Switchboard Finance

Checks whether an Australian business owner's finance need is something Switchboard Finance, a licensed finance broker, can help with, and which finance types fit. Covers ATO or tax debt, bank declines, caveat and second mortgages, private and commercial property loans, development, equipment and vehicles, invoice finance, overdrafts, bad credit and going-concern businesses such as motels. With amount, property value, timing and trading history it also checks loan size, LVR and time to fund against observed ranges, and returns documents usually needed, deal-breakers and an expected callback time. Example: {"purpose":"clear a $180k ATO debt this week","security":"warehouse worth $1.2M, $400k owing","amount":180000,"property_value":1200000,"existing_debt":400000}. General information, not a credit decision or advice.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "purpose": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "What the money is for, in the owner's words"
    },
    "situation": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Anything else relevant: ATO debt, declined by a bank, urgency, credit issues, low doc"
    },
    "security": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Property, vehicle, equipment, or none"
    },
    "amount": {
      "type": "number",
      "minimum": 0,
      "description": "Amount needed in AUD"
    },
    "property_value": {
      "type": "number",
      "minimum": 0,
      "description": "Value of any property offered as security, AUD"
    },
    "existing_debt": {
      "type": "number",
      "minimum": 0,
      "description": "Amount already owed against that property, AUD"
    },
    "borrower_type": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "company, trust, sole trader or partnership"
    },
    "trading_months": {
      "type": "integer",
      "minimum": 0,
      "description": "How long the ABN has been trading, in months"
    },
    "needed_within_days": {
      "type": "integer",
      "minimum": 0,
      "description": "How soon the funds are needed, in days"
    },
    "business_purpose": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "True if the funds are for a business purpose (false means personal or household)"
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false
}

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "disclosure": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "licensee": {
      "type": "object"
    },
    "method": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "as_of": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "next_review": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "matrix_page": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "contact": {
      "type": "object"
    },
    "error": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "problems": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      }
    },
    "is_credit_decision": {
      "type": "boolean"
    },
    "fit": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "likely_in_scope",
        "needs_broker",
        "outside_scope",
        "unlikely"
      ]
    },
    "reason": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "lanes": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object"
      }
    },
    "questions_to_sharpen": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      }
    },
    "next_step": {
      "type": "object"
    }
  }
}

Lists the types of business finance Switchboard Finance arranges for self-employed Australians and ABN holders, with observed loan sizes, time to fund, maximum LVR and rate ranges across its lender panel. Pass lane for one type's full criteria (security, LVR, trading history, ATO position, deal-breakers, documents, pricing, term). Example: {"lane":"caveat"}. Category-level only; no lender is named.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "lane": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "caveat",
        "second-mortgage",
        "private-first",
        "commercial-property",
        "development",
        "overdraft",
        "business-loan",
        "bad-credit",
        "invoice",
        "asset",
        "accommodation"
      ],
      "description": "Optional finance type id for full criteria"
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false
}

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "disclosure": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "licensee": {
      "type": "object"
    },
    "method": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "as_of": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "next_review": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "matrix_page": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "contact": {
      "type": "object"
    },
    "error": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "problems": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      }
    },
    "lanes": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object"
      }
    },
    "lane": {
      "type": "object"
    },
    "detail_hint": {
      "type": "string"
    }
  }
}

Sends a business owner's finance enquiry to a licensed Switchboard Finance broker, who contacts them by phone, SMS and email. Requires consent: true, meaning the person has agreed to this wording: "I agree to Switchboard Finance contacting me about this enquiry by phone, SMS and email, including follow-up emails I can unsubscribe from at any time." Returns a reference number and the expected contact time. Nothing is applied for and no credit check is run. Retries with the same idempotency_key return the original reference instead of creating a second enquiry.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "name": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 2,
      "maxLength": 80,
      "description": "The person's name"
    },
    "phone": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Australian phone number, e.g. 0412 345 678"
    },
    "email": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "email",
      "description": "Email address"
    },
    "scenario": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 15,
      "description": "The finance need in the owner's words: purpose, rough amount, timing"
    },
    "consent": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "True only if the person agreed to the consent wording in this tool's description"
    },
    "consent_method": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "user_confirmed_in_chat",
        "user_ticked_checkbox_in_app",
        "user_submitted_form"
      ],
      "description": "How consent was given (default user_confirmed_in_chat)"
    },
    "notice_shown": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "True if the collection notice from check_fit (next_step.collection_notice) was shown to the person"
    },
    "business_purpose": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "True if the funds are for a business purpose"
    },
    "business_name": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "abn": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "11-digit ABN, optional"
    },
    "amount": {
      "type": "number",
      "minimum": 0,
      "description": "Amount needed in AUD, optional"
    },
    "agent_name": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Name of the assistant submitting, e.g. ChatGPT, Claude"
    },
    "idempotency_key": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Optional unique key (8-128 chars) so a retry does not create a duplicate enquiry"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "name",
    "phone",
    "email",
    "scenario",
    "consent"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false
}

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "error": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "problems": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      }
    },
    "received": {
      "type": "boolean"
    },
    "status": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "received",
        "queued"
      ]
    },
    "reference": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "enquiry_id": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "duplicate": {
      "type": "boolean"
    },
    "response_time": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "expected_contact": {
      "type": "object"
    },
    "what_happens_next": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "consent": {
      "type": "object"
    },
    "privacy_policy": {
      "type": "string"
    }
  }
}

Searches Switchboard Finance's published information on Australian business finance types, criteria and licensing. Returns ids, titles and source URLs for citation. Example: {"query":"second mortgage LVR for a trust"}.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "query": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "What to look up"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "query"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false
}

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "error": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "problems": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      }
    },
    "results": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "id": {
            "type": "string"
          },
          "title": {
            "type": "string"
          },
          "url": {
            "type": "string"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Returns the full text of one Switchboard Finance document by its id, with its source URL for citation. Example: {"id":"lane:caveat"}.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Document id from search, e.g. lane:caveat or about:switchboard"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "id"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false
}

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "error": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "problems": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      }
    },
    "id": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "title": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "text": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "url": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "metadata": {
      "type": "object"
    }
  }
}