Generate & curate the client needs list

Overview

The client needs list is the borrower's document request — the itemized list of what they need to upload, delivered by email with a link to the portal. Arive generates the basics automatically, but the auto-list is never complete. The real LO skill in this step is curating: reviewing what Arive generated and adding the custom needs it missed, based on everything you learned in the qualifying conversation and the AUS findings.

Two generation paths

Online application path — automatic

When the borrower finishes the online application, Arive auto-generates the needs list under the Client Needs tab and auto-emails it to the borrower. Zero LO action required to initiate — the borrower can start uploading immediately.

But automatic doesn't mean complete. Go review the list (see curating below).

Phone application path — LO triggers it

Phone-taken applications don't auto-generate. The LO goes to the Client Needs tab and hits the auto-generate button, which builds the basics list and emails the client needs directly to the borrower so they can begin uploading.

Scribe walkthrough pending — the Client Needs tab: auto-generating, and adding custom needs.

Curating the list — where the value is

The auto-generated list covers basic documents. It regularly misses the file-specific needs — and every one of these comes up all the time:

• Letters of explanation — job gaps, credit inquiries, address mismatches
• Gift funds — gift letter and supporting docs
• Divorce decree / child support orders — when income or obligations flow through them
• Self-employed package — business returns, P&L, business bank statements
• REO documentation — mortgage statements, leases, tax and insurance for other properties owned
• Contract addenda and amendments — anything modifying the purchase contract

Your sources for what to add:

1. The qualifying conversation. Everything you learned that complicates the file — the rental property, the 1099 income, the divorce, the gift from mom — translates directly into a need you add now.
2. The AUS findings. The findings report spells out documentation requirements (covered in Run DU/LP). Check the doc requirements section and make sure the needs list matches.

A curated list up front means one clean ask of the borrower. A lazy list means the borrower gets hit with "one more thing" requests for weeks — which erodes trust and slows the file.

Automatic reminders

Arive automatically reminds borrowers about outstanding needs on a configurable cadence — same settings concept as the incomplete-application reminders. Set your cadence once in your Arive settings and the system nags for you. As with app reminders, these are email-only; a personal text still outperforms them when items stall.

Common pitfalls

Trusting the auto-list

The number-one mistake. Auto-generate is a starting point, not a finished request. If you learned something in the qualifying call that needs documentation, and it's not on the list, the file stalls at underwriting waiting for it.

Ignoring the AUS findings when building the list

The findings literally tell you what the file needs. A needs list that doesn't match the findings means collecting docs twice.

Front-loading nothing, back-loading everything

Every custom need you fail to add now becomes a mid-process ask later — usually discovered at handoff or, worse, at underwriting submission. Ask once, ask complete.

Who to ask if you're stuck

Not sure what documentation a situation requires (complex income, gift rules, REO): Bryce or Dean.
Client Needs tab mechanics in Arive: Bryce or Dean.