Valuation and risk management specialists Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS) have launched Geoconnect, a decisioning engine designed to deliver better valuation outcomes for lenders, valuers and property professionals. 

Designed to help lenders make more informed property risk assessments whilst reducing complexity with millions of property records in the database, Geoconnect claims to bring together data integration, real-time risk assessment and flexible valuation pathways. 

It determines the most appropriate valuation method for each case – AVM, Desktop, Desktop Plus or full physical inspection – based on property attributes and associated risks. 

The engine connects to a wide range of internal and external data sources via API, to help identify non-standard property types, high-rise risks (including cladding concerns), energy performance issues, and climate-related risks such as flood zones and subsidence. These factors are all considered in real time, giving valuers a complete view of a property’s risk profile at the point of assessment.

It claims to manage new build exposure more effectively. Backed by Countrywide’s New Home Insite data, the system helps assess construction type, sustainability factors, Section 106 obligations, and other common new build risks.

Matthew Cumber, managing director at Countrywide Surveying Services, comments: “Geoconnect is a natural evolution in undertaking mortgage valuations. It introduces practical tools and smart data into a process that now faces greater levels of risk, regulation and complexity. This is about delivering better outcomes for lenders, clients and the wider market.

“As environmental and economic pressures continue to shape the housing landscape, Geoconnect offers a forward-looking solution that supports accurate, efficient and reliable valuations. It reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation, underpinned by deep professional expertise and built for real-world use.”

Meanwhile Equifax UK has announced a strategic partnership with Render to launch a data decisioning platform for lenders that uses Equifax credit bureau data and categorised Open Banking insights.  

The new platform – Clear Decision, powered by Render – will help lenders make more informed decisions based on customers’ individual financial circumstances, using a combination of Credit Reference and Open Banking data that provides an enhanced picture of affordability and creditworthiness. In particular, it will help lenders tackle the challenge of marginal credit applications.  

Equifax says currently, most lenders rely on bureau data at the front end of a customer journey, and only supplement this with granular Open Banking data to inform marginal or borderline cases. However, Clear Decision shifts this dynamic by automating the process of combining the data and therefore reducing manual underwriting time and errors.  

The solution enables improved decision-making efficiency across all asset classes, including mortgages, retail finance, motor finance and unsecured credit. It also helps lenders identify and tackle fraudulent applications.