Re-running an affordability check after a loan top-up request
An affordability assessment describes a borrower's ability to service one specific obligation. The moment the requested amount changes — most often a top-up — that earlier result no longer describes the real loan, so Ustawi re-runs affordability against the new figure. A loan bouncing back to review after a top-up is expected behaviour, not an error.
Why a change forces a re-run
A top-up raises the instalment the borrower must service. An assessment scored against the old, smaller amount would overstate their headroom and understate the risk — so it is treated as stale the instant the amount moves. Re-running against the new amount keeps the evidence honest: the affordability result on file always matches the obligation the borrower would actually take on.
What the re-run affects
- The assessment is re-scored against the increased amount and its revised instalment.
- Because approval is gated on a current affordability result, a loan whose amount changed becomes actionable for review again.
- This can send a case that had already advanced back to committee — which is the control working, not a fault.
- 1Request the top-upChange the requested amount on the loan. This is what marks the prior affordability result as no longer current.
- 2Re-run affordabilityScore the borrower against the new amount, capturing income and existing obligations — which now include their current Ustawi exposure at the new level.
- 3Let it re-clear the ladderThe refreshed result travels back into the approval path, so the larger exposure is signed off on current evidence.
The re-run is driven by the amount changing, not by the word “top-up”. Any material change to the requested amount refreshes affordability for the same reason.