Wolf&Grayson EditorialPayments have always reflected the way people live, and each generation leaves its mark on how money moves. Cash once filled pockets, then checks took their place, followed by cards and now mobile wallets that let people tap through their day without opening a wallet. Every shift tells a story about changing habits and expectations, creating signals that lenders can no longer afford to overlook.
Commercial risk strategist Jonathan Telzrow believes real advantage comes from interpreting the right data at the right moment and designing credit products that move in rhythm with customers’ lives and the technologies they use. He’s spent more than three decades shaping how lenders think about risk, credit, and the evolving relationship between payments and lending.
“My goal has always been to give lenders and their clients the data they need to make informed credit decisions while managing reasonable credit risk,” Telzrow says. From senior roles at Visa, Experian, Equifax, Coface, and major commercial banks, Telzrow is widely regarded for his ability to translate complex credit and payment signals into practical strategies that help institutions make smarter, more adaptive lending decisions.
The New Logic of Payments Inside Lending
Consumer behavior is changing fast, and lenders must adapt their lending products and strategies just as quickly if they want to stay relevant. Ask Telzrow about the future of payments and he points to a landscape where the strongest lenders read payment behavior as a clear window into how people live and what they need next. That belief guides how he helps institutions blend payment solutions into lending portfolios in ways that elevate performance and strengthen loyalty.
“It used to be all about the lending and the card was just the vehicle,” he says. “Now lenders look at what payments people are using and incorporate that into lending decisions.” The current shift from treating payments as a simple means to an end to viewing them as meaningful behavioral signals emerged as lenders recognized everyday transactions as clear indicators of a customer’s financial reality. A tap at a grocery store or a missed subscription renewal often revealed more about someone’s financial reality than any formal document.
The core business of lending remains steady. What changes is the channel through which customers access and interact with credit, making it crucial for lenders to understand and adapt to those evolving media.
Why Data Still Trips Up Lenders
As lenders begin relying more heavily on payment signals, many discover that the real challenge isn’t access to data but the ability to interpret it well. The institutions that succeed are those able to separate meaningful behavioral patterns from the noise rather than assuming more data automatically leads to better decisions.
“There is so much data. It becomes a fire hose,” says Telzrow. “People think if they just get the data, good things will happen. But getting the data is only the first step.”
Large institutions often have the teams and infrastructure to consume and interpret high-volume payment data. Smaller lenders rarely do. The misconception lies in assuming that more information automatically improves decisioning. In reality, the advantage comes from extracting the right signals and discarding the noise. “You have to massage that data,” he explains. “You need to be quick at understanding whether the additional data gets you to the transformation you’re looking for.”
Three Levers for Building a Payment-Enhanced Portfolio
Telzrow points to three advanced strategic levers lenders should prioritize.
- Understand customer lifecycle positioning: “Where someone is in their own life cycle has such an important implication to the product you deliver,” he says. A college student, a parent with children entering adulthood, and a retiree all have distinct financial rhythms. payment-enhanced lending only works when products map precisely to those rhythms.
- Align with preferred transactional methods: Lenders should never push a payment tool that customers have no intention of using. “Understanding how they access money and how they need money is very important,” says Telzrow. A portfolio that aligns with customer behavior naturally improves stickiness.
- Balance rewards with sustainability: Rewards shape spending behavior, yet they’re costly. Cash back, travel perks, and instant discounts all influence card usage. “Annual fees are making a comeback,” Telzrow says, noting the tricky balance lenders must strike between customer appeal and economic viability. When done well, rewards strengthen loyalty and deepen engagement.
Preparing for the Next Seven Years
The convergence of real-time payments, programmable money, open data frameworks, and AI-driven decisioning will redefine how portfolios are architected. “AI is a great tool, but it won’t take over on its own,” he shares. “You still need creativity, leadership, and a position you want to be in. Once you have that, AI helps you consume the data and put together the right lending products for the right consumers at the right time.”
Speed will be essential. As payments accelerate, lenders unable to process signals quickly will lose ground. AI supercharges the credit modeling that has existed for decades, giving lenders the ability to adapt portfolios in near real time.
Managing Credit Exposure as a Living Relationship
Payment patterns reveal life changes long before traditional credit indicators do, and integrating payment solutions is ultimately about cultivating a dynamic relationship with the borrower. Payment behavior signals when customers need more flexibility, when they’re expanding, or when financial pressure is building. Lenders who interpret these signals correctly protect their portfolios while deepening trust.
Credit management must evolve continuously, guided by real-time payment behavior rather than static indicators. By reading these signals, lenders can adjust credit limits proactively and strengthen long-term borrower relationships while managing risk more effectively. “I want to give someone the right amount of credit. I want to pull back when I have to and loosen when I can,” he says.
To follow more insights from Jonathan Telzrow, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit his website.
