Collect Borrower Documents Without a Fourth Email About Paystubs
The borrower has sent one paystub, a photograph of a W-2 taken on a kitchen table, and page one of a five page bank statement. Underwriting needs all five pages and the second paystub, and it is Thursday.
The short answer
Document collection is where loan timelines actually go, and the fix is structural rather than a better reminder email. A file request with a document checklist lists what this borrower owes, tracks each item as it arrives, and reminds whoever has not sent theirs. As documents land, the Read Details from File step reads the borrower, the document type and the period off each one, the Rename step names it accordingly, and the Move step files it under that loan, so collecting and filing happen in a single pass.
Steps this uses
Before and after
What actually changes
As they arrive
- IMG_3391.jpg
- statement.pdf
- paystub.pdf
- Scan_0044.pdf
After the workflow
- Loans/2026-004182 Nakamura/2026-08-15-paystub-aug-01-15.pdf
- Loans/2026-004182 Nakamura/2026-08-31-bank-statement-checking-august.pdf
- Loans/2026-004182 Nakamura/2025-w2-nakamura.pdf
- Loans/2026-004182 Nakamura/2026-09-02-drivers-licence.jpg
Four items from one borrower, renamed by what they are and the period they cover, filed under the loan number.
Setting it up
Described once, then it runs
This is the sentence. Send it to the builder and the steps below appear on a canvas, wired and named, for you to change before anything runs.
Ask the borrower for the paystubs, bank statements, W-2s and identification the file needs, remind them about anything not yet sent, and file each document under that loan named by borrower, type and period.
One checklist per loan, built from the file
The list is not generic. A self employed borrower owes different documents from a salaried one, and underwriting conditions add to the list as they come back. Building the checklist per file beats sending everyone the same list and sorting out the difference by email.
Name the period, not just the document
Two paystubs are not interchangeable. Writing the pay period into the filename is what makes it visible that you are holding the same one twice, which is the most common gap in an otherwise complete document set.
Catch the partial uploads
Page one of a five page bank statement is the classic. The Ask AI About the File step can look at what actually arrived and route an incomplete statement to review rather than letting the item look satisfied.
Accept documents however they arrive
Borrowers reply to the email with an attachment, photograph things, and occasionally send a screenshot. The Email Attachment trigger picks up whatever comes by mail, so the flow does not depend on everybody using the link.
The delay is almost never underwriting
A file sits because one document is missing, and finding out which one takes a round trip through email. The list of what is required is knowable at the start, and the state of that list is the thing worth keeping visible. Reminders that reach only the person who has not sent something are a different experience from a weekly nudge to everyone, and they work better for the same reason.
Conditions are a second collection, not an afterthought
Underwriting comes back with conditions, and each one is another document from the borrower, often about something they believe they already sent. Treating conditions as a fresh checklist against the same loan keeps them out of a thread that is already forty messages long, and it means the second round is tracked as carefully as the first.
What it does not do
It asks for documents, tracks arrival against a list, and files what comes in under the right loan. It does not verify income, decide whether a document satisfies a condition, or push anything into a loan origination system. Whether a bank statement supports the deposit it is meant to support is an underwriting judgement, and this makes that judgement faster to reach rather than making it for anyone.
Limits
What to know before you build it
It can work through what is already there
This one runs on a schedule over a folder you point it at, so the documents sitting in it now are read and filed alongside the ones that arrive later. A large backlog is an overnight job rather than an instant one, because each document is read rather than pattern-matched.
It needs a connected account
This workflow reads files out of an email inbox, so it cannot run until that account is connected. Connecting one is on the Max plan, or on any team workspace. There is no version of this particular workflow that runs on the free plan, because the files it organizes never arrive in The Drive AI on their own.
FAQ
Common questions
What documents do borrowers usually have to send?
Typically recent paystubs, two years of W-2s, the most recent months of bank statements in full, identification, and tax returns where self employment or rental income is involved. The list changes with the borrower and grows as underwriting conditions come back.
How do you stop borrowers sending partial bank statements?
Ask for the item in a way that names the requirement, then check what actually arrived rather than marking it received. A statement that is one page of five can be routed to review, so the gap is caught the day it happens instead of at underwriting.
Can it tell me which borrowers still owe documents?
That comes from the file request checklist. It holds the required items per borrower and tracks completion, which is what makes reminders possible. A workflow on its own acts on a document when it arrives and cannot look at a folder and know what should have been in it.
Does this replace a loan origination system?
No. The origination system runs the loan. This is the collection and filing underneath it, which at smaller shops happens in email and a shared drive regardless of what the system offers borrowers.
Ask once, file on arrival.
A checklist per loan, reminders to the borrower who has not sent theirs, and every document named by what it is.
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