Margins and Paddings Update

With the objective of supporting the local community and helping Orange County residents overcome financial issues, we have partnered with the Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) to spread financial literacy by providing residents with the insight and resources to guide them on a journey to independence. As part of this program, Experian is offering at no charge its Experian Credit EducatorSM product, a tool designed to provide consumers with one-on-one telephone-based education sessions and guide them through important information related to their credit lives. This innovative tool helps prepare consumers for career exploration, future employment opportunities, home rentals and other important financial decisions. We were eager to strengthen our partnership with OCRM because our company strongly supports its goal of providing the homeless with the skills and resources to become self-sufficient. Within 30–60 days of entering OCRM, residents will work with an Experian volunteer to schedule their session. An agent will provide individuals with a copy of their credit report and help them review, understand and improve their credit score. This session enables the resident to identify any potential issues with their credit report or score, while learning the fundamentals of credit reporting from a reputable resource. The phone-based sessions usually take 35 minutes. A significant number of OCRM members have been empowered with in-depth information to take important steps toward improving their financial literacy. The initiative is part of Experian’s broader mission to promote data for good by leveraging insights from the use of Big Data into actionable solutions that benefit consumers, businesses and government organizations. Experian already has provided more than 25 sessions to the OCRM’s members and is on schedule to deliver 15–20 a month as new OCRM members become integrated into the independent-living and job-training programs. OC Register Coverage: New O.C. program helps homeless people fix their credit By Theresa Walker Back when she was living on the streets and panhandling to buy food and drugs, a good credit score was the last thing Jody Puckett figured she needed. “Credit wasn’t even something on my mind because we were living day to day,” Puckett said of the way she and her husband had existed for six years, mostly living in his truck. “We were thinking about how we were going to get a roof over our heads. And food. And dope.” It took nearly two years with Orange County Rescue Mission’s live-in Village of Hope rehabilitation program for Puckett, 46, and her husband, Devin, 47, to shed that sketchy old life and start anew. Now, good credit does matter to the Pucketts. They are clean and sober, working and hope to buy a home someday for themselves and their 7-year-old daughter. Read full article here. Experian Consumer Counsel: Volunteers Helping People Manage Their Credit

With 90 percent of the data in the world being created in the last two years, now more than ever, we need to know how to get the most out of our data-driven economy because the power of data can be a tremendous force for good in the world. It is with this in mind that we are unveiling a suite of online initiatives that will help businesses and consumers benefit from the positive uses Big Data can bring to the marketplace. Leading the way are the new #DataTalk conversations that will take place as a hosted TweetChat. The first #DataTalk chat, on “What it Means to be a Data Scientist,” will take place on April 23 at 5 p.m. Eastern time and features special guests Dr. Michael Wu, the chief scientist at Lithium, and Dr. Shanji Xiong, chief scientist of Experian’s global Experian DataLabs. Online resources We have also developed blogs, podcasts and a video series that illustrate how Big Data can be analyzed with technology and data science in order to bring powerful insights to consumers and businesses, large and small. These insights can help consumers take control of their financial health and help businesses obtain better bottom-line performance. Experian Insights Blog Insights from Experian thought leaders that discuss the good that data is doing now and the promise it holds for the future. Experian Insights Podcast A show dedicated to sharing concrete ways we can turn Big Data into actionable insights to help businesses and consumers. During the first episode, Craig Boundy, former Chief Executive Officer of Experian North America shares his thoughts on Big Data in 2015. Experian Insights Video Series Short videos that provide a close-up look at how Experian manages and analyzes Big Data and the latest business trends in a variety of industry segments. Our Data For Good initiative reflects the company's belief that Big Data and the insights derived from it are good for the economy, good for people and good for society. The #DataTalk conversations and exchange of ideas, along with blog posts, podcasts and a video series, provides a platform where industry leaders and Experian experts can share their distinct perspectives on the evolving world of Big Data and analytics. As you will see, the many examples of how data and the insights derived from it are clearly changing our society for good. If we work together proactively to advance data for good, with the right process, tools and people, we have an opportunity to transform our economy and the ways in which we operate within it.  

A behind-the-wheel look at alternative-power vehicles: