About this episode
Taking the Red Pill of Personal FinanceHave you ever felt like you’re playing a game where the rules are hidden, the goalposts are moving, and the referee is an algorithm you can’t talk to? Welcome to the world of modern lending. Many investors think a "good" FICO score is the golden ticket to funding, but the reality is much more complex. On this episode of The Note Closers Show, we are joined by the "Morpheus" of the credit world, Merrill Chandler from GetFundable.com. Merrill has spent over 30 years deconstructing the "Black Box" of banking to reveal that what we’ve been told about credit repair is often a lie. If you’re tired of hitting a ceiling with your capital and want to understand how the world’s largest banks actually "grade" your financial profile, this episode is your red pill moment.The Blueprint for Absolute FundabilityThe Fallacy of Credit Repair vs. Fundability: Most people focus on credit repair—deleting negative items to boost a three-digit score. However, Merrill explains that banks don’t just look at your score; they look at "fundability." You can have an 800 score and still be denied because your "internal behavioral data" suggests you are a high-risk borrower. Fundability is about aligning your financial behavior with the specific algorithms (like FICO 10T and FICO 40) that banks use to automate approvals.Cracking the "Black Box" of Tier 1 Banks: Large institutions like Chase, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America use sophisticated Artificial Intelligence to evaluate borrowers. This AI analyzes up to 40 different data points—not just your payment history. These points include how often you use your credit, the types of accounts you hold, and even how your name and address appear across various databases. If your data is "noisy" or inconsistent, the algorithm flags you as a risk, regardless of your score.The Shift to Trended Data (FICO 10T): We are currently seeing a massive shift in the lending industry toward "Trended Data." While older models took a snapshot of your credit at a single moment, the new FICO 10T model looks back at 24 to 30 months of historical behavior. It tracks whether you are "transacting" (paying off balances monthly) or "revolving" (carrying debt). Banks are now prioritizing "transactors" and punishing those who carry balances, even if they make their payments on time.Optimizing Your "Financial Digital Silhouette": Every time you interact with a bank, you leave a digital footprint. To get the massive credit lines needed for real estate investing, you must curate this silhouette. This involves cleaning up your "LexusNexus" and "SageStream" reports, ensuring your identity is synchronized across all bureaus, and strategically managing your credit utilization. Merrill em
