FinTechTalk: How One Bank is Rewriting the Rules of Commercial Lending with Real-Time Intelligence

How Experian, nCino and Lombard are reshaping commercial banking through data-driven relationships 

 

Lombard, part of NatWest Group and the UK’s leading provider of asset finance, became the first financial institution to deploy ProBanker — nCino’s market-first intelligence solution developed in partnership with Experian, this represents a significant step forward in modernising commercial lending. Experian provides the underlying intelligence, drawing on a wide array of data sources from traditional credit data to multi-banked current account turnover (CATO) and Credit Account Information Sharing (CAIS) data, creating a far richer and more current picture of business health.

 

As Gareth Rees, Head Commercial Credit & Risk at Experian explains in the 21 April episode of Business Reporter’s FinTechTalk, “we capture a greater breadth of data… not just from banks but also telcos and energy providers, which gives a much broader view of how businesses are behaving.” nCino then aggregates and structures this data within its ProBanker platform, delivering it in a usable, real-time format. Lombard, part of NatWest Group, operationalises this insight, embedding it into the daily workflows of its relationship managers (RMs). The result is a seamless flow from data to decision-making, enabling faster, more informed and more proactive client engagement. 

 

The reality for a relationship manager trying to understand a commercial client’s full financial picture was often fragmented and inefficient. Data was scattered across systems, frequently outdated and heavily reliant on customer-provided documents. This created blind spots, particularly for multi-banked clients, where exposure and risk were not fully visible. As Gareth notes, “for many UK businesses, financial data is backward-looking… sometimes up to 20 months old.” This meant RMs spent significant time gathering and reconciling information, limiting their ability to focus on clients and their challenges. 

 

With Lombard deploying ProBanker, the day-to-day experience for RMs changes fundamentally. Instead of searching for data, insights are surfaced automatically through a single interface, complete with alerts, as well as individual and portfolio-level views. Paul Edwards, Managing Director of Lombard adds that adoption in his institution has been strong, noting “we’ve got close to 90% usage on a daily basis,” which reflects how embedded the tool has become in frontline activity. In practice, this means RMs walk into meetings with their clients already informed and can discuss performance, risks and opportunities with confidence. 

 

There’s been much discussion around AI in financial services, but this approach is clearly about augmentation, not replacement. The distinction matters. Rather than removing the human element, technology enhances it by surfacing meaningful signals. Gareth emphasises this, saying AI helps “find a path through all that noise and identify the signals that enable you to act.” The industry is beginning to recognise that the most effective use of AI is not automation alone, but also intelligent support for better decision-making. 

 

From a banker’s perspective, this evolution should be seen as empowering rather than threatening. The core role – building relationships and understanding clients – remains unchanged but is now supported by deeper insight and better preparation. As Paul puts it, “the best conversations happen when you go in informed.” Better data also enables RMs to understand how a business is really trading and step in as soon as they identify the first signs of stress. Ultimately, this leads to stronger client relationships, improved customer experience and more effective risk management – benefitting lenders and borrowers alike.