Lesson 5 of 6

Insider, agent and partner fraud

Some fraud is committed, or made possible, by people inside the lending chain: staff who approve or pay out loans, agents who meet customers and collect documents, and partners who originate or service loans in the lender's name. This lesson explains why insiders are hard to catch, what research shows about loan officers and incentives, how agents both commit fraud and suffer it, why a lender stays responsible for its partners, and how early defaults grouped by agent reveal problems.

Published 30 October 2026