How to structure a decision in principle brokers trust
A good DIP is quick to issue and quick to read. The figures that belong on it, the conditions worth stating plainly, and why consistency across deals builds broker confidence.
Brokers compare lenders on speed and on certainty. A decision in principle that arrives quickly but changes later costs more goodwill than one that takes an extra hour and holds. The structure of the DIP itself does a lot of the work.
Lead with the numbers that decide the deal
- Net loan and term.
- Loan-to-value, and the valuation it is based on.
- Fees, each one named, with how it is calculated.
- The key conditions the offer depends on.
When these figures are calculated from the deal data rather than typed by hand, they stay consistent between the system and the document, and between one DIP and the next.
Use one template
Your DIP template is part of your brand with brokers. Generating every DIP from the same template, filled in from the loan record, means terms always appear in the same place and the same wording.
State conditions plainly
Conditions written as clear, separate items are easier for a broker to relay to a borrower, and easier for your team to tick off later in the process.