Signed approvals for construction draws

The gate between proof and payment.

No construction draw is released until the right people have signed and the checks pass.

VERA keeps the record. Your bank moves the money.

Individually signed approvals Signed evaluation records (Ed25519) Hash-only public anchoring Patent pending Veteran-founded
awaiting approvals
The problem

Verification often comes after the money moves.

In many disbursement processes, checks happen after funds have been released, when errors are harder to recover. VERA puts the proof ahead of the release instruction and keeps a record of every decision.

In construction lending the risk is concrete. ALTA’s title insurance guide says construction liens have historically been “one of the greatest sources of loss to the land title industry.”

Source: ALTA, Title Insurance guide, Chapter 10, Construction Liens (2022).
The wider payments landscape
Improper federal payments, FY2024
$162B
Estimated annual federal losses to fraud
$233–521B
Improper federal payments since FY2003
$2.8T
Reported consumer fraud losses, 2024
$12.5B
What VERA puts in front of a release
  • A release is held until every required approval is signed and the checks pass.
  • Each decision is recorded in a hash-chained audit log.
  • Read-only examiner access, with CSV and PDF exports, supports independent review.
  • One person cannot supply both signatures on a release.
The federal and consumer figures describe the wider payments landscape. They are not VERA results. Sources: GAO-25-107753 (March 2025), GAO-24-105833 (April 2024), FTC Consumer Sentinel (March 2025).
How the gate works

Four steps on every release.

Fingerprint, approve, decide, record.

01 · Fingerprint

Fingerprints, not files

Supporting documents are fingerprinted with SHA-256. VERA records the fingerprint and a reference to the document, not the document itself.

02 · Approve

Required parties sign

The inspector and the loan officer each sign with their own registered key. One person cannot supply both approvals.

03 · Decide

The gate evaluates

Automated release checks run on every draw. The draw is released, held for review or denied, with a reason. A separate decision service also records a signed policy evaluation of each release. In the pilot it is advisory and does not block a release.

04 · Record

Recorded, with a public timestamp

Each decision enters a hash-chained audit log. A fingerprint of each batch of attestations is anchored to the XRP Ledger as an independent timestamp.

What a release record looks like

One draw, start to finish.

Every release leaves a record your bank, your title company and your examiner can read.

The record is built as the work happens, not assembled afterwards.

  • Two different people sign, each with their own key.
  • The bank pulls the instruction and confirms it with its own reference.
  • The sealed record can be checked by anyone holding the document, without a VERA account.

VERA sits in front of your existing draw process. It does not replace your loan system or your decision.

What is in place today

Built for construction and commercial real estate lending.

VERA is offered today to banks and lenders for construction draws, and to family offices for real estate and investment disbursements. The same mechanism can extend to other disbursement workflows. None of those is offered today.

Construction draws

Inspector and loan-officer approval before every release, tied to the inspector’s completion report. After the bank confirms a release, one sealed closing record ties the approvals, the instruction and the bank’s confirmation together.

Individually signed approvals

Each approval is signed with the approver’s own key. VERA never holds an approver’s private key.

Separation of duties

Role-bound accounts, enforced in code. The assigned inspector and the assigned loan officer must each sign, and the same person cannot give both approvals.

Release checks

Automated checks run on every release before it is issued. The check list is shared with evaluating institutions under NDA.

Hash-chained audit log

Each entry carries a hash of the one before it, so a removed or reordered entry breaks the chain.

Examiner access

A read-only role for audit and examination staff, with CSV and PDF exports.

Also in place: two-step sign-in required on every account, with lockout after repeated wrong passwords; the attestation key held in a cloud key-management service; nightly database backups with a tested restore.
The pilot

What a 90-day pilot looks like.

One lender, one set of real draws, a fixed 90 days. You decide at the end whether to continue.

01 · Set up and train

Weeks 1–2

We create your accounts, assign the inspector and loan-officer roles, set the verified payment destination and train the people who will sign. Everyone signs in with a second step.

02 · Run real draws

Weeks 3–11

Draws on your project go through the gate. Each release instruction goes to your bank desk; your bank pays through its own systems and confirms with its own reference.

03 · Review and decide

Week 12 onward

We review what ran, what held and why, and what to change. You keep the exports. You then choose whether to move to a license.

What your bank provides
  • A pilot owner, the loan officer or officers who will sign, and an inspector for the project.
  • One project, its verified payment destination and a notice email address for release instructions.
  • A person who confirms each release in your bank’s own systems.
What you get
  • Signed approvals, release checks and an approval record on every draw.
  • A sealed closing record for each released draw, checkable on a public page without a VERA account.
  • Read-only examiner access with CSV and PDF exports, and a review at the end.
Flat pilot fee; terms on request. During the pilot, ledger anchoring runs on the ledger’s test network.
A verifiable record

A fingerprint on a public ledger.

Each batch of attestations is fingerprinted and published to the XRP Ledger. Only a hash is published. No names, amounts, account numbers or documents. During the pilot, publishing runs on the ledger’s test network.

Network
XRP Ledger test network during the pilot. Moving to the main network is decided with the pilot institution.
What is published
A SHA-256 fingerprint (Merkle root) of a batch of attestations
Example test-network anchor
74C5D371B5C1AC95EC65EAAA6F7E586B163A77CCBB152E4C2CB035F2FA510D2F
Approval signatures
Signed by each approver’s own key
Evaluation records
Signed with Ed25519; advisory in the pilot
Audit export
CSV and PDF, through a read-only examiner role
View this anchor on the XRPL test-network explorer →
The test network is a free practice ledger. During the pilot, records are real in VERA and demonstration-grade on the ledger. Test-network anchors demonstrate the mechanism; they are not production records.
Data handling

Sensitive personal information stays with you.

VERA is designed to hold as little personal information as possible. Your institution decides what it enters, and VERA processes it on your behalf as your service provider.

  • No sensitive identifiers by design. The database has no fields for Social Security numbers, dates of birth, payment-card numbers or government ID numbers. Clients are instructed not to enter them in free-text fields.
  • Fingerprints, not files. VERA records a SHA-256 fingerprint of each supporting document and a reference to it, not the document itself.
  • Hash-only public record. The public ledger receives a hash and nothing else.
  • Encrypted. Sensitive fields, including settlement account details, are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM. All traffic uses TLS.
  • Role-based access. Users see only what their role allows. Examiner accounts are read-only. Two-step sign-in is required on every account.
  • United States hosting. Client data is stored and processed in the United States.
  • No sale or advertising use. VERA does not sell client data or use it for advertising.
  • Where we are. VERA’s controls are designed with reference to the SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria. VERA has not completed a third-party SOC 2 examination or an independent penetration test. We will say so on this page when that changes. Security documentation is available to evaluating institutions on request.
Pricing

A pilot first, then a license and a per-release fee.

Engagements usually begin with a 90-day pilot. After that, pricing combines an annual license with a gate fee on each release. Anchoring is included. Tier is set by a lender’s size and release volume. We will send the current fee schedule on request.

Sentinel

Smaller lenders and lower release volume
Contact for pricing
Request a walkthrough

Fortress

Mid-size lenders and moderate release volume
Contact for pricing
Request a walkthrough

Citadel

Large lenders and high release volume
Contact for pricing
Request a walkthrough
VERA is a managed service. VERA operates the platform, including the checking service and ledger anchoring. Approvals are always signed by your own people, and VERA does not hold or move funds.
Questions from bank reviewers

Short answers.

Does VERA hold or move funds?

No. VERA checks that the required approvals and release checks are in place and then issues a release instruction. Your bank pays through its own systems and confirms the outcome with its own transaction reference.

Where is our data kept?

In the United States. Sensitive fields such as settlement account details are encrypted at rest, all traffic uses TLS, and supporting documents are recorded as fingerprints, not files.

What if VERA is unavailable?

No release instruction is issued while VERA is unavailable, and nothing moves without your bank. Databases are backed up nightly and a restore has been tested. We make no recovery-time commitment yet.

Do we need to connect VERA to our core banking or loan system?

No. In a pilot, authorized people enter and approve draw data in VERA directly, and your bank desk pulls each release instruction and confirms it. No connection to a core system, payment rail or loan-origination system exists today, and none is required. Options for connecting later are discussed during onboarding, with your technology team.

Does VERA replace our draw process or our decision?

No. VERA sits in front of your existing process. Your people still decide; VERA makes sure the right people have signed, runs the release checks and keeps the record.

Do you have a SOC 2 report?

Not yet. VERA’s controls are designed with reference to the SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria. VERA has not completed a third-party SOC 2 examination or an independent penetration test, and we will say so here when that changes.

How do we leave, and what happens to our data?

Your examiner role can export the record as CSV and PDF at any time. Exit terms, including delivery of your audit record and data, are set out in the pilot agreement, which we send for your counsel to review.

See it in action

Request a walkthrough.

We will arrange a walkthrough of the approval flow, the release record and the audit trail. Anchoring in the walkthrough runs on the ledger’s test network.

Walkthroughs are for organizations evaluating the platform, so please use your company email address.

Or write directly to [email protected].

Please use your company email address, not a personal one.

Request received.

Thank you. We will reply to the email address you gave. If you need to add anything, write to [email protected] and quote the reference above.