Pathway Lending, Tennessee’s largest non-depository Community Development Financial Institution, has partnered with Parlay Finance to accelerate small business lending decisions and reach more underserved borrowers. Powered by Parlay’s AI-native Loan Intelligence System (LIS), Pathway now moves applicants from intake to decision in under one business day — dramatically increasing loan volume without scaling costs or headcount.

30 Applications in 24 Hours

When Pathway launched its first campaign on Parlay’s platform, it received more than 30 applications in under 24 hours, with several moved to approval the same day. Borrowers connected their financial accounts and tax transcripts in real time through data integrations. Parlay pulled cash flow data, verified financials, and other key inputs automatically — building a comprehensive borrower profile that gets richer with every interaction. For a business owner whose recent growth hasn’t yet shown up on a tax return, that live data can be the difference between receiving capital and getting turned away.

“Our mission at Pathway Lending has always been to serve the businesses that may not be able to access other financing options. Parlay gives us the tools to do that at scale with the speed and precision today’s entrepreneurs need, while ensuring every interaction moves them forward.” — Diego Eguiarte, SVP, Director of Small & Emerging Business Lending, Pathway Lending

By automating document collection, data enrichment, and file preparation, the LIS reduces the cost of originating each loan and enables Pathway to serve more borrowers without expanding its back office. Parlay’s LIS also integrates with Pathway’s existing Loan Origination System, compounding efficiencies across every stage of the process.

Supporting More Borrowers

Parlay handles the intake, enrichment, and file preparation so that lenders can focus on what they were hired to do: evaluate borrowers, build relationships, and make more loans in underserved communities. With the paperwork handled automatically, Pathway’s team is free to advise more entrepreneurs, deliver coaching, and put more capital to work in the community.

“Pathway is exactly the type of partner that Parlay was founded to support – mission-oriented lenders that understand that access to capital is the critical ingredient needed to empower communities across America. Pathway’s ability to leverage our LIS makes a daily difference in the lives of business owners across Tennessee.” — Jay Long, Co-Founder & COO, Parlay Finance

A Path Forward for Every Applicant

Pathway uses the LIS’s qualification summaries to educate borrowers on their capital readiness and help them build a plan for growth if they are not eligible for funding when they apply. That follow-through is what keeps entrepreneurs away from high-cost alternatives, and with Parlay’s technology behind them, Pathway can now deliver it at scale.

Tennessee small businesses that have been operating for at least a year can start the process of a loan application at www.pathwaylending.org/small-business.

About Parlay Finance: Parlay Finance is a digital front-end for community banks, credit unions, and CDFI lenders that leverages AI to streamline and simplify small-business and SBA loan intake and learn from every decision, allowing lenders to better serve more borrowers. Learn more at www.parlay.finance.