Edge partners Socure on early lender fraud screening

EDGE has partnered with Socure to add identity and fraud signals to EDGE Screen for lenders.

The tie-up combines EDGE's cash flow bureau data with Socure's identity intelligence and fraud tools in a single screening view designed for the earliest stage of consumer lending. The product does not require bank authentication, allowing lenders to assess applicants before asking for a new bank login or account reconnection.

Lenders use top-of-funnel screening to decide which leads are worth pursuing before underwriting begins. Broader visibility at that stage can help them assess financial behaviour, identity confidence and potential fraud risk before a loan is priced or purchased.

EDGE operates as a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and produces consumer reports derived from cash flow data. Its products are used in lead screening, underwriting and loan servicing, and its network includes more than 70 participating lenders and covers 5 million consumer identities.

Socure supplies identity verification and risk decisioning products to more than 3,000 organisations in more than 190 countries, including 19 of the top 20 US banks and more than 2,000 fintechs. Its data model draws on both institution-specific and broader network information spanning more than 1 billion identities.

Earlier checks

The partnership addresses a growing concern among lenders over AI-generated identities and synthetic fraud, which can appear credible from the first customer interaction. That has increased pressure to detect anomalies before applications move deeper into the credit process, where manual reviews and losses become more costly.

According to EDGE, the combined service can return information in milliseconds for applicants who match the EDGE network. The aim is to give lenders an early signal on whether a consumer should move forward, while reducing unnecessary friction for legitimate applicants.

"EDGE was built to enable lenders to make better decisions across the credit lifecycle, beginning with powerful cash flow insights," said Brian Reshefsky, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, EDGE. "At the top of the funnel, lenders need to understand more than financial behavior. They also need confidence in identity and clearer signals of potential fraud risk. Bringing Socure-powered identity and fraud intelligence alongside EDGE's cash flow insights gives lenders a broader view of consumers. For applicants who match the EDGE Network, EDGE Screen can return the available intelligence to the lender in milliseconds, without requiring a new bank login or account reconnection. That noncredentialed feedback loop is what makes the solution work at the top of the funnel, helping lenders reduce wasted marketing spend and unnecessary application friction."

The arrangement reflects a wider shift in consumer lending, as data providers push their tools earlier into the application journey. Rather than relying only on traditional credit checks or later-stage document review, lenders are increasingly seeking a combined view of income patterns, applicant authenticity and fraud exposure at first contact.

For Socure, the deal extends its reach into cash flow-based screening, a segment that has grown as lenders look beyond conventional credit files when assessing borrowers. Cash flow analysis has become more common among lenders serving consumers with thin credit histories or income profiles that do not fit standard scoring models.

"Fraud shows up early in the application process, often before a lender ever sees a bank connection," said Johnny Ayers, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Socure. "AI has made it possible for fraudsters to look nearly identical to real people from the very first interaction, which is exactly where legacy checks fall short. Getting identity and fraud signals right at that early stage changes everything that follows, from underwriting to portfolio performance. Partnering with EDGE brings identity and fraud intelligence into a combined top-of-funnel view alongside the cash flow intelligence lenders already use, so they know who they're evaluating before they ever request a new connection."