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Pend Reason Automation with ScanX and Merchant Central

Updated

Overview

Pend Response Automation streamlines how pended applications are handled between ScanX and Merchant Central. This feature helps partners save time by automating pend response messaging when additional information is needed to complete underwriting. By reducing manual follow-up and improving response clarity, this automation accelerates application resolution and increases approval rates.

Prerequisites

  • Integration of ScanX and Merchant Central is configured
    • Pending Scorecard postback is set up

OR

  • Integration to the ScanX standard post back for returning data to 3rd party systems

How does Pend Reason Automation work?

When an underwriter pends an application in ScanX, there are additional options when setting the reason codes for a more robust default response that can improve the efficiency of communicating follow up steps internally and to the merchant. 

Reason Codes in ScanX have been enhanced to support a default response message per reason code. They can also be set to require an entity selection, meaning if there is more than 1 owner that needs updated information, the underwriter can select which entity the request is for to ensure what's being requested of the merchant is clear.  There is also a "Type" selection that helps categorize the request as a Data Request, Document Request, or Other. Type is not currently used for additional functionality, but helps with organization and may be leveraged in the future for further automation enhancements. 

After the underwriter confirms the reason codes and pending decision, the Scorecard data - including the new pend reason information, is posted back to the Merchant Central lead record. 

Reason codes have a new, dedicated record set that can be used to track the historical reason codes on the lead. The default responses are populated into a new lead field in a bulleted list. The response message field can then be added to email templates for automating the request to merchants for additional information. 

Related products or features

  • Scorecard Editor: User who is configuring Pend Reason automation will need access to edit Scorecards in ScanX so they can configure Reason Codes.
  • Lead Tab & Field Management: User who is configuring needs the ability to edit their Merchant Central lead tabs and fields.
  • Email Templates: User who is configuring needs the ability to edit email templates in order to leverage the default response messages for Reason Codes to streamline communication with merchants.

Enabling the Service/Product 

ScanX and Merchant Central Support has to turn on the Pend Response feature within your ScanX site. The new lead field and record set also need to be configured in your Merchant Central site, Support can assist with these if needed. 

If the integration between ScanX and Merchant Central is not currently figured, or not configured for the Pending decision in ScanX, that will need to be completed with the help of the ScanX professional services team before you can proceed. Ask your Customer Success Manager for more information. 

How to Configure Reason Code Responses in ScanX

Navigate to the Administration dropdown in your ScanX Workspace, select Scorecards to go to your Scorecard management. Select the Scorecard you want to edit the reason codes for. You can start with one as a template and then apply it to your other Scorecards by downloading your first configuration then uploading to the rest. 

Once you're in the Scorecard, click on Scoring Rules & Weights. On the right side of the page, click the Reason Codes tab.

Screenshot 2025-09-19 at 2.38.32 PM.png

On the Reason Codes tab on the right side, select Pending from the Status dropdown. Then, click the 3 dot menu to the right of the dropdown and select Edit. 

Screenshot 2025-09-19 at 2.38.55 PM.png

Reason Codes are now configured using a table structure with additional data that can be used for pend automation. Besides having your reasons, each reason can have the following information associated with it:

Reason Code Response - 
This is the default message associated with the reason code that will be used to populate the email to merchants or partners with the information needed to resolve the pend.

These should be as specific as possible so the default response is consistent and requires minimal manual intervention from your own team.

Entity Selection - 
Entity selection is a Yes/No dropdown selection. Entity selection applies when the pend reason could apply to multiple entities, such as the owners. For example, owner Tax ID verification could fail for more than one owner and you are requesting updated information for both.

In the Scorecard the underwriter can select which entities the pend is for and the response will populate that dynamically so the request for information is clear, e.g. “Owner 2 Tax ID could not be verified. Please confirm the name and Tax ID are correct.”

Request Type - 
Categorization of what type of information is needed to resolve this pend. The options are Document, Data, and Other. Document meaning the merchant needs to provide a document such as bank statements or driver’s license to resolve. Data is simply updated or new information such as corrected owner Tax ID. Other is to resolve anything else, such as the merchant needing to take an action like unfreezing their credit. This is mainly a categorization tool for now, but additional functionality might be added in the future to leverage this information - we encourage you to set a value for all rows. 

Screenshot 2025-09-19 at 2.51.56 PM.png

Once you've configured the Reason Code table, be sure to save by clicking the Scorecard Save icon in the header of the page. 

If you want to apply the configuration from one Scorecard to another, click the 3 dot menu on the Status field for Pend reasons again. Click Download to get your updated version of the table. Then, go to your other Scorecards, go to the 3 dot menu, and click upload. Upload the configuration file you just downloaded. 

How to Configure Reason Codes in Merchant Central

In order to take full advantage of the Reason Code updates, there are a few things to configure in Merchant Central - UW Reason Codes record set lead tab, Reason Code Email Message lead field, and email template(s). 

UW Reason Code Lead Tab

To improve the tracking of pend reasons on lead records, we added a configuration to post the reason codes to a Merchant Central lead tab. This will display all of the data from the reason code table and track previously resolved and newly added reason codes. 

Note: The naming convention of this tab is static, it will need to match exactly for the data post back to work. 

Steps to implement:

  1. In your Merchant Central site, navigate to Manage Lead Fields. You can do this from the main menu or searching the Site Management page.
  2. Once you're on the Mange Lead Tabs page, click Add New Lead Tab in the top right.
  3. Create the new Record Set tab with the following settings:
    1. Tab Name: UW Reason Codes
    2. Type: Record Set
    3. Position: Your Choice! We recommend the right side, grouped with your ScanX integration tab.
    4. Visibility: Visible
    5. Delete Permission Restriction: We recommend all user classes to be restricted, Underwriters would be one exception to consider. 

    6. Click Add to finish adding the tab. 

      Screenshot 2025-09-19 at 3.03.30 PM.png
  4. Add the following fields to the newly created UW Reason Codes tab:
    1. Reason Code - text field
    2. Entity - text field
    3. Reason Code Response - text or text area field

    4. Type - text field

      Screenshot 2025-09-19 at 3.13.23 PM.png

Your UW Reason Code tab is now configured!

Reason Code Email Message Field

To set up your site to automate sending a request for more information to merchants, you'll need to add a new lead field that handles the default response message from ScanX in a neat way that can be inserted into your email templates. Determine which lead tab you want this field to live on, our recommendation is on the Underwriting tab where the rest of your ScanX tab posts back to, but it's entirely up to you!

Note: The field naming needs to be exact for the data post back to work.

Steps to implement:

  1. Navigate to Manage Lead Fields and click add/remove lead fields on the tab where you want to add this field.
  2. Click Add New Field in the top right and apply the following configurations
    1. Field Label: Reason Code Email Message
    2. Field Type: Text Area (Regular text will work, but will be harder to review on the lead record when there are multiple reason codes)
    3. Click Add to finish adding the field

That's it! Your response message field is now set up to list the default response messages from ScanX so they can be used in automated emails to merchants. Now, you just need to configure your email templates. 

Adding Email Message to Email Templates

Now, to put your default messaging to use, you'll need to add the Reason Code Email Message field to your email template(s) used to communicate pends. 

Steps to implement:

  1. Navigate to your Email Templates using the main menu under Manage or go your Site Management and search for Email Templates.
  2. Once you're on the Manage Email Templates page, you can Edit on an existing email template to update it to use the new field, or click Add New Template to create a new template for pending applications.
  3. The wording of the email is up to you, below is a sample that we created. The key is to add the lead field placeholder Reason Code Email Message that you previously created. To add the field placeholder, type @ and then start typing the field name "Reason Code Email Message". Possible field matches will be displayed so you can select the field before typing the whole name.
  4. Click Add or Save to create your new template or update the existing template you were editing. 
Screenshot 2025-09-19 at 3.27.11 PM.png

The email template can now be used by your staff in Merchant Central when manually sending an email to a lead. Or, to be the most efficient, you can set up a status trigger for the lead status a lead is updated to when it is Pending that automatically sends this email template to the merchant.

How to Use Default Responses with the Standard Postback

If you're not using NMI's Merchant Central product in combination with ScanX, you can still take advantage of the improved pend reason default responses using our Standard Postback API. The ScanX Postback API allows clients to return data to a 3rd party system following an underwriters Scorecard decision in ScanX. 

We have added a field to the postback called pending_reason_requirements. This field will return the bulleted list of default responses for the pend reasons selected. For example, if you select the pend reasons SSN Mismatch and Bank Statements, the field field will return: 

  • SSN and Name did not match IRS records; confirm SSN and Name for Owner 1.
  • Due to high volume, provide 3 months of bank or processing statements.

Below is a sample response from the API:

"pending_reason_requirements": "• Missing Information for Owner Info 1\n• Missing Information for Owner Info 2\n• Other\n", "scorecard_IntegrationStatus": "Completed", "systemIntegrationAborted": "false", "tincheck_business_ofac_Business_OFACcode": "0",

This field can be returned to automate follow ups with internal sales teams, referral partners, or directly with the merchant to speed up pend resolutions and reduce the time to decision Scorecards in ScanX. 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I customize the name of the new Merchant Central lead field and record set? No, the values are currently static and need to be configured exactly for the postback to work.
  • Are the reason codes still configurable per Scorecard? Yes, each Scorecard can be configured to have its own Reason Codes and default responses.
  • Can I bulk update the Reason Codes for all of my Scorecards? No, there is still no bulk update option for reason codes. However, there is now download/upload capability for the new Reason Code table. If you plan to use the same or similar configuration, update one of your Scorecards, download the configuration, then upload it to your other Scorecards as desired and make any adjustments in Edit mode.
  • Will my existing pend reason post back still work with Merchant Central? Yes, any previously configured fields will continue to post back to Merchant Central unless removed from the integration configuration. We recommend keeping your existing configuration for tracking reason codes in place so any reports you may have built using that field continue to be useful. 
  • Can I use the new Pend Reason configuration if I'm not using Merchant Central? Yes, the standard postback can be used to return the default message with the bulleted list of default responses.