigns a rate to a credit tier: FICO 750+ gets 9.60%, FICO 700–749 gets 10.10%, FICO below 700 gets 10.75%. This is simple to administer and easy to explain — and it systematically misprices both ends of each band. A borrower at 749 is priced identically to a borrower at 702, despite a material difference in their risk profile. A borrower at 751 gets the same rate as a borrower at 789, despite paying a premium in credit quality that the institution is not reflecting in its pricing.
Dynamic risk-based pricing replaces the band with a continuous function: each risk signal contributes a precise adjustment to a prime rate, and the sum of all adjustments is the offered rate for that specific borrower. The adjustments are computed in real time from the credit file data, not from a manual lookup table that is reviewed quarterly. When a risk signal changes — a new bureau enquiry, a cash flow score that has improved over the last 3 months — the rate adjusts accordingly.
The risk-based rate ladder: how the Pricing AI builds a rate for each borrower
Excellent
FICO 760+, 0 DPD (36 months), DTI <35%, cash flow score 85+, LTV <65%
Exemplary credit profile — lower risk than institution average. Rate reflects the quality premium the borrower has earned through consistent performance.
Strong
FICO 720–759, 0 DPD (24 months), DTI 35–42%, cash flow score 75–84
Strong credit profile — minor adjustments for one or two signals that are below the Excellent band. Most approved salaried home loan borrowers sit here.
Adequate
FICO 680–719, 1×30 DPD (outside 12 months), DTI 42–48%, moderate cash flow
Adequate credit profile — within policy but with visible risk factors. Rate reflects the incremental risk above the Tier B profile without over-penalising borrowers who meet all policy gates.
Elevated
FICO 650–679, 1×30 DPD (within 12 months), DTI 45–52%, or thin-file via alternate pathway
Elevated risk — at the margin of policy. Rate compensates for higher expected loss rate. Borrower is viable but priced to reflect the actual credit risk being taken.
Decline
FICO <650, or score 650–679 with 60+ DPD in 12 months, or DTI >52%
Outside priceable range — the risk premium required to make lending economic at this profile exceeds what the borrower's DTI can support in monthly payment terms, or exceeds what can be commercially offered in the market.
The signal adjustment table: what moves the rate and by how much
Every 10-point band below 760 adds to the rate
760+: 0bps · 740–759: +10bps · 720–739: +20bps · 700–719: +30bps · 680–699: +40bps · 660–679: +60bps · 650–659: +80bps. The adjustment is per 10-point band, not per tier — a 741 and a 758 receive different adjustments, unlike in a static rate card.
DPD events add to rate; recency and severity both matter
0 DPD (36 months): 0bps · 1×30 DPD (13–36 months): +20bps · 1×30 DPD (within 12 months): +50bps · 2×30 DPD: +80bps · Any 60+ DPD: +150bps or refer. A DPD event from 28 months ago receives less penalty than one from 8 months ago — the adjustment reflects recency, not just occurrence.
Higher DTI means less capacity cushion — priced accordingly
DTI <35%: 0bps · 35–40%: +15bps · 40–45%: +30bps · 45–50%: +45bps. A borrower at 50% DTI has minimal income buffer above their debt obligations — any income disruption creates immediate default risk. The pricing adjustment reflects this elevated sensitivity to income shocks.
Higher LTV means less collateral cushion in a default scenario
LTV <60%: −10bps (positive credit for over-collateralisation) · LTV 60–70%: 0bps · LTV 70–75%: +15bps · LTV 75–80%: +30bps. A lower LTV provides better recovery if the loan defaults — this is reflected as a rate benefit, not merely a neutral observation. The −10bps is the only downward adjustment in the model.
A strong cash flow score partially offsets a weaker bureau score
Cash flow score 85+: −10bps · 75–84: 0bps · 65–74: +10bps · <65: +20bps. A borrower whose cash flow score (from the Bank Statement Analyst AI) is materially stronger than their FICO score suggests receives a partial rate benefit — the gap between bureau score and cash flow score is an indicator that the bureau score may understate credit quality.
Improving income trajectory reduces the rate; declining increases it
Income growing 15%+ (12 months): −10bps · Stable (±5%): 0bps · Declining 10%+ (12 months): +20bps. A borrower whose income has grown 20% over the last 12 months is a better credit than they were 12 months ago — the pricing adjustment reflects the forward-looking capacity, not just the current snapshot.
Dynamic rate in action: a real-time adjustment triggered by a new signal
The rate that wins is the rate that is precisely right — not the rate that is approximately right for a bracket
A Tier B rate of 9.85% applied to every borrower with a FICO score between 720 and 759 over-prices the borrower at 758 and under-prices the borrower at 721. The one at 758 compares with competitors and finds they can do 9.75% — and takes their loan elsewhere. The one at 721 gets a rate that does not fully reflect their risk. Both outcomes cost the institution: one in lost volume, one in inadequate risk compensation. The Risk-Based Pricing Agent AI computes 9.75% for the borrower who earns it and 9.90% for the one who does not — from the same prime rate, using the same signal adjustments, consistently applied. Every borrower pays the price of their actual risk profile. No more, no less.