There’s a new way to get a loan — but it comes at a cost

Next time you’re turned down for a loan because of a low credit score, you might find that your rejection comes with a caveat. The lender is willing to reconsider — if you just let them see inside your bank account.

Across the country, financial companies are racing to get a look at your checking account, hoping it’ll fill in the gaps left by credit scores, which only take into consideration certain debt and loan information, such as missed payments, credit card balances and limits, opened and closed accounts, bankruptcies, and collections.

In this new world of “open banking,” lenders no longer need to settle for just the data that appears on a credit report. They can now analyze all of your day-to-day transactions, your recurring payments and deposits, and the trajectory of your account