“Problems and risk arise when the application of policy is inconsistent, overlooked and/or incomplete. The inaccurate or inconsistent application of policy is a significant contributor to loss and regulatory action. Senso LLM’s assist banks, the SBA and the business owner to interpret important polices and guidance around accessing SBA capital – which is obviously ideal for all involved. Said another way, this technology, integrated into the SBA use case, allows business owners to access capital more efficiently while understanding the specific eligibility parameters – at the same time, banks have more certainty around their guarantee, which allows them to deploy capital more efficiently with less risk, so everyone wins.” –Allan Rayson, Finov8r Consulting
In an industry so policy and process driven, there is significant reliance on how policies are developed, interpreted and put into practice in the industry. Often policy interpretation and application of policy can be inconsistent if not ignored, which leads to higher levels of risk and likelihood of loss for financial institutions across the U.S.
SBA Lending quickly emerged as a relevant use case to banks in the context of policy interpretation gaps, risk of non-compliance and inconsistent application of existing policies and procedures.
Given the risk of loss and regulatory action, part of the responsibility of lenders in the U.S. is to put capital into businesses as small businesses drive the U.S. economy, and there is bipartisan support for helping business owners across America thrive. Central to this support is the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its lending programs facilitated through banks. However, a critical issue arises with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the SBA and how banks interpret and apply these SOPs to maintain their SBA loan guarantees.
Advancements in AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), offer a way to address these challenges. Senso, backed by founders with significant experience in building AI technology for banks, provides a knowledge base that assists banks, the SBA, and business owners in accurately interpreting and applying SBA policies.
By auto-ingesting SOPs from the SBA, Senso enables faster access to up-to-date information and automates the identification of SOP inconsistencies. This reduces manual effort, streamlines communication, and ensures banks can apply policies consistently, efficiently, and in real-time across the bank network.
Previously, banks accessed SOPs manually via the SBA website, a time-consuming process that could result in outdated information. Now, SOPs can be auto ingested into a single source of truth, allowing banks to search for relevant and up-to-date information faster using LLMs. This ensures policies are uniformly applied across the organization, reducing errors.
In the past, inconsistencies in SOPs were identified via fragmented email one-off threads managed by hundreds of consultants, making it inefficient to pinpoint and resolve issues. With Senso, SOP gaps are surfaced automatically, enabling consultants to identify critical issues and make real-time updates. This minimizes potential financial losses and regulatory penalties while speeding up decision making.
Previously, updates to SOPs were communicated through fragmented, one-off email threads, often causing delays and inconsistent information across the bank network. Now, with Senso’s single source of truth, the SBA can announce changes uniformly to the entire bank network, ensuring consistent and accurate updates. This streamlined communication approach helps ensure compliance by keeping all banks aligned, reducing the risk of miscommunication or non-compliance due to outdated information.
This solution was successfully tested in a pilot featured on American Banker where Senso’s platform was able to ingest and interpret SBA SOPs with 100% accuracy for generic questions and 80% to 90% accuracy for complex questions.
Featured at the ICBA AI forum, the pilot provided valuable real-world data, demonstrating that Senso’s solution can effectively replace manual processes, reduce inconsistencies, and deliver faster, more accurate updates across banks.
This partnership presents a unique opportunity to advance the banking industry, support small businesses, and mitigate risks associated with policy misinterpretation.