Your internet habits could determine whether or not you get a loan writes Katie Lobosco:

• Humans are actually pretty good at knowing who is trustworthy and reliable in their community. So financial institutions have an incentive to tap into their judgment when determining whether or not to offer a loan.
• One startup ties into a user’s Facebook, eBay, and Amazon accounts and figures out how likely they are to default on a loan.
• Even information such as how an online form is filled out is helpful. If all-caps or lower case letters are used by an applicant, they are a greater credit risk.
• Reading about the loan that an individual is about to sign up for is also generally a good sign.
• Location data which shows if you’re filling out a form from work or from home can also be factored in.

Read more about the companies driving innovation in this space, what this means for individuals, and how reliable the metrics are over here. And check out an earlier article about how lenders are using social media to assess borrowers over here.

Source: CNN