JR TOC Review

Today I’ve been reading sensational and very misleading headlines saying things like “Experian Sold Consumer Data to ID Theft Service” and “Experian Duped into Selling Social Security Nos.” Let me share with you the actual – and factual – events that led to the investigation and subsequent arrest of the suspect in the case surrounding Court Ventures and US Info Search. The suspect in this case obtained access to US Info Search data through Court Ventures prior to the time Experian acquired the company. To be clear, no Experian database was accessed. Experian acquired Court Ventures in March, 2012 because of its national public records database. After the acquisition, the US Secret Service notified Experian that Court Ventures had been and was reselling data from US Info Search to a third party that the US Secret Service was investigating as possibly engaged in illegal activity. Following the notice by the US Secret Service, Experian discontinued reselling US Info Search data and worked closely and in full cooperation with law enforcement to bring Vietnamese national Hieu Minh Ngo, the alleged perpetrator, to justice. Because of the ongoing federal investigation, we are not free to say anything further at this time.

This guest post is from Rod Ebrahimi, CEO of ReadyForZero At ReadyForZero, our focus has always been on helping people pay off debt and take control of their finances so they can begin building wealth. It’s a mission that has inspired us since our very first user. We started out very small, when I helped my girlfriend make a spreadsheet to organize her student loans. After that, my co-founder Ignacio Thayer and I realized that many of our friends and loved ones had debt. We decided it was our challenge to create a tool that would help them. Focusing on this mission has helped us create the best debt management tool in the industry. Our users are regular people all across the U.S. who are tired of being burdened by their debt and ready to become debt free. Many of our users have expressed interest in being able to monitor their improving credit score as they gradually pay down debt. This is one of the main reasons why we are very excited to now feature the VantageScore 3.0 as an important part of our debt management tool. As a new, integral part of ReadyForZero, the VantageScore will help people better understand their current financial standing and learn how their credit affects many other aspects of their financial life. With the VantageScore, ReadyForZero becomes the first site that combines credit information, real-time account data, bill payments and personalized financial offerings to reduce debt and build wealth. This combination and the fact that our tool is accessible from anywhere via our mobile app demonstrate the powerful momentum our team has created. We strive to be the most actionable, intuitive, and reputable resource for regular Americans to take control of their financial destiny. Now that we’re able to show users their VantageScore through our new partnership with Experian, we’re getting lots of positive feedback. For example, Michael DiCillo, a ReadyForZero user from Ohio said, “the addition of my VantageScore credit score provides me with greater control over my financial health.” We’re overjoyed that ReadyForZero’s debt reduction tool will provide a 360-degree view of a person’s finances so that an individual can make informed decisions about how to accomplish specific goals like paying off debt, improving credit, and building wealth. No matter what their credit score may be, having the ability to see the VantageScore will help ReadyForZero users stay motivated and informed on a monthly basis. Just as ReadyForZero’s debt repayment graphs and personalized reminders inspire people to make more progress paying off debt, the VantageScore and accompanying credit score graph will serve as inspiration for continuing to stay on track. Since the VantageScore model is easy to understand and includes an explanation of not only a person’s credit score but also the factors that affect the score, it will provide a unique value to our users. We want everyone to be able to see credit scores as more than an abstract number and to know why their credit score increases, decreases, or remains at its current level. Education is a big part of our mission — we have become recognized as an authoritative voice on finance and have recently launched resource centers focused on topics like Mortgages, Credit Scores, and Relationships and Money, which are intended to give people the kind of trustworthy information they need when getting serious about pursuing their financial goals. Moving forward, all of us at ReadyForZero will continue to focus on helping people pay off debt and take control of their finances. Our partnership with Experian and the inclusion of the VantageScore in our debt reduction tool will be a big part of that.

Underscoring Experian’s goal to help consumers and be an advocate for credit education, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) last week awarded Victor Nichols, CEO of Experian North America its “Making the Difference” award from at their Annual Leaders Conference in Denver. This prestigious award is presented to organizations that have made significant contributions to assisting consumers with financial literacy, awareness and education, furthering the NFCC’s mission, visions and programs through a national presence. Mr. Nichols attended the conference to accept the award and to speak to the attendees about Experian’s vision and commitment to financial literacy and consumer empowerment. “I am proud that Experian was recognized for the second year in a row with this award, and I commend our team for their involvement and dedication in making a positive difference in consumers’ financial lives,” said Nichols. “We understand what an impact education has in helping consumers manage their financial lives, and we will continue to make financial literacy a priority along with our commitment to always put the consumer first.” In presenting Mr. Nichols the award, Gail Cunningham, vice president of membership and public relations at the NFCC, commented:  “The NFCC is pleased to honor Experian’s Victor Nichols with the 2013 Making the Difference Partner award and to acknowledge the strength and power that our relationship provides to consumers. Experian’s commitment to consumer education aligns with the NFCC’s mission of creating a national culture of financial responsibility, making Experian an obvious choice for this award.” Also, representing Experian at the conference this year was Maxine Sweet, vice president of public education and last year’s Making the Difference award recipient, along with Rod Griffin, director of public education.  The two experts hosted the “Being a Credit Ambassador” workshop at the conference for NFCC educators and counselors. The session included an in-depth look at how to guide consumers in building and restoring their credit, fraud prevention and learning to manage their credit and debt. Read more about the award and the conference here.

Consumers around the world are increasingly reliant on a variety of Internet-connected devices for everything from banking to shopping to entertainment and media. Creating relevant on-line customer experiences and preventing fraud are large and growing business challenges. 41st Parameter’s patented device identification technology will enable Experian clients and their consumers to interact on the web effectively and securely, recognizing consumers to reduce fraud losses. Businesses use 41st Parameter products to enhance efficiency and improve the customer experience through an approach known as “risk-based authentication.” Risk-based authentication is a method of applying varying levels of stringency to authentication processes based on the likelihood that access to a given system could result in it being compromised. This allows businesses to apply the right level of security for each activity, instead of using the same approach regardless of the value and risk associated with each transaction. 41st Parameter sets itself apart from other products in the cyber security market with superior device intelligence and by reducing fraud detection errors known as “false positives” which result in customer frustration and lost sales. Typical uses include detecting fraudulent activity when a new account is opened, determining the risk associated with a Card Not Present (CNP) online transaction, and protecting consumers from fraudulent attempts of account takeover. 41st Parameter was founded in 2004. With offices located in the Silicon Valley in California, Arizona, UK, and Tokyo, 41st Parameter helps the world’s leading financial institutions, eCommerce merchants, online travel provides and digital media organization more effectively and more securely serve their digital consumers.

If you’re anything like the millions of people who counted down the hours until the Breaking Bad series finale, then you too were sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see how it would all end. But now that it’s all over, what do we have to keep the memories of a show that’s captivated us for the last five years? Fans of the show don’t have to look too far to answer that question, as vehicles used during filming are now up for auction through ScreenBid, the world’s best source for certified authentic, screen-used Hollywood memorabilia and collectibles. Experian Automotive has also joined in the effort to preserve the show’s history, as it’s providing complimentary AutoCheck vehicle history reports on most of the Breaking Bad vehicles up for auction through the ScreenBid website. The AutoCheck reports give bidders access to detailed insights into each vehicle’s history prior to its casting on the show. With this extra layer of information, those looking to take home a piece of Breaking Bad history will be able to set expectations for their potential purchase. Some of the vehicles up for auction include Walt’s infamous 2004 Pontiac Aztek, Skyler’s 1991 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jesse’s 1982 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, among others. Breaking Bad fans have until Monday, Oct. 7 to bid on any of the priceless memories up for auction. To view a full list of the items, visit www.screenbid.com.

Today Experian announced five high-level appointments to its North American Credit Services group. Filling these crucial leadership roles are five seasoned women who have a proven track record of success with Experian. These women include: Genevieve Juillard, President, Consumer Information Services Hiq Lee, President, Business Information Services Laura DeSoto, Sr. Vice President of Marketing, Business Information Services Michele Pearson, Sr. Vice President of Indirect Sales, Credit Services and Decision Analytics Robin Norris, Chief Financial Officer, Credit Services While this may read like a typical senior appointment announcement, I believe that it is much more important than that. Being a woman with nearly 20 years of working in a variety of industries, this is an announcement that personally resonates with me. These women have earned their places in an industry in which many may argue is predominately led by men. I have had the opportunity to work with all of these women at one point or another (some more than others) and have seen first-hand the talented, smart and inspiring women that they are. Many of them have children and have managed to juggle their work/family balance while still maintaining their extensive grasp on the credit industry and steadily climbing the corporate ladder with elegance and grace. I’m a member of the PR group here at Experian and while it’s part of my job to promote news, it is not necessarily my job to create a post like this one. I wanted to personally share this post because the diverse workplace and cultivation of growth we have at Experian is something that I feel strongly about. You can read more about all five of these women here and learn more about what they are tasked with in these new and challenging roles.