FICO Survey: Rising Acceptance of ‘Liar Loans’ Among Filipino Consumers

36% of Filipinos believe there are circumstances where it is ok for people to exaggerate income on a loan application, while 15% think it is normal for people to do this. (Graphic: FICO)
36% of Filipinos believe there are circumstances where it is ok for people to exaggerate income on a loan application, while 15% think it is normal for people to do this. (Graphic: FICO)

In This Article:

More than a third of Filipinos think it’s OK to deliberately mislead on personal loans, mortgages, auto and other applications

MANILA, Philippines, September 26, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NYSE: FICO):

Highlights

  • Half of Filipinos (51%) think it’s OK or normal for people to exaggerate their income on loan applications, significantly more than the global average of 39%

  • One in six Filipinos (16%) believe it’s normal for people to deliberately misrepresent their income on mortgage applications

  • Falsifying insurance claims is viewed as the most taboo form of fraud, with more than three in five Filipinos (62%) believing it is not acceptable

Global analytics software leader FICO today shared its latest global consumer fraud research, revealing alarming attitudes toward first-party financial fraud both globally and in the Filipino market.

More than half of Filipinos think it is normal or acceptable in some cases to misrepresent their income on applications for a bank account (56%), automotive financing (55%), or mortgage (53%). Similarly, many Filipinos are fine with exaggerating income on personal loan applications, further complicating financial integrity.

Close to half (46%) of Filipino consumers believe it’s never acceptable to exaggerate income on a personal loan application, while a third (36%) find it acceptable under specific conditions. About one in seven views exaggerating income on personal loan, mortgage and auto loan applications as common and acceptable behaviour.

Globally, attitudes differ, with the survey revealing that the majority of consumers (56%) firmly reject the idea of exaggerating income on loan applications, viewing it as never acceptable. One in four (24%) consider it permissible in certain circumstances, while one in seven (15%) view it as a normal practice.

"With a noticeable percentage of Filipino consumers viewing income falsification as acceptable or justified, the problem of ‘liar loans’ calls for financial institutions to strengthen their risk assessment procedures," said Aashish Sharma, APAC segment leader for risk lifecycle and decision management at FICO. "Banks play an essential role in steering consumers away from inadvertently committing fraud through robust fraud detection strategies and consumer education."

More information: https://www.fico.com/en/latest-thinking/ebook/consumer-survey-2023-digital-banking-customer-preferences-and-fraud-controls

Growing Mortgage Sector at Risk of Application Fraud

The FICO survey reveals that close to two in five (37%) Filipino consumers believe it is acceptable under certain circumstances to lie on mortgage applications, and close to one in five (16%) view it as normal. With residential real estate prices of new housing units continuing to rise year-on-year, according to Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas, these findings highlight significant risk assessment challenges and potential bad loan rates that financial institutions face.