In-kind donation of IntelliView data helps businesses plan and implement consumer programs Consumers will be empowered to repay debt and increase financial literacy One of our core brand beliefs at Experian is how we are using our data and analytics to help businesses and consumers. Once you can unlock the potential of that data for those involved, everyone around you can achieve even more. We strive to make a positive impact to consumers by getting involved with different charitable organizations in communities where we live and work through our Corporate Social Responsibly program to create success. With that as our backdrop, we are proud to announce a gift in kind of our IntelliViewSM data solution to InCharge Debt Solutions, a non profit financial counseling company that helps consumers get financial access. InCharge Debt Solutions will use Experian IntelliView data in their strategic planning process to help them gain a better understanding of macro industry trends and identify services that will most benefit the people they serve. “We really appreciate the IntelliViewSM data access from Experian. If we didn’t have this access we would have to do strategic planning in a much more blind way,” said Chris Henningsen, V.P. Consumer Awareness & IT at InCharge. “The insight IntelliView brings helps us plan and implement programs that the people we serve most need to restore and improve their financial well-being.”” “We’re happy to offer InCharge access to our Intelliview solution to enable a proactive approach in providing advice to their clients to achieve greater financial success,” said Alan Ikemura, Experian senior product manager for Intelliview. InCharge Debt Solutions is a nonprofit organization offering confidential and professional credit counseling, debt management services, bankruptcy education, housing counseling and educational initiatives since 1997. With the assistance of certified credit counselors, the organization has helped over three million people repay a staggering $3 billion in debt and provided more than 10,000 free financial literacy community workshops. The $58,000 contribution is just one of the many ways Experian supports financial literacy and unlocks the power of data to transform lives and create opportunities for consumers, businesses, and society. Learn more about how Experian’s Corporate Social Responsibly team is helping Experian make a real impact in our communities.
I’m an Analyst for Serasa Experian’s O2C department. I first met Patricia — a fellow Experian employee — over a video call, using sign language. She had been struggling with parts of her job and wanted to learn about a new training course I was setting up through Serasa Experian’s inclusion program. You see, Patricia and I are both deaf, which can bring many challenges to our jobs. The new Excel training I’d created was aimed at helping people like us with disabilities. Patricia and I met face-to-face on the first day of training. There were 18 other students joining her, all eager to learn the formulas and tricks that would help them in their daily activities. Most of them were hearing-impaired like Patricia and I, but some were visually-impaired as well. We all sat down together to talk through the challenges we had with Excel. As I led this discussion, I used sign language for my deaf students and a “speak aloud” computer feature for those who were visually-impaired. Our goal was for everyone to learn something. We took the time to understand each participant’s unique issues with Excel and share potential solutions. Patricia shared how each week she spends hours creating a department performance report for her manager. It took a long time because she could only put the numbers in one by one. She didn’t know the formulas and functions that would speed up her process or how to depict the numbers on a chart or a graph, like her boss needed. As a group, we shared ideas of ways to make Patricia’s work more efficient. My students left the class inspired and full of new ideas they couldn’t wait to put into practice and share with their colleagues. A few weeks after the class, Patricia told me she could do her job much faster and better, giving her time to learn more sophisticated formulas to enhance her presentations. And the inspiring part was that because of the training, she had been promoted. It’s amazing to see the tangible impact my volunteer work through Experian is having for people with disabilities. I feel inspired to do more. Read more #ExperianStories from our colleagues around the world.
I’m a Senior Director of Experian’s Decision Analytics Global Consulting Practice. That means I help banks manage their credit and fraud risk to help drive profits forward. Many of my clients are banks that need help across multiple business units, including credit cards, auto loans and mortgages. What I love about my job is how it constantly challenges me to expand my imagination of what data is capable of achieving. I’m always finding new ways to use data to keep banks’ revenue flowing, save them money, improve underwriting criteria for people seeking auto loans and help banking customers get a better rate on their mortgage. For example, I was recently approached by a major bank that needed a way to collect on delinquent credit card accounts that had previously been written off. The bank needed a way to collect on these accounts that would work within their budget and strict pricing structures while providing the maximum amount of revenue. Using data, I was able to show the bank a solution that not only improved delinquency rates on their numerous credit card accounts, but also provided a significant reduction in operational expenses. Technology has enabled us to do so much more for banks like this. I began working for Experian in the 1970s, when credit reporting was a highly manual process where clients would call us and we would read their credit report back to them over the phone. I’ve held a number of positions within the company over the years and have seen it undergo tremendous growth and change. Some things, however, never change. After having worked at Experian for 46 years, I am proud to say data still powers everything we do here. Read more #ExperianStories from our colleagues around the world.
Today, we stand at the forefront of a digital revolution that is reshaping the financial services industry. And, against this backdrop, financial institutions are at vastly different levels of maturity; the world’s biggest banks are managing large-scale infrastructure migrations and making significant investments in AI while regional banks and credit unions are putting plans in place for modernization strategies, and fintechs are purpose-built and cloud native. To explore this more, I recently had the privilege of attending the annual Reuters NEXT live event in New York City. The event gathers globally recognized leaders across business, finance, technology, and government to tackle some of today’s most pressing issues. On the World Stage, I joined Del Irani, a talented anchor and broadcast journalist, to discuss the future of lending and the pivotal role of data and AI in building a more inclusive financial system. Improving financial access Our discussion highlighted the lack of access to traditional financial systems, and the impact it has on nearly 100 million people in North America alone. Globally, the problem affects over one billion people. These people, who are credit invisible, unscoreable, or have subprime credit scores, are unable to secure everyday financial products that many of us take for granted. What many don’t realize is, this is not a fringe subset of the population. Most of us, myself included, know someone who has faced the challenges of financial exclusion. Everyday Americans, including young people who are just starting out, new immigrants and people from diverse communities, often lack access to mainstream financial products. We discussed how traditional lending has a limited view of a consumer. Like looking through a keyhole, the lender’s understanding of the person in view is often incomplete and obstructed. However, with expanded data, technology, and advanced analytics, there is an opportunity to better understand the whole person, and as a result have a more inclusive financial system. At Experian, we have a unique ability to connect the power of traditional credit with alternative data, bringing a more holistic understanding of consumers and their behaviors. We are dedicated to leveraging our rich history in data and our expertise in technology to create the future of credit and ultimately bring financial power to everyone. The future of lending After spending two days with over 700 industry leaders from around the world, one thing is abundantly clear: much like the early days of the internet, today, we are at the cutting-edge of a technical revolution. Reflecting on my time at Reuters NEXT, I am particularly excited by the collective commitment to drive innovative, and smarter ways of working. We are only beginning to scratch the surface of how data and technology can transform financial services, and Experian is positioned to play a significant role. As we look to the future, I am excited about the ways we will create new opportunities for businesses and consumers alike.
The advertising ecosystem has seen significant transformation over the past few years, with increased privacy regulation, changes in available signals, and the rise of channels like connected TV and retail media. These changes are impacting the way that consumers interact with brands and how brands understand and continue to deliver relevant messages to consumers with precision. Experian has been helping marketers navigate these changes, and as a result, our marketing data and identity solutions underpin much of today’s advertising industry. We’re committed to empowering marketers and agencies to understand and reach their target audiences, across all channels. Today, we are excited to announce our acquisition of Audigent—a leading data and activation platform in the advertising industry. With Audigent’s combination of first-party publisher data, inventory and deep supply-side distribution relationships, publishers, big and small, can empower marketers to better understand their customers, expand the reach of their target audiences and activate those audiences across the most impactful inventory. I am excited to bring together Audigent’s supply-side network as a natural extension to our existing demand-side capabilities. Audigent’s ability to combine inventory with targeted audiences using first-party, third-party and contextual signals provides the best of all worlds, allowing marketers to deliver campaigns centered on consumer choices, preferences, and behaviors. The addition of Audigent further strengthens our strategy to be the premier independent provider of marketing data and identity, ultimately creating more relevant experiences for consumers. To learn more about Experian and Audigent, visit https://www.experian.com/marketing/ and https://audigent.com/.
When it comes to cybercriminals and threat vectors, we need to expect the unexpected. Experian’s 12th annual Data Breach Industry Forecast highlights several potential trends for 2025, with AI playing a central role. This year has already seen more data breaches and impacted consumers than 2023, indicating that global data breaches are not slowing down. Some things to watch out for next year includes the potential for more internal fraud. As companies train employees on AI, there is a growing risk that some will misuse their knowledge for internal theft and sourcing sensitive information. Another trend may be cyberattackers targeting large data centers, with the growth of generative AI introducing power as a new attack vector. It’s reported that a single ChatGPT query uses significantly more electricity than a standard Google search, making data centers and cloud infrastructure vulnerable, especially in countries with varying security standards. We expect AI-related attacks to dominate the headlines next year and investments in cybersecurity will increase to tackle this emerging threat, as hackers leverage AI for phishing, password cracking, malware, and deepfakes. Jim Steven, Head of Crisis and Data Response Services at Experian Global Data Breach Resolution in the UK, anticipates that global data breaches will persist at their current rate next year. He notes that ransomware attacks are likely to become even more sophisticated with the integration of AI. Additionally, Steven predicts that threat actors will escalate their tactics to achieve greater rewards, and the misuse of consumer data to damage reputations will increase in 2025. To access the complimentary report, click here.