What is Predictive Lending: Soft Pull vs. Hard Pull

Predictive Lending is how SelectFI generates a realistic financing quote for a customer before they ever sit down at a desk. Instead of guessing which lender might approve a deal, SelectFI's AI continuously learns from real lender decisioning data to predict approval and rate for each new deal — so your team knows where a deal stands before submitting anything.

A soft pull checks a customer's credit to build their profile without affecting their credit score. A hard pull is a formal credit application submitted to a lender, which does show up on the customer's credit report. SelectFI starts every deal with a soft pull, so you can have a real conversation about financing before anyone's credit is impacted.

Not at the quoting stage. The soft pull SelectFI uses to build a payment estimate does not affect the customer's credit score. A hard pull only happens when a deal is actually submitted to a lender for financing — the same point where a hard pull would happen in a traditional process.

They're built to be realistic, not teaser rates that fall apart once a lender actually underwrites the deal. SelectFI's predictions are based on real, recent lender decisioning behavior — not published guidelines, which are often inconsistent with how lenders actually approve deals. That means the numbers your team sees are numbers you can actually negotiate from with the customer.

Submitting trial applications just to see what a lender will offer impacts the customer's credit and can limit your ability to rehash the deal later. SelectFI's soft-pull-first approach lets your team understand a customer's credit profile and likely approval options without that risk, so submissions to lenders happen when you're ready to move forward — not as a guessing exercise.

Only basic information — name, address, and birthdate — is needed to run the soft pull and get an initial quote. There's no need to collect a full application just to start the conversation.

SelectFI reviews your dealership's available lenders — typically around 25 — for every deal, and shows which ones are likely to approve and what amounts are available to finance on the front and back end. This lets your team quote based on the best rate and the best real opportunity to close, rather than guessing which lender to try first.

• Soft pull = no credit impact, used to build the initial quote
• Hard pull = formal lender submission, happens only when you're ready to move forward
• Predictions are based on real lender decisioning data, not published guidelines
• Only basic info (name, address, birthdate) is needed to get started

Questions? Reach out to your SelectFI account team and we'll be happy to help.