Applying In Branch Better for Instant Approval?

[Anonymous]

Does applying in branch have any effect on instant approvals? I’ve had experiences with Chase and BoA applications where I didn’t get an instant approval because they needed “fraud verification” so I had to call and answer questions.

I was wondering if applying in branch will lead to more instant approvals, especially for Chase cards since I’m planning on applying for the CSP soon and considering going in branch.

My thought process is that if an application goes through in the branch system, it means that the banker has already verified the person using their ID and therefore there would be less of a reason to further verify the application. Is this the right thought process or have people had different experiences with applying in branch?

[FinStar]

Not necessarily, it just depends. Although you would definitely clear the first hurdle with the ID verification portion of the application process (especially with any potential fraud or verification flags), other UW criteria can still hold up the process.

Often times a banker can speed some things along, though. With Chase, pre-approval offers can typically yield favorable results, for instance.

IME, even when I was at the branch (BoA), additional processing was required, but the banker was able to get things fulfilled in a couple days (so not instant but great results either way). Other times, some BoA online apps were instant approvals without having to be present at the branch. Same thing with USB.

[Anonymous]

I think there's some truth to that.  When I applied for a Chase product in branch once the guy I dealt with more or less said it was a good idea because if we hit any snags he would make the appropriate calls and work everything out.  I didn't really think there would be any problems anyway, but it was good to know I had someone "in my corner" for the app.