I keep a one-page Google Sheet that flags product fit by credit tier, DTI, loan purpose, and collateral, with notes for oddballs like bank-statement loans and seasonal income. It’s helped me turn potential declines into structured approvals by repositioning to niche programs without overpromising. If you want a blank copy, I can outline the columns and simple formulas I use; be sure to confirm against your investors’ matrices and current guidelines.
I added a ‘seasonal income’ override column; saved two declines — just watch version creep.
I keep a “policy cliff” flag that turns yellow when DTI/LTV/FICO are within 1–3% of a cutoff so I know to ask for reserves or pivot to a non-QM lane before pricing; it helps, but conditional formatting can bog the file, so cap rules to a few. @c_gray89 want the simple IF/ABS formula?
Quick tip: building on @e_turner2000, I added a doc‑path dropdown (Full, Bank‑Statement, DSCR) that flips the fit rules and pulls a one‑line “overlay note” via XLOOKUP — saved me from pricing a DSCR condo over its LTV cap. Small caveat: keep the overlay list on one hidden tab or you’ll play version whack‑a‑mole. Do you keep overlays in-sheet or link out to the investor matrix?