What is Loan Tape?
A loan tape (also called a data tape or collateral file) is a structured data file, typically Excel or CSV, containing the detailed characteristics of each loan in a portfolio. Standard fields include loan number, current balance, note rate, original term, remaining term, origination date, FICO score, LTV, DTI, property type, state, and payment status. Loan tapes are the starting point for portfolio analytics, due diligence, and pricing. The quality and completeness of the tape directly impacts the accuracy of any analysis performed on the portfolio.
How LoanBook Uses Loan Tape
LoanBook standardizes incoming loan tapes to 91 canonical fields (plus 73 SBA-specific fields) using intelligent column mapping with synonym resolution. The platform accepts any tape format (Excel, CSV) and automatically maps columns, validates data, converts types, and enriches with 150+ additional fields from geographic, census, economic, and regulatory data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What fields should be on a loan tape?
At minimum: loan number, current balance, note rate, original and remaining term, origination date, FICO, LTV, property type, state, and payment status. For commercial loans, add DSCR, debt yield, and property details. For SBA loans, add program type, guarantee percentage, and SBA-specific identifiers.
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See Loan Tape in Action
LoanBook calculates loan tape and 50+ other analytics automatically for your loan portfolios.