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A borrower submits a three-month bank statement PDF. The layout matches their bank’s template exactly. The running balance climbs steadily through the period, peaking just above the income threshold required for approval. There are no overdrafts. The font is correct. The logo renders cleanly. Your underwriter approves the file.
None of that means the document was unaltered.
According to fraud analytics firm SEON, bank statements are the most commonly falsified document in lending applications — cited in over 59% of fraudulent loan applications. The editing happens after the borrower downloads the legitimate PDF from their bank portal, before they upload it to your application form. The tools required cost nothing and require no technical skill.
What Borrowers Actually Change
