In this episode of Risk and Reason, Eli Wachs sits down with Brendan Phillips, Director of Product at Findigs, to break down the math behind every lease decision. Drawing on his path from Bridgewater to Better's mortgage boom-and-bust to tenant screening, Brendan shares how property managers should think about defaults as an optimization problem, where AI actually works (and doesn't) in regulated decisions, and what the future of renting looks like when the renter holds the power.

Chapters 

(0:00) Meet Brendan Phillips 

(1:16) From Hedge Funds to Housing Tech 

(3:34) What Silicon Valley Got Wrong About Mortgages 

(6:50) The Math Behind Every Lease 

(12:16) How Findigs Automates Tenant Screening 

(25:03) Where AI Works (and Doesn't) in Screening 

(29:12) The Future: A Renter Passport 

(31:51) The Case Against Personal Guarantors

Follow Brendan Phillips
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-phillips-

Follow Eli Wachs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliwachs/

Check out Footprint
https://www.onefootprint.com

Footprint is an AI-native platform powering identity verification, fraud prevention, and AI fincrimes agents for banks and fintechs.