Quick Start

This guide walks you through going from a brand-new account to sending your first borrower their portal link.

Before you begin

You'll need a BorrowerDocs account. Sign up for free — no credit card required.

Step 1: Set up your branding

BorrowerDocs requires a company name and reply-to email before you can invite borrowers. These appear in the portal and in all emails sent on your behalf.

Go to Settings → Branding and fill in:

Field	Required	Where it appears
Company name	Yes	Portal header, emails, PDF cover sheet
Reply-to email	Yes	"From" address on borrower emails
NMLS number	No	Bottom of the borrower portal
Logo	No	Portal header, PDF cover sheet
Brand color	No	Portal accent color

Save your changes.

Required before next step. You won't be able to send portal invitations until company name and reply-to email are saved.

Step 2: Create a loan file

Go to Loan Files → New Loan File.

Select the loan type — Purchase or Refinance
Choose a template pack — W2, Self-Employed, or Bank Statement. This determines which document requests are added to the checklist automatically.
Enter the borrower's name and email
Add a co-borrower if applicable
Click Create Loan File

BorrowerDocs creates the file and populates the checklist with the standard document requests for your chosen pack.

Step 3: Send the portal link

Open the loan file. Click Send Portal Link in the file header.

Confirm the borrower's email address in the dialog
Click Send

Your borrower receives an email from your configured name with a secure link to their personalized portal. When they click it, they see your branding and their checklist — no account required.

What happens next

Once the link is sent, monitor progress from the Checklist tab:

Uploaded items show a paperclip icon with a file count
Item status updates automatically: Requested → Partial → Uploaded
An unread badge appears when borrowers send messages
You approve items after reviewing them

When everything is in and approved, go to the Export tab to download the complete document package.

Next steps

Working the Checklist — approving items and requesting re-uploads
Document Statuses Explained — what each status means
Exporting & Closing a File — generate the final package