Asset verification is a process that financial services use to confirm the existence, ownership, value, and authenticity of a person’s or entity’s assets. This process is part of financial activities including loan applications, wealth management, and regulatory compliance to manage risks and mitigate fraud.

Below, we’ll explain how asset verification works, the benefits of verifying assets, the advantages of digital asset verification, and best practices to follow.

What’s in this article?

• How does asset verification work for lenders and borrowers?
  
• When is asset verification necessary?
  
• Benefits of asset verification
  
• Best practices for asset verification
  
• Advantages of digital asset verification
  
• How Stripe can help with asset verification
  

How does asset verification work for lenders and borrowers?

Asset verification manages risk for lenders and borrowers by ensuring that borrowers have the means to repay their loans. This is particularly important in situations when borrowers might need to liquidate assets to cover loan payments. In some cases, asset verification is also a regulatory requirement to prevent fraud and money laundering.

Here’s how asset verification works in the loan application process.

• Loan qualification: Often, borrowers must provide proof of assets to qualify for certain types of loans, especially larger loans such as mortgages or business loans. This proof can include financial statements, bank statements, property deeds, investment records, or other documents that prove the existence and value of their assets. For secured loans, borrowers might need to offer assets as collateral. The verification process confirms that the collateral covers the loan.

• Document review: Lenders review the documents that the borrower provides. They might use third-party verification services for this process such as credit bureaus, professional appraisers, or automated valuation models for real estate. They might also use software and database systems to access real-time data feeds from financial institutions and other entities.

• Loan approval decisions: Based on the results of the asset verification process, lenders determine whether to approve a loan application and how much money they’re willing to loan. The results of the asset verification process also typically inform the terms of the loan (e.g., interest rates, repayment periods, down payment).

• Continuous monitoring: For ongoing credit facilities, lenders might review the borrower’s asset status periodically to manage their ongoing credit risk.

When is asset verification necessary?

Many different scenarios require asset verification to promote transparency, prevent fraud, and ensure financial dealings are conducted on a sound and legal basis.

• Loan applications: For mortgage, auto, and personal loans, lenders require asset verification to ensure that the borrower has the financial means to repay the loan. Borrowers can also use assets as collateral to secure the loan.

• Investment management: Financial advisors and wealth managers verify assets to understand the scope of a client’s portfolio. With this information, they can create personalised investment strategies and manage risk based on the client’s finances.

• Real estate transactions: Asset verification confirms that the buyer has sufficient funds to complete the transaction. Sellers also use it to check that their property is being sold at a fair market value.

• Estate planning and inheritance: Lawyers and estate planners verify assets to accurately distribute an estate according to the deceased’s wishes. This information helps them prepare accurate wills and manage probate processes.

• Divorce proceedings: During a divorce, asset verification facilitates an equitable division of property and financial assets between parties.

• Business acquisitions and mergers: Companies verify assets to confirm the value and authenticity of another company’s assets before finalising a merger or acquisition.

• Regulatory compliance: Financial institutions are subject to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws and regulations that require them to verify the origin of large asset transfers and the authenticity of financial assets to prevent illegal activities.

• Insurance underwriting: Insurers require asset verification before issuing policies and setting premiums. They also use it to limit potential fraud in claim situations.

• Government aid and subsidies: Asset verification confirms that recipients of government programmes, such as welfare benefits, meet the financial criteria.

• Taxation: Tax authorities sometimes require asset verification to confirm that individuals and businesses are complying with tax regulations, accurately reporting their income and assets, and paying the appropriate amount of taxes.

Benefits of asset verification

Asset verification provides a detailed look at a person’s or entity’s financial health, which has many benefits.

• Financial health assessment: Asset verification allows financial institutions to create more sophisticated risk models that predict financial behaviour and resilience better than those informed by traditional metrics such as income or credit score.

• Strategic asset management: Asset verification allows wealth managers and institutions to better manage assets using strategies such as tax-loss harvesting, asset location, and re-balancing based on verified asset values. Real-time verification allows portfolio managers to react quickly to market changes to capitalise on opportunities and manage risk.

• Legal and financial accountability: In legal scenarios such as divorce or estate distribution, asset verification ensures that all parties remain honest and adhere to legal standards. This mitigates the risk of hidden assets or undervaluation, which upholds the integrity of the legal process and leads to more equitable outcomes.

• Financial regulations: Asset verification provides regulators and institutions with data-driven insights into the flow of assets and their origins. This helps regulatory bodies understand market dynamics, identify patterns indicative of financial crimes, and develop targeted regulatory responses.

• Fraud prevention: Advanced verification technologies such as blockchain and AI-driven analytics enable real-time and continuous verification of assets. This both prevents initial fraud and monitors for anomalies that might indicate fraudulent activities over time, such as the unauthorised transfer of assets or alterations in asset valuations.

• Risk assessment: In lending, integrating asset verification with advanced analytics allows for a more layered and granular risk assessment model. This type of assessment might differentiate between types of assets (e.g., liquid, fixed) to provide a more accurate picture of financial health and lending risk.

Best practices for asset verification

Here are some best practices for the asset verification process.

• Regularly update asset register: Your business’s asset register should be a living document that’s updated as needed with new purchases, disposals, transfers, and depreciation. Conduct periodic physical verification of assets to confirm their existence, condition, and location. This can be done through manual inspection or by using asset tracking software.

• Categorise and tag assets: Categorise assets based on their type, function, and location. Use asset tags, barcodes, or radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to easily identify and track each asset.

• Reconcile records: Regularly reconcile the asset register with accounting records to identify and rectify any discrepancies.

• Establish an audit trail: Maintain a clear audit trail for asset transactions including acquisitions, disposals, and transfers.

• Digitise the verification process: Use asset management software to make the verification process easier, automate data collection, and generate detailed reports.

• Assign responsibility: Designate specific individuals or teams responsible for asset verification. Establish procedures and guidelines to create a consistent verification process.

• Prioritise high-value assets: Verify high-value assets more frequently, as these pose a higher risk of loss or theft. Consider implementing additional security measures for these assets.

• Comply with industry requirements: Ensure that your asset verification practices comply with relevant industry regulations and accounting standards.

Advantages of digital asset verification

Digital asset verification is a faster, more accurate, and more cost-effective solution compared to traditional, manual methods. The benefits of digitising this process include:

• Speed: Digital methods automate the asset verification process, allowing businesses to process large volumes of data much faster than manual checks could. Some technologies enable real-time or near-real-time asset verification, a key benefit in dynamic markets where asset values frequently fluctuate.

• Accuracy: Traditional methods are susceptible to human error during data entry, calculation, and interpretation. Digital asset verification minimises these errors by using algorithms and databases that process data accurately. Advanced analytics can also identify discrepancies that might not be evident through manual review.

• Cost: While the initial setup for digital asset verification systems can be costly, these systems tend to lower costs over time by reducing the labour-intensive processes of traditional methods. Automated systems require less personnel and can operate continuously without breaks.

• Security: Digital systems often incorporate advanced security measures such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and secure access protocols.

• Scalability: Digital asset verification systems are typically more scalable than traditional methods. They can handle an increase in volume without a corresponding increase in errors or processing time.

• Transparency: Digital verification systems automatically generate records of every transaction and verification process, creating a clear audit trail. This transparency is invaluable for regulatory compliance, risk management, and in situations that require proof of due diligence.

• Global reach: Digital verification systems are not bound by geographic limitations. They can access and verify assets located anywhere in the world, provided there is digital connectivity. This is especially important for multi-national organisations and businesses involved in international trade.

• Software integration: Businesses can integrate digital asset verification technologies with other systems such as customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), or supply chain management systems. This integration allows information to flow across different departments, creating greater operational efficiency and a holistic view of the organisation’s assets.

• Adaptability: Digital asset verification systems are well-positioned to adapt to emerging technologies such as blockchain, which can further improve the integrity and decentralisation of asset verification processes.

How Stripe can help with asset verification

While Stripe does not verify physical assets such as real estate or automobiles, its financial verification capabilities and API ecosystem make it a valuable partner for businesses that require indirect asset verification or that need to verify the accuracy and honesty of their transactions. Stripe offers a variety of tools and integrations that can assist with different parts of the asset verification process, outlined below.

• Identity verification: Stripe Identity is a service that can help confirm identities by verifying government-issued IDs and matching personal information with selfie checks.

• Bank account verification: Stripe has mechanisms to verify user bank accounts, through micro-deposits and instant bank account verification using bank login credentials. Businesses can use this feature to confirm that a user has control over a bank account, which can be considered an asset in financial transactions.

• Payment and transaction monitoring: Stripe’s advanced algorithms monitor transactions for unusual or potentially fraudulent activity. This capability can help ensure that transactions involving assets are legitimate and not based on fraudulent claims or counterfeit assets.

• Financial checks: For businesses that need to verify the financial status of a client or customer, Stripe’s financial reports and data points can offer insights into a business’s payment activity and financial health.

• APIs for custom solutions: Businesses can use Stripe’s APIs to develop custom verification flows. For example, a lending platform might use Stripe to process payments while integrating APIs from other financial service providers to pull in real-time asset data or perform background checks.