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Every lending integration follows the same three-step setup: represent your applicant as an Entity, verify their identity, and discover their complete liability picture. This guide walks through each step with full API calls for a loan applicant named James Rodriguez. As a lender, the goal of this flow is to go from a name and phone number to a complete view of everything the applicant owes — credit cards, auto loans, student loans, personal loans, and mortgages — in a single session. This is the foundation for DTI calculations, underwriting decisions, and eventual loan disbursement.
1

Create the Entity

Start by creating an Entity with the applicant’s PII. For lending use cases, providing more identity data (SSN last 4, date of birth, address) significantly improves match rates during account discovery.
curl https://production.methodfi.com/entities \
  -X POST \
  -H "Method-Version: 2025-12-01" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_WyZEWVfTcH7GqmPzUPk65Vjc" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "individual",
    "individual": {
      "first_name": "James",
      "last_name": "Rodriguez",
      "phone": "+12125550456",
      "email": "james.rodriguez@email.com",
      "dob": "1989-03-22",
      "ssn_4": "5678"
    },
    "address": {
      "line1": "456 Oak Ave",
      "line2": null,
      "city": "Brooklyn",
      "state": "NY",
      "zip": "11201"
    }
  }'

{
  "id": "ent_qKNBB68bfHGNA",
  "type": "individual",
  "individual": {
    "first_name": "James",
    "last_name": "Rodriguez",
    "phone": "+12125550456",
    "dob": "1989-03-22",
    "email": "james.rodriguez@email.com",
    "ssn_4": "5678",
    "ssn": null
  },
  "error": null,
  "address": {
    "line1": "456 Oak Ave",
    "line2": null,
    "city": "Brooklyn",
    "state": "NY",
    "zip": "11201"
  },
  "status": "incomplete",
  "verification": {
    "identity": {
      "verified": false,
      "matched": false,
      "latest_verification_session": null,
      "methods": [
        "element",
        "kba"
      ]
    },
    "phone": {
      "verified": false,
      "latest_verification_session": null,
      "methods": [
        "sms",
        "sna",
        "byo_sms"
      ]
    }
  },
  "connect": null,
  "credit_score": null,
  "products": [
    "identity"
  ],
  "restricted_products": [
    "connect",
    "credit_score",
    "attribute"
  ],
  "subscriptions": [],
  "available_subscriptions": [
    "connect",
    "credit_score"
  ],
  "restricted_subscriptions": [],
  "metadata": null,
  "created_at": "2025-09-15T14:22:31.424Z",
  "updated_at": "2025-09-15T14:22:31.424Z"
}
The Entity is created with status: "incomplete" — the applicant still needs to verify their identity before Method can discover their accounts.
Including ssn_4 and dob at entity creation gives Method more data points to match against credit bureau records during Connect, which improves account discovery rates.
2

Verify Identity

Before Method can pull the applicant’s credit data, you need to verify their identity. The fastest path is SMS verification, which sends a one-time code to the applicant’s phone number.Create the verification session:
curl https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_qKNBB68bfHGNA/verification_sessions \
  -X POST \
  -H "Method-Version: 2025-12-01" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_WyZEWVfTcH7GqmPzUPk65Vjc" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "type": "phone",
    "method": "sms",
    "sms": {}
  }'

{
  "id": "evf_P4QXNj93Y9J8L",
  "entity_id": "ent_qKNBB68bfHGNA",
  "status": "in_progress",
  "type": "phone",
  "method": "sms",
  "sms": {},
  "error": null,
  "created_at": "2025-09-15T14:23:05.812Z",
  "updated_at": "2025-09-15T14:23:05.812Z"
}
The applicant receives an SMS code and submits it through your UI. Once verified, you update the verification session with the code, and the Entity transitions to active status.
Method also supports KBA (Knowledge-Based Authentication) and Opal as alternative verification methods. For lending flows where the applicant is already in your app, SMS is typically the fastest path to conversion.
After successful verification, the Entity is active:
{
  "id": "ent_qKNBB68bfHGNA",
  "type": "individual",
  "individual": {
    "first_name": "James",
    "last_name": "Rodriguez",
    "phone": "+12125550456",
    "dob": "1989-03-22",
    "email": "james.rodriguez@email.com",
    "ssn_4": "5678",
    "ssn": null
  },
  "error": null,
  "address": {
    "line1": "456 Oak Ave",
    "line2": null,
    "city": "Brooklyn",
    "state": "NY",
    "zip": "11201"
  },
  "status": "active",
  "verification": {
    "identity": {
      "verified": true,
      "matched": true,
      "latest_verification_session": "evf_P4QXNj93Y9J8L",
      "methods": []
    },
    "phone": {
      "verified": true,
      "latest_verification_session": "evf_P4QXNj93Y9J8L",
      "methods": []
    }
  },
  "connect": null,
  "credit_score": null,
  "products": [
    "identity",
    "connect",
    "credit_score",
    "attribute"
  ],
  "restricted_products": [],
  "subscriptions": [],
  "available_subscriptions": [
    "connect",
    "credit_score"
  ],
  "restricted_subscriptions": [],
  "metadata": null,
  "created_at": "2025-09-15T14:22:31.424Z",
  "updated_at": "2025-09-15T14:23:48.106Z"
}
Notice that connect, credit_score, and attribute have moved from restricted_products to products — the applicant is now eligible for account discovery.
3

Connect Liabilities

With the Entity verified, call Connect to discover all of the applicant’s liability accounts via a soft credit pull (no impact to their credit score).
curl https://production.methodfi.com/entities/ent_qKNBB68bfHGNA/connect \
  -X POST \
  -H "Method-Version: 2025-12-01" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_WyZEWVfTcH7GqmPzUPk65Vjc"

{
  "id": "cxn_4ewMmBbjYDMR4",
  "entity_id": "ent_qKNBB68bfHGNA",
  "status": "completed",
  "accounts": [
    "acc_WqNhMRNVZjbKg",
    "acc_nPvJM9KXRwQE4",
    "acc_TmGPLxkz7Nrh6",
    "acc_RkFqVbD8HjQxP",
    "acc_YXDrjADGjC76U",
    "acc_KpLnWzFt9Mjd3"
  ],
  "requested_products": [],
  "requested_subscriptions": [],
  "error": null,
  "created_at": "2025-09-15T14:24:12.339Z",
  "updated_at": "2025-09-15T14:24:12.339Z"
}
Method discovered 6 liability accounts across multiple creditors. Each account ID maps to a specific debt obligation. You can retrieve any account to see its liability details:
curl https://production.methodfi.com/accounts/acc_WqNhMRNVZjbKg \
  -H "Method-Version: 2025-12-01" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_WyZEWVfTcH7GqmPzUPk65Vjc"

{
  "id": "acc_WqNhMRNVZjbKg",
  "holder_id": "ent_qKNBB68bfHGNA",
  "status": "active",
  "type": "liability",
  "liability": {
    "mch_id": "mch_183",
    "mask": "4021",
    "ownership": "primary",
    "fingerprint": "8a3c91f2b7e4d6a0c5f1e8b3d9a7c4f2e6b0d8a1",
    "type": "credit_card",
    "sub_type": "flexible_spending",
    "name": "Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card"
  },
  "latest_verification_session": null,
  "update": null,
  "balance": null,
  "card_brand": null,
  "payment_instrument": null,
  "products": ["balance", "update", "payment"],
  "restricted_products": ["sensitive"],
  "subscriptions": [],
  "available_subscriptions": ["update", "update.snapshot"],
  "restricted_subscriptions": [],
  "error": null,
  "metadata": null,
  "created_at": "2025-09-15T14:24:12.339Z",
  "updated_at": "2025-09-15T14:24:12.542Z"
}
The applicant’s discovered accounts represent the following debts:
Account IDCreditorTypeEstimated Balance
acc_WqNhMRNVZjbKgChase Freedom FlexCredit Card$3,200
acc_nPvJM9KXRwQE4Discover itCredit Card$1,800
acc_TmGPLxkz7Nrh6Toyota Motor CreditAuto Loan$18,450
acc_RkFqVbD8HjQxPFedLoanStudent Loan$34,200
acc_YXDrjADGjC76UUpstartPersonal Loan$12,000
acc_KpLnWzFt9Mjd3Rocket MortgageMortgage$245,000
This is the complete liability picture you need for DTI calculations and underwriting. In the next guides, you’ll see how to pull real-time balances, request payoff quotes, and initiate payments to these accounts.

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What’s Next

Application & Qualification

Pull real-time account data and assess credit risk with Attributes.

Debt Consolidation

Request payoff quotes and disburse funds directly to creditors.