Industry · technology

Underwriting MCAs in Technology & SaaS

Technology and SaaS merchants typically receive steady, recurring revenue from subscription contracts and monthly customer billings, producing a deposit pattern where spikes and concentration are more suspicious than in other segments.

Key takeaways

  • Recurring revenue should be steady — spikes are unusual.
  • Customer concentration is uncommon at scale.
  • Subscription processors (Stripe, Chargebee, Recurly) are the dominant channel.
  • Annual contracts create periodic larger deposits.
  • Less round-number bias than other segments.

How underwriting differs

Tech and SaaS revenue should look smoother than other segments. A SaaS merchant with 80% of revenue from one customer is a real concentration risk in a way it would not be for healthcare or manufacturing.

Velocity spikes — sudden surges in deposit count or amount — are more suspicious here because the underlying business model produces steady flow.

Round-number deposits are less common because subscription amounts are typically precise (e.g., $499.00, not $500.00).

Common deposit signatures

TypePattern
Stripe / Chargebee / Recurly payoutsRegular deposits from subscription processors, often daily or weekly batches.
Direct ACH from contractsAnnual contract payments arriving as larger single deposits.
Marketplace platform payoutsFor app-store-distributed software, periodic marketplace deposits.

Common fraud patterns to watch

Manufactured contract revenue

Large, irregular "annual contract" deposits without supporting customer evidence.

Friendly-customer recycling

Payments from related entities described as customer contracts.

Velocity spikes

Sudden surges in deposit count or amount inconsistent with steady SaaS revenue.

What underwriters watch for

  • Is the deposit pattern smooth, as expected for recurring revenue?
  • Do contract payments resolve to identifiable customers?
  • Is velocity within expected range for the merchant's stated growth rate?
  • Are concentration metrics consistent with the merchant's customer base?

How Vyaso handles technology & saas

Vyaso applies stricter velocity and concentration thresholds for technology and SaaS than for other segments. Round-number bias detection is calibrated tighter. Subscription processor deposits are recognized as legitimate revenue.

Frequently asked

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