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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallBefore submitting a mortgage case, treat the sourcing result as a shortlist—not confirmation that a lender will accept the applicant. Reconcile the facts and search settings with the case file, verify material product details and criteria against current lender information, investigate affordability or eligibility uncertainties, and record what you checked. A result cannot guarantee eligibility, affordability, underwriting approval or acceptance.
What a sourcing result does—and does not—tell you
Mortgage sourcing systems filter and rank listed mortgages against criteria selected by the broker. Their results are useful for identifying products to investigate, but a displayed match is not a lending decision. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) described mortgage sourcing systems in its 2016 Call for Inputs on competition in the mortgage sector as intermediary software that filters and ranks mortgages according to broker-selected criteria.
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The distinction matters because a system can only work with the information and rules available to it. The FCA’s 2016 Mortgages Market Study: Final Report said product information and, increasingly, some eligibility criteria were shared through mortgage and criteria sourcing systems. It also found that information about lenders’ affordability approaches, risk appetite and credit-scoring approaches was not widely shared. That finding describes the information landscape reported in 2016; it does not establish that a particular sourcing system today is inaccurate or out of date. It does mean a match should not be treated as proof that the lender will assess the case as the system suggests.
Use the result to decide what to check next. The lender’s current product information, the customer’s evidenced circumstances, and the lender’s eventual assessment remain distinct from the software’s shortlist.
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Follow a pre-submission accuracy workflow
1. Reconcile the case facts with the underlying file
Start with the client fact-find and the documents available for the case, rather than assuming the sourcing screen is the authoritative record. Check that the information entered reflects the applicant’s current circumstances and that material differences have been explained or corrected before relying on the result.
- Borrowers: confirm the applicant or applicants, relevant circumstances and number of borrowers match the case file.
- Income: check the type and amount of each income source against the appropriate information in the file. Do not collapse basic pay, other employment income, self-employment income and other income into an undifferentiated total.
- Commitments and deposit: compare the amounts entered with the case information and evidence available, and resolve any material discrepancy.
- Property and loan: check the property facts and proposed borrowing against the client’s requirements and the information available about the transaction.
- Requested features: confirm the repayment basis and other material mortgage requirements have not been omitted or entered incorrectly.
The FCA Handbook’s SUP 16 Annex 21 uses separate verified-income reporting categories. Those categories are a useful reminder that different income types should be identified clearly; they are not a universal instruction that every income item must be supported in the same way in every case. The extent of checking depends on the circumstances and the lender’s process.
Do not silently choose between conflicting figures. If, for example, a case note and a supporting document appear inconsistent, identify which figure is current and why. If the difference cannot be resolved from the information available, treat it as an open issue and use the firm’s approved process or seek clarification before proceeding.
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2. Recheck the assumptions behind the search
A shortlist only has meaning in relation to the settings used to produce it. Confirm that the search reflects the case you intend to submit, including the loan amount, property value, loan-to-value (LTV), term, repayment basis, transaction type and number of borrowers. Check relevant filters and exclusions too: a setting can remove a suitable product from view or make a product appear relevant when an important case detail was not represented.
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These are practical checks on how broker-selected criteria affect filtering and ranking, not a checklist prescribed by the FCA. If the case changes after the search—for example, the borrowing amount or a material property fact changes—review whether the original search remains fit for purpose rather than relying on its old output.
3. Verify current product details and relevant criteria
For products under consideration, compare material details displayed by the sourcing system with current information from the lender where available. Prioritise details that could change the recommendation or the case’s apparent fit, such as the product’s relevant features and the eligibility conditions connected to the applicant or property circumstance.
Check the currency and provenance of the information where the system makes them available. Record the date and source of a material check in the case file. A dated record helps distinguish what was verified at the time from what may change later. It is a control for traceability, not evidence that a lender has approved the case.
Do not infer that every modern system lacks current information from the FCA’s 2016 findings. The narrower and safer conclusion is that system information has limits, and the adviser should verify material details rather than assuming a screen result establishes every relevant lender rule.
4. Assess suitability beyond rank or apparent eligibility
A high ranking or apparent criteria match does not answer whether a product is suitable for the customer. Consider the customer’s needs and circumstances alongside relevant product features, fees and charges, repayment features, credit history and the affordability criteria you expect the lender to apply. Consider relevant property issues as well, including whether construction is non-standard.
The FCA Handbook’s MCOB 4 identifies expected lender affordability criteria and whether the lender will lend on non-standard construction among the suitability considerations. The FCA says the examples are not exhaustive. Apply the broader advice process where you are making a recommendation; do not substitute a system’s ordering for the judgement that process requires.
5. Separate an eligibility indication from a lending decision
An eligibility tool can apply user details to third-party criteria to indicate likely qualification. That indication is not a lender’s underwriting decision and does not establish that the case will pass affordability assessment or be accepted. Explain the status of the result accurately, both in the case record and in communications with the customer.
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6. Resolve material uncertainty before submission
If case facts conflict, a key criterion is ambiguous, or a lender’s relevant approach is not visible in the system, do not treat the apparent match as a resolution. Seek current clarification from the lender or use the firm’s approved process before submitting. Record the issue, its resolution, the information source and the date. If it remains unresolved, follow the firm’s process for deciding whether the case can proceed and what must be explained.
What to record in the case file
A useful record lets another person understand what result was reviewed, which facts mattered and how a material uncertainty was handled. Keep the note proportionate to the case; a record should make the decision trail clear, not reproduce every screen or turn routine checks into unnecessary paperwork.
- The relevant search assumptions and any material filters or exclusions that affected the shortlist.
- The product or criteria information checked, the source consulted and the date of the check.
- Any material discrepancy between the search inputs and the case file, and how it was resolved.
- Any question referred to a lender or handled through an approved firm process, including the response or outcome.
- The suitability considerations relevant to the recommendation and any remaining limitation that affects how the result should be described.
Keep the record factual. Distinguish a lender’s published information, a response obtained through an appropriate channel, the sourcing system’s display and your own assessment. Do not label an eligibility indication as a lender approval or imply that an unresolved point has been confirmed.
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Keep affordability checks in their proper place
The lender’s affordability assessment is case-specific. In its guidance on creditworthiness and affordability, the FCA describes the need for adequate steps, where reasonable and practicable, to ensure information is complete and correct. It also makes clear that the extent of checking depends on the circumstances.
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This does not mean an adviser personally performs every verification step the lender may take, or that every income item always requires identical evidence. It does mean that information relied on should be handled carefully: identify material gaps, avoid treating an unverified assumption as settled, and follow the lender’s and firm’s processes for the case. A sourcing result cannot replace the lender’s assessment.
How to assess a sourcing system’s usefulness
When deciding how much checking a system’s output needs, assess what it shows and how clearly it exposes its limits. These are evaluation questions, not claims that every provider offers a particular feature.
- Product and eligibility fields: which product details and eligibility criteria are displayed, and which relevant details are absent?
- Source and update information: can you identify where the information came from and when it was updated or checked?
- Search controls: can you see which case-specific filters and exclusions shaped the results?
- Unresolved gaps: does the output make it apparent when a lender confirmation or further case check is still needed?
These questions help you understand the evidential value of a result without assuming that a feature, ranking or label guarantees accuracy. Whatever the system displays, the final check should reflect the case facts and the information relevant to the product being considered.
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Final decision before submitting
Submit only after you have dealt with the material accuracy questions for the case: the entered facts match the file or discrepancies are resolved; the search settings reflect the intended transaction; relevant current product details and criteria have been checked; suitability has been considered beyond ranking; and material uncertainty has been handled through an appropriate route. Describe the result for what it is—a tool-assisted indication used in the advice process, not a promise of lender acceptance.
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