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We’re thrilled to announce that Experian North America has been recognized as a Top Workplace by the Orange County Register for the 10th consecutive year, with an additional “Excellence Award” for our work / life flexibility. This honor is a testament to our innovative employee culture, and keeping connected, engaged and energized as a hybrid workforce. This Orange County Register award recognition is based on the results of confidential employee surveys that assess the performance of hundreds of successful companies throughout our community. We recognize that our employees are the driving force behind our decade-long achievement as a Top Workplace. Our talented team is dedicated to both their own growth and pushing us forward, and we’re grateful for all they do to make Experian such a great place to work. Employee collaboration from our hackathons and company-wide product overviews have sparked remarkable innovations, such as Experian Go and Experian Boost. These products are especially helpful to members of diverse backgrounds and low-income households. Our Mental Health First-Aiders program is another example of employees coming together to support each other.  Our commitment to creating a supportive, purpose-driven culture is reflected in multiple awards from authoritative sources such as Great Places to Work. Not only was Experian listed among the "Best Workplaces for Parents," we’re also honored to be included on their list of "Best Workplaces for Millennials." Additionally, we’re passionate about giving back to the communities in which we work and live. We take pride in our company’s numerous contributions to organizations focused on the well-being of people from a diverse array of backgrounds. From creating the Experian Volunteer Leadership Network to our financial support of community organizations such as Ascend, National Urban league, HomeFree-USA and the Pathways Forward Initiative, we’re dedicated to helping people in need. We believe all these factors have led to our success as a company and a desirable place for people to build thriving careers. We’re honored that leading organizations like the Orange County Register and Great Places to Work recognize our efforts to make the world a better place. We want to make sure that we continue to innovate; that our products and services are first-best-and-only in their respective industries; and that we take very good care of our constituents.

Home ownership has been found to be one of the greatest drivers of generational wealth, but the dream of owning a home can seem out of reach for millions of Americans. At Experian Mortgage, we believe our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and leveraging the power of data, analytics and technology creates a better tomorrow for all. Our team is 100% committed to helping expand homeownership opportunities to populations traditionally left out of the market. For me personally, diversity, equity and inclusion – in all regards – is a personal passion.  That’s why it’s especially thrilling and humbling to receive the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) 2022 Residential Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Award in the Market Outreach Strategies Non-lender category. Diversity, equity and inclusion is more than just a program for us. It drives our company’s mission of financial inclusion. We are proud to partner with nonprofit organizations including HomeFree-USA, the Urban Institute, UnidosUS and the National Urban League to break down barriers to homeownership through financial and credit education. Through our United for Financial Health program, we established the Home Preservation Grant to assist Black and African American homeowners at risk of losing their homes due to the negative impact of COVID-19. To date, homeowners in Atlanta, Chicago and the greater Washington, D.C. areas have benefitted. As a member of the MBA, Experian enthusiastically signed the Home for All Pledge, furthering its commitment to be a champion for change in addressing the barriers to sustainable housing for persons and communities of color. Additionally, several members of the Experian Mortgage team participate in the Housing Affordability Convergence in support of MBA’s initiative to facilitate new solutions to the nation’s rental and housing affordability challenges. For Experian Mortgage to be recognized by the MBA for our market outreach efforts is tremendously rewarding. It helps confirm we’re on the right track and we still have more to do. We look forward to providing partnership and support to clients and the industry to join us in our mission of financial inclusion. Click here to learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

For all of the ways money – and access to it – affects our lives, it’s unfortunate that it is not discussed regularly with young people. Sadly, when it is discussed, it’s often in response to highly emotional financial stress or difficulty rather than as a positive learning opportunity. Establishing a positive, fact-driven relationship with money early in life can be a critical factor in future success. Equitable access to financial tools and resources to create a better tomorrow can help everyone achieve their life’s goals. That’s why we’re proud to announce the launch of the Center for Financial Advancement® (CFA) Credit Academy. CFA is a key initiative of HomeFree-USA, and we’ve been partnering with the organization to provide complementary training to their housing counselors on financial and credit education information and resources. This new six-month program is for 250 scholars from 14 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). My colleagues on Experian’s Credit Education team are leading the program to help scholars gain an understanding of credit and its importance. The hope is they’ll become knowledge ambassadors for their peers, family and their communities. Experian research shows there are 28 million US consumers who are unable to participate in the mainstream financial ecosystem today because they don’t have a financial identity. Credit invisibility more frequently impacts underserved communities with 26% of Hispanic consumers and 28% of Black consumers unscoreable or invisible compared to 16% of White and Asian consumers. That can make homeownership, the greatest driver of generational wealth, an even bigger challenge for underserved communities. Ensuring these students are aware, informed and visible within the credit ecosystem will help them access more equitable lending when they’re ready to take steps to buy a car, own a home, and build generational wealth. In addition to live sessions and self-paced content, the CFA Credit Academy culminates with a hackathon competition in April, challenging all students to form teams of four at participating HBCUs to build the next best credit education program for their peers. The winning team will earn a $40,000 scholarship, sponsored by Experian. We can’t wait to see what the scholars come up with, and we look forward to sharing their ideas. To learn more about Experian’s work in diverse communities: visit www.experian.com/diversity.