Experian and eBureau Partner to Offer New Credit Scoring Tool for Unbanked U.S. Consumers

COSTA MESA, Calif. and ST. CLOUD, Minn. (www.allCUnews.com [1]) — March 11, 2008 — Experian®, a global information services company, and eBureau, an innovative provider of predictive scoring and information solutions, today announced a partnership and the launch of the Emerging Credit ScoreSM, a new credit scoring tool to assist lenders in evaluating the credit worthiness of unbanked and underbanked consumers.

The partnership is part of Experian’s pioneering initiatives to provide lenders with advanced, accurate and cost-effective tools for evaluating the financial risk of new and emerging consumer segments.

“The unbanked and underbanked consumer population presents an expanding market opportunity for financial services institutions, particularly in today’s economic environment,” said Zaydoon H. Munir, senior vice president, Experian. “Our goal has always been two-fold; to help underbanked consumers get the credit and affordable financial services they deserve, and provide our clients that serve these consumers with the best risk management tools. Utilizing this groundbreaking new scoring method, lenders can now effectively – and equitably– lend to this population and grow their customer base.”

“eBureau is excited to partner with Experian on the development and implementation of the Emerging Credit Score, an alternative credit score for thin-file and no-file consumers,” said Mark Doman, executive vice president, eBureau. “Our next generation technology provides Experian and its financial service customers with a powerful new scoring tool to profitably serve a number of growing, underserved consumer segments.”

Through the partnership, the Emerging Credit Score will rely on the aggregation of Experian’s traditional credit data and eBureau’s alternative consumer credit, payment and identity data. Using eBureau’s eScore technology, the score will evaluate the purchase and payment histories of consumers with little or no credit history, providing an increasingly granular view of the thin file and no-file consumer segment. By scoring a higher percentage of consumers, the Emerging Credit Score helps credit grantors grow their client base by effectively qualifying more prospects within this underserved population.

According to recent statistics released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), there are an estimated 28 million no-file and 44.7 million thin file consumers in the United States, representing 19.4 percent of all households. These combined populations earn approximately 1.1 trillion in annual income, with underserved individuals accounting for nearly half of that total.

The Emerging Credit Score is the first solution in the market addressing the underserved consumer that couples alternative data with the breadth and quality of Experian’s traditional credit data. Experian’s delivery approach distinctly offers an integrated solution which eases implementation and minimizes operational impact on clients’ existing systems and decisioning processes. Clients can rely on Experian to support their growth strategies in a disciplined fashion giving them a more holistic perspective of a consumer’s financial relationships. In effect, this highly-predictive risk score optimizes the ability to effectively expand the universe of underserved applicants and prospects as these consumers gain momentum in their pursuit of affordable financial services.

Keith R. Pillow
Vice President
Abelson Group, Inc.
805.389.1815 Direct
866.811.3903 Fax
805.217.4708 Wireless
keith@abelsongroup.com [2]
http://www.abelsongroup.com [3]