Service 1st

What Service 1st does

Service 1st (legal entity: Service First Information Solutions LLC) is a privately held US credit reporting agency founded in 1926 and headquartered in Hammonton, New Jersey, with a secondary office in Redding, California. The company serves mortgage lenders, credit unions, mortgage brokers, auto lenders, and property managers with a modular platform spanning credit reporting, verification of employment and income (VOE/I Cascade), income determination (Income+), fraud and quality control review, background and tenant screening, and predictive lead generation. Its core technology stack includes a true cascade waterfall across 30+ third-party database providers and consumer-permissioned payroll networks, AI-driven employer capture covering 70% of VOE/I orders, and FICO/VantageScore tri-merge and single-bureau reporting with a SmartSelect cascading option that reduces credit reporting fees by 32%.

Service 1st operates a platform-plus-modules model in which lenders can consume individual products or combine verification, income calculation, credit reporting, and score-simulation workflows. The platform integrates natively with major loan origination systems (Encompass via ICE Mortgage Technology's Partner Connect, MeridianLink, TAZ Works), and Service 1st holds authorized report supplier status under Fannie Mae's Day 1 Certainty program, enabling rep and warrant relief on qualified loans. Security and compliance credentials include SOC 2 Type 2, PCI-DSS, SAFC-I FCRA, and EI3PA certifications. Differentiators cited by the company include 100% onshore fulfillment, turn times 50% faster than industry benchmarks (49% of VOE/I orders in 12 hours, 87% within 2 days), and 130+ combined years of industry experience.

The go-to-market is sales-led and enterprise-focused, organized into four US regional sales territories (East Coast, West Coast, Southwest, North Central) led by National and Regional Sales Directors, supplemented by inside sales, phone support, and self-serve client portals. Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based fees on credit reports and verification services, with subscription/recurring components for lead generation tools (Experian In The Market models), ScoreNavigator credit simulation products, and CreditXpert-licensed modules (Credit Assure, Wayfinder, What-If Simulator). The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or acquisition activity, and operates exclusively within the United States.

Name

Service 1st

Legal name

Service First Information Solutions LLC

Website

https://srv1st.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Service 1st is a US-based credit reporting agency serving mortgage lenders, credit unions, and brokers with credit reporting, VOE/I verification, fraud review, and background screening. It integrates with major loan origination systems and supports Fannie Mae Day 1 Certainty verification.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Credit Reporting Services

NAICS

Credit Bureaus (561450), Other Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (52239)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320), Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162)

akta.pro primary industry

Credit Bureaus & Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies (FSAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fraud Detection, Identity & KYC/AML for Mortgages (FSALALAH), Mortgage & Loan Introducers (Residential & Commercial) (FSAEAMAA)

Keywords

• Credit reporting services
• Loan origination solutions
• Verification services
• Background screening
• Mortgage credit data

Headquarters

HQ city

Redding

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Credit Reporting Services: Transaction-based credit reporting services including tri-merge, single bureau, and business credit reports for mortgage origination, auto lending, and other lending purposes.
2. Verification Services: Verification of employment and income services including VOE/I Cascade, 4506-C tax transcripts, SSA-89 identity verification, and asset verification.
3. Loan Origination Solutions: Pre-qualification services, lead generation tools, Score Navigator products, flood and property AVMs, and portfolio review services.
4. Background Screening: Tenant screening services through TransUnion SmartMove, employment screening, criminal background checks, and DMV records.
5. CreditXpert Products: Credit Assure, Wayfinder, and What-If Simulator products providing credit score enhancement and simulation capabilities to mortgage professionals.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Service 1st is a credit reporting agency that provides loan origination solutions for mortgage lenders, credit unions, banks, and property managers. The core offering centers on credit reporting (tri-merge, single bureau, business credit reports) and verification of employment and income (VOE/I Cascade, 4506-C tax transcripts, SSA-89, asset verification), supplemented by income determination (Income+), fraud/QC review, background and tenant screening (SmartMove), predictive lead generation, and credit score simulation tools (ScoreNavigator suite).

Product overview

Service 1st is a credit reporting agency providing a modular loan origination platform centered on credit reporting and verification services. The core offering includes Credit Reporting (Tri-merge, Single, Business reports with SmartSelect cascading option) and VOE/I Cascade verification services, supplemented by add-on modules including Income+ (income determination), Day 1 Certainty (Fannie Mae rep/warrant relief), ScoreNavigator Suite (credit simulation tools including Credit Assure, Wayfinder, What-If Simulator), SmartMove (tenant screening via TransUnion), and Lead Generation Solutions (Experian In The Market, iScreen). The architecture follows a platform-plus-modules model where clients can select individual products or combine them—verification reports feed into income calculation modules, credit reports integrate with score improvement tools, and all services connect to major LOS platforms like Encompass and MeridianLink.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SmartMove: Online tenant screening solution powered by TransUnion, providing credit checks, eviction history, and criminal background checks for landlords.
• ScoreNavigator
• Income+
• VOE Cascade
• CreditXpert
• Day 1 Certainty
• Credit Assure
• SmartSelect

Products and services

• Credit Reporting Suite Tri-merge, single bureau, and business credit reports with reissueable soft inquiry options, FICO and Vantage scores, liens and judgments, and QC credit reports for regulatory compliance, used by mortgage lenders and financial institutions.
• VOE/I Cascade Verification of Employment and Income service using true cascade technology with 100% guaranteed completion from automated waterfall across 30+ third-party providers and a consumer-permissioned payroll network, used by mortgage lenders for loan origination decisioning.
• Income+ Income determination suite providing single-page supplement reports of verified monthly income calculated from borrower tax transcripts, W2s, and VOE data via a customizable rules engine, used by mortgage lenders to standardize and accelerate income calculation.
• Day 1 Certainty Fannie Mae authorized report supplier service providing VOE/income and 4506-C reports that qualify lenders for rep and warrant relief on eligible loans.
• SmartSelect Cascading credit bureau report option that starts with single bureau verification and upgrades only to bi- or tri-merge when pre-defined benchmarks are triggered, reducing overall credit reporting fees by 32% and eliminating hard inquiries for unqualified applicants.
• ScoreNavigator Suite Suite of credit score simulator tools including Credit Assure, Wayfinder, What-If Simulator, Mortgage Action Plan, Money Simulator, Target Score Simulator, and Manual Score Simulator that helps mortgage professionals guide borrowers toward qualifying credit scores.
• Credit Assure CreditXpert-powered tool showing applicant's credit score plus their score potential on every credit report, enabling mortgage professionals to judge a borrower's potential to qualify for loans or better loan programs.
• SmartMove (Tenant Screening) Online tenant screening solution powered by TransUnion providing credit checks, eviction history, and criminal background checks in minutes for landlords and property managers.
• Lead Generation Solutions Predictive lead generation tools including Experian In The Market models and iScreen targeting consumers most likely to respond to mortgage offers based on credit and demographic criteria, for use by mortgage lenders.
• Fraud & QC Review Quality control and fraud prevention services including application data validation, regulatory compliance tools, fraud reports, ID risk review, and wire fraud prevention, used by mortgage lenders to mitigate origination risk.
• Background Screening Comprehensive background screening including tenant screening, employment screening, credit/scores/OFAC checks, criminal background, eviction records, and DMV records, for use by landlords, employers, and other organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% faster turn times than industry benchmarks
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NCS (National Credit Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company providing income data and asset information for Day 1 Certainty verification services. NCS is an authorized report supplier for Fannie Mae's Day 1 Certainty program, enabling rep and warrant relief on qualified loans.
• Experian VerifycoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated verification provider within the VOE/I Cascade waterfall, providing automated employment and income verification data.
• The Work Number (Equifax)coreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary VOE/I verification partner integrated into cascade waterfall for automated employment verification.
• TransUnion SmartMovecoreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive tenant screening solution providing credit reports, eviction history, and criminal background checks with access to 200M+ national criminal records.
• Experian (Lead Generation)coreTechnology or IntegrationIn The Market models providing predictive analytics to identify consumers most likely to respond to mortgage offers. Targets top 20% model tier with 80% likelihood to enter mortgage market within 1-4 months.
• Fannie MaecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDay 1 Certainty authorized report supplier status enabling lenders to receive rep and warrant relief on qualified loans when using Service 1st's verification services.
• ICE Mortgage Technology (Encompass)coreTechnology or IntegrationEncompass Partner Connect integration for seamless ordering within Encompass platform. API-driven cloud platform replacing legacy SDK framework with modern RESTful API.
• MeridianLinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationClient portal integration for credit reporting, asset verification, and flood/title services ordering through MeridianLink platform.
• TAZ WorkscoreTechnology or IntegrationSSO integration for credit reporting, background screening, driver records, and investigative reports ordering.
• CreditXpertcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensed provider of Credit Assure, Wayfinder, and What-If Simulator products. Mortgage professionals access these tools on nearly 1 million credit reports per month through Service 1st.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pro Teck Valuation Services: Provider of credit, valuation, and verification services to the mortgage industry; comparable in offering loan-origination support products to the same mortgage lender customer base as Service 1st.
• Advantage Credit: Credit reporting agency focused exclusively on the mortgage industry, offering tri-merge credit reports, verifications, and loan origination support — directly comparable to Service 1st's core offering to mortgage lenders and brokers.
• CBCInnovis: Credit and verification services provider to the mortgage industry, offering credit reports, flood, verification, and fraud solutions — a long-standing direct competitor to Service 1st.
• Informative Research: Credit and verification services company serving mortgage lenders and brokers with credit reports, VOE/I, and fraud tools — a closely comparable peer across the loan origination workflow.
• Accurate Group: Provider of verification, credit, and due diligence solutions to mortgage lenders, including VOE/VOA services — directly overlapping Service 1st's verification product line.
• Credit Plus: National credit reporting reseller serving mortgage lenders with credit reports, verifications, and fraud tools — overlapping product mix and customer base with Service 1st.

Broad incumbents

• TransUnion: National credit bureau and Service 1st's SmartMove tenant screening partner; provides credit reports, verification, and analytics across mortgage, consumer, and property management verticals at global incumbent scale.
• Equifax: One of the three national credit bureaus and Service 1st's VOE/I data partner via The Work Number; offers credit reports, verification, and analytics across consumer and mortgage markets as a much broader incumbent.
• Experian: National credit bureau and key Service 1st partner (Experian Verify, Experian In The Market lead models, EI3PA certification); also competes directly in mortgage credit and verification through its Consumer Services and Business Information divisions.

Emerging players

• Mortgage Connect LP: Provider of origination, closing, and verification services in the mortgage industry; comparable to Service 1st's loan origination and verification offerings with a partial-overlap customer footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/s1ncstrv
• Facebookfacebook.com/S1.service1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/service-1st-information

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Service 1st