How to configure multi-bureau credit checks

Overview

When performing loan eligibility checks, downtime or failures from a credit bureau during your customer’s loan application can cause inaccurate results and make a good customer ineligible. With multi-bureau support, you can configure backup providers so that if one bureau fails, the system automatically calls the next available provider.

How It Works

The system evaluates configured credit bureaus in a defined sequence and follows fallback rules based on your configuration.

Example Configuration

{
  "name": "credit_bureau",
  "provider": [
    {
      "required": true,
      "provider": "firstcentral",
      "continue_on_failure": true
    },
    {
      "required": true,
      "provider": "CRC",
      "continue_on_failure": false
    }
  ],
  "required": true,
  "credit_bureau_call_threshold": 1,
  "age": 0,
  "sequence": 5
}

Key Fields

Field	Description
`provider`	Name of the credit bureau to call.
`required`	Indicates whether this provider must be attempted.
`continue_on_failure`	Determines if the system should try the next provider if this one fails (`true` = continue, `false` = stop).
`credit_bureau_call_threshold`	Critical: The number of successful responses required before stopping. If set to `1`, the system stops after the first successful bureau. If not set, all configured bureaus are called.
`sequence`	Defines the order in which bureaus are called. Lower numbers are called first.

How the call threshold works

The credit_bureau_call_threshold defines how many successful bureau responses are needed before stopping further calls:

Threshold = 1
The system stops as soon as one bureau responds successfully.
Example:
- FirstCentral succeeds → CRC is not called.
- FirstCentral fails → CRC is called.
Threshold not set
All configured bureaus are called, regardless of success.
- Useful when you need multiple reports.
- You are billed for each bureau called.

Practical Scenario

A loan request triggers a credit check.
System first calls FirstCentral.
If FirstCentral fails, system calls CRC automatically (because continue_on_failure = true).
Once a successful response is received, the process stops (because credit_bureau_call_threshold = 1).
Only the successful bureau is charged.