The Problem
For Breakout Finance, lien position isn’t just a detail; it’s a dealbreaker. Knowing exactly who holds first position on a borrower’s assets can mean the difference between recovering funds or writing off a loss. Yet legacy data providers frequently returned incomplete UCC records, buried key liens in irrelevant noise, or delivered stale data – leaving Breakout Finance exposed to unnecessary risk.
If the data tells us we are in first position we move forward under that assumption of security. For us, the risk of inaccurate or incomplete data is measured in dollars. In one scenario, when data is accurate and complete, we can be made whole if something goes wrong, in the other; inaccurate, stale or incomplete data leaves us out to dry.
Without full visibility into the lien profile of its borrower base, Breakout Finance needed to improve how it managed one of the most crucial inputs to their credit risk model by finding a more accurate source of truth.
The Solution
Superior Lien Data with Zero Friction Implementation
To eliminate the risk of relying on inaccurate or incomplete data, Breakout Finance turned to Baselayer for lien data that’s accurate, complete, and easy to operationalize. They kicked off with a rigorous head-to-head test: 100 borrower files with known lien positions, run through both Baselayer and their legacy vendor.
The difference was immediate. Baselayer returned more results, surfaced cleaner and more complete lien records, and did it all in less time.
“It wasn’t close, which was a bit shocking” Ian recalls. “When one vendor is matching more than 98% of the hits correctly and the other is closer to 70% – that difference potentially represents millions of dollars in risk.”
In one case, their previous provider found just two active liens. Baselayer uncovered seven, a detail that directly affects whether to lend, how much to lend, or whether to file a lien at all.
Implementation was just as frictionless. While most providers require weeks of onboarding, Baselayer was live in production within 72 hours; no downtime, no workflow disruption:
“We stood up a game plan for implementation in an afternoon and had it in production three days later. That level of efficiency is a rarity in our industry experience.”
Beyond the data, Breakout valued how quickly the Baselayer team responded to real-world feedback. As their needs evolved, so did the product – with improvements shaped by ongoing conversations and day-to-day insights from the front lines.
The Result
Full Visibility, Faster Decisions, and Millions in Finance Protected
Breakout didn’t just replace a data vendor – they gained full lien visibility, faster decision-making, and stronger risk protection from day one. With Baselayer, the team now moves quickly and confidently, always knowing whether they’re in first position, and avoiding assumptions that could cost them.
“Baselayer is a critical element in our decision flow. By efficiently passing us the enriched data we need, Baselayer allows our team to progress faster and without the burden of potentially duplicating mistakes.”
In an environment where small mistakes carry big consequences, that kind of clarity makes all the difference.
