Amid the ongoing impact of the sub-prime meltdown and the ensuing credit crunch, lenders are facing a much tougher market than has been seen for some time. In this environment, the control and co-ordination of information will form the basis of lenders' ability to react to changing market and regulatory conditions. As a result, lenders are once again looking at their processes and risk management capabilities, which is causing them to question whether they have the tools necessary to manage their risk profiles while delivering an efficient and flexible lending solution.

• Maintaining margins amid credit tightening will require more responsive risk-based pricing.
• Pricing flexibility and responding to regulatory change will be key competitive advantages.
• The quest for decisioning and lending automation must not compromise flexibility.
• Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS) can enhance risk management, lending process streamlining and flexibility.