- Before
- Reads matrices and runs the pricing engine product by product, then waits on the desk before she can call the borrower back.
- Now
- Sees every program at every down payment lit in 38 seconds, with the near-misses and the change behind each, before she picks up the phone.
One borrower’s story, from the call to the scenario note
Marcus and Elena Whitfield want to buy an $865,000 house in Lakewood with 10% down. He is a self-employed designer; she is a school nurse and a Navy veteran; they are keeping their condo in Aurora. Here is what happens next, screen by screen, in the working solution.
- 0108:12
The borrower’s story, in plain words
Jordan Pike · Loan officer assistantJordan takes the call and types what the Whitfields told him: the $865,000 house, 10% down, Marcus’s two years of Schedule C at $118,400 then $131,200, Elena’s $68,900 W-2, scores 694 and 741, debts of $1,056 a month, and the condo they are keeping. No form and no product codes — just the story, on lead L-26-10418 for Priya Raman.
“The agents read the facts from your words and ask only for what changes an answer.”
- 02One click
Eleven facts underlined, two questions asked
Scenario readerPriya presses Match every program. The scenario reader underlines the 11 facts it read in place, then asks the two things the words left out, each with answers to tap: will the Aurora condo be rented with a signed lease, and is it financed with Elena’s VA loan? Yes to both — $2,050 a month from 1 Dec, and a VA loan from 2019 with $268,400 owed.
It never assumes a fact that was not stated; it asks.
- 0338 seconds
Every program, at every down payment, lit
Program matcherNine programs against 0%, 5% and 10% down: 5 cells eligible, 7 eligible with a change, 15 not eligible. At their plan of 10% down, 3 programs fit, and VA 30-year fixed comes first at $5,266 a month. Click the cell and the cell detail shows why, rule by rule: partial entitlement needs $86,062.50 down and they bring $86,500; funding fee 1.25%, financed; ratio 39.8%, under 41%; residual income $5,760 against $1,117 for a family of 4 in the West.
The condo rent on VA is marked a judgement rule — the scenario desk confirms it.
- 04Next
Amber cells say what would qualify
Near-miss finderEvery amber cell names its change: conforming at 0% is “Eligible with 5% down”, the Larkmoor Select 10/6 ARM is “Eligible if 720 score”, non-QM bank statement at 10% is “Eligible if 12 months reserves”. Click that one: above $750,000 the matrix needs 12 × $6,113 = $73,356 in reserve, and after closing they would have $45,420 — $27,936 short.
“It is not needed: they qualify on full documentation at a lower rate.”
- 05What-if
Switch on an honest change, and the matrix re-lights
Priya Raman · Senior loan officerUnder the matrix the near-miss finder has left two honest changes: pay Marcus’s card to 30%, or sell the Aurora condo before closing. Priya switches on the condo sale and 3 cells turn green, each marked What-if — VA at 0% down at $5,889 a month, VA at 5% down, and non-QM at 10%. She switches it off again; the Whitfields want to keep the condo.
“A what-if is a plan to discuss, never a fact on the file.”
- 06Ranked
A short answer, then the ten options ranked
Scenario note writerAt their 10% down, three programs fit. VA first: $5,266 a month with no mortgage insurance, $492 a month less than conforming. Three near-misses — the Select ARM needs a 720 score, VA with no money down needs the condo sold, non-QM needs 12 months of reserves — and four that do not fit, each with the reason and the rule behind it.
3 fit · 3 nearly fit · 4 do not fit · 1 for the desk
- 07Side by side
Payment, ratio and cash, from the 08:30 rate sheet
Payment and cash estimatorVA, conforming, FHA, non-QM bank statement and the Select ARM in columns: down payment, base loan, financed fee, rate, principal and interest, taxes and insurance, mortgage insurance, payment, qualifying income and ratio. Conforming carries $298 of mortgage insurance; FHA $454 of annual MIP. Every figure is labelled with the Larkmoor rate sheet time, Mon 12 Oct 2026 08:30.
Estimates, not a lock — never a locked rate or a Loan Estimate.
- 08Plan B
The near-miss plan, with cost and time
Near-miss finderFor the Select ARM at 5% down with no mortgage insurance: pay Marcus’s Cobalt Rewards card from $9,850 to $3,990 for $5,860, order a rapid rescore in 3–5 business days, and the bureau simulator estimates 722. That leaves $35,370 more in the bank than VA, at $133 a month more. Priya can draft the paydown note for Marcus or order the rescore from here.
“An estimate, not a promise. The score that counts is the one on the rescored report.”
- 0908:59 → 09:04
The judgement call goes to the desk, with the draft
Tom Reyes · Underwriter, scenario deskPriya asks the desk whether the condo rent can count on VA. The question arrives with the agents’ draft and the rule: without landlord experience, VA needs three months of reserves on both homes — 3 × ($5,266 + $1,640) = $20,718 — and they will have $50,360 after closing. Tom Reyes reads it and confirms at 09:04.
“Confirmed. The lease is signed and reserves cover three months on both homes. Count the rent on VA.”
- 1009:06 · saved
The scenario note, saved to the lead
Priya Raman · Senior loan officerThe note carries the borrowers, the recommendation — VA 30-year fixed, 10% down, $778,500 plus the $9,731.25 funding fee at 5.875% — the alternatives that fit, the near-misses, Tom’s confirmation and every citation. A plain-language summary for the Whitfields is drafted beside it. Priya saves the note to the lead at 09:06; nothing goes to the borrowers until she sends it.