SPARK 8.2.1 Release Notes

The SPARK 8.2.1 release is planned for Saturday, August 30th. This update includes new line item validations in Document Analysis and additional SPARK AI capabilities. The maintenance window will occur from 11:00 PM CT on Saturday, August 30th through 9:00 AM CT on Sunday, August 31st.

What's Changed

Tax Form Total Validation for Income and Expense Line Items

We’ve enhanced tax form analysis for 1065, 1120, 1120-S, and 1040 Schedule C to validate that income and expense line items add up to the extracted totals.

During review, SPARK now displays the extracted total as read-only alongside a dynamically calculated total from the line items. If the totals don’t match, are missing, or have low confidence, the result is flagged for review and the mismatch is highlighted. This helps lenders quickly identify missing or inaccurate extractions before finalizing their analysis.

Updated Franchise Eligibility Questions for SOP 50 10 8

In the SBA Eligibility Franchise section, we’ve updated the wording of two questions for loan packages using the latest SOP 50 10 8. These updates clarify requirements for verifying agreements on the SBA Directory and checking brand listings, while maintaining the original questions and logic for packages using prior SOP versions.

New question wording for SOP 50 10 8 packages:

• Question 3: If Applicant operates under multiple agreements, SBA Lenders have checked the Directory to ensure all of Applicant's agreements that meet the FTC definition of a franchise are on the Directory.

• Question 4: Is the Applicant's brand listed on the Directory?

SPARK Knowledge Assistant Now Includes Release Notes and Product Updates

We’ve expanded the SPARK Knowledge Assistant to include all release notes and product updates from updates.lendwithspark.com. This enhancement improves the relevancy of responses by providing direct, context-rich answers about recent changes and new features, helping users stay up to date and quickly leverage the latest enhancements in their daily workflows.

Narrative Assistant Enhancements (In beta)

In response to user feedback, beta users of SPARK’s Narrative Assistant can now guide the narrative. This allows users to enter custom instructions or supplemental information before generating the narrative.

Disclaimer for SPARK AI Features

We have added the reminder "SPARK AI can make mistakes. Always check important information before relying on the output." to all AI features in SPARK.

Updates to Scoring

We've enhanced the Scoring Dashboard to give you more control over your credit workflows.

Redesigned Actions Menu

The main actions menu has been streamlined:

• Order Multiple – Order multiple personal credit reports using your familiar workflow

• Add Business Credit Report – NEW: Manually add FICO SBSS business credit reports

• Add Personal Credit Report – Manually add personal credit reports

• Settings – Access your scoring visibility preferences in an improved side panel

Enhanced Business Credit Report Management

You can now manually add FICO SBSS business credit reports directly when ordering is enabled, giving you more flexibility in how you manage business credit information beyond automated ordering.

Credit Memo Flexibility

Credit memos now automatically reflect your scoring preferences – only business and individual scores marked as "shown" in your Scoring settings will appear in generated memos.

Consistent Naming Convention

We've standardized terminology across all credit report functions for a more intuitive experience. All manual additions now use clear "Add Report" language.

Improved Routing Number Validation

SPARK now validates routing numbers against a trusted external database, eliminating the need to submit support tickets when adding or updating a correct routing number in the Disbursement Manager. This ensures faster, more accurate setup of disbursement details.

Send Letter of Interest and Commitment Letter to Referral Partner Additional Team Members

Internal Users can now include Referral Partner Additional Team Members when sending a Letter of Interest or Commitment Letter from SPARK.

What's Been Fixed

• Collateral Validation Uses Valuation for E-Tran Submission: We fixed an issue where collateral validation during E-Tran submission used the Available Value instead of Net Value. SPARK now uses the correct valuation amount for validation. This was included in a hotfix.

• Corporate Guarantor Indictment Question Included in E-Tran Submission: We fixed an issue where the required indictment question for corporate guarantors was not being included in the E-Tran submission. This field, now required by recent E-Tran updates, is properly submitted as part of the application. This was included in a hotfix.

• Improved E-Tran Error Handling: We fixed an issue where E-Tran communication failures during loan origination could produce confusing or misleading errors. SPARK now provides clear messages when E-Tran is down or when an existing SBA Application Number cannot be found.

• Resolved Access Denied Errors for Partner Users Viewing Documents: We fixed an issue where Partner Users were incorrectly receiving an “Access Denied” error when attempting to view the document listing in SPARK. This was included in a hotfix.

• Improved Handling of Joint Documents in Information Requests: We fixed an issue where joint documents, such as joint tax returns, were not accessible to both spouses when each had an assigned information request activity. Both spouses now have access to the same joint documents.

• Honoring “Use Joint Documentation” for All Document Placeholder Types: We fixed an issue where document placeholder types without an associated year (such as a Personal Financial Statement) did not honor the “Use Joint Documentation” setting for married couples. These documents will now correctly follow the selected joint documentation preference.

• Fixed Notifications for Pasted Mentions in Notes: We resolved an issue where notifications were not sent when a mention was copied and pasted into a new note. Mentions now trigger notifications regardless of whether they are typed or pasted.

• Error Handling in Automation Log: Lumos PRIME+ Reports and SAM Exclusion Searches run in Automation Workflows now show N/A with the reason if a report or search was not run due to missing or incomplete information.

• New Referrals to Review Fixes / Improvements

  • The list now shows the submission date rather than the referral start date.

  • Referrals are now listed by the actual submission date (ascending), so the newest appear at the bottom.

Find Out More

Stay tuned for the latest features and subscribe to your favorite categories. You can view our product roadmap at any time here.

If you have any feedback or questions, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or submit a ticket to the SPARK Support Team.