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For the eighth consecutive year, the Orange County Register has named Experian as one of the Top Workplaces, with the company securing the #1 ranking for the second time in three years. The award, which is based on employee feedback in a survey of hundreds of leading companies in Orange County, recognizes our company’s culture of innovation and inclusion, and our commitment to employees and communities during the pandemic. For more than 40 years, Orange County has been at the heart of our North America operations, and as we persevere through these challenging times, we are especially honored to be recognized for our dedication to maintaining a healthy, collaborative work environment and achieving higher performance while giving back. This award demonstrates the resilience, talent and compassion of all the people who work here at Experian. Since the start of the pandemic, we have further expanded our dedication to social good by creating new opportunities to support employees and the broader community. Because we are founded on a culture of innovating through bringing together technology and data, we were able to quickly respond to COVID-19 and honor our commitment to using data for good. Maintaining company culture All our decisions are driven by our desire to lead with empathy, and ensuring our employees feel valued and protected, while simultaneously mobilizing our resources to positively impact society, creating greater levels of financial and social inclusion. Although we had technology in place to easily initiate working remotely, we supported the transition to remote working by launching initiatives dedicated to mental and physical well-being, including a COVID-19 Resource Center, enhanced sick-leave policies, increased opportunities to ensure continuity of professional development, as well as an ASPIRE to be Well guide, in partnership with our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Giving back Throughout the pandemic, our employees have felt compelled to help clients who were facing unprecedented and unforeseen challenges. Different groups and employees of all levels began working together to develop new products and services to help clients, customers and communities persevere. This included free credit reports for small business, adding video streaming service payments to Experian Boost, hosting #CreditChat on social media, the Experian CORE heatmap, COVID-19 U.S. Business Risk Index , Experian® Health Payer Policy Alerts and updated fraud protections through the Business Resources Website. As part of our United for Financial Health initiative, we also launched two new partnerships with non-profit organizations to empower vulnerable consumers and those marginalized by the pandemic. In collaboration with Operation HOPE, we are helping vulnerable communities improve financial health with its data, analytics, products and services. Most recently, we partnered with NAACP Empowerment Programs to offer Home Preservation Grants to African Americans at risk of losing their homes. Although COVID-19 has been a source of stress and anxiety for businesses and individuals alike, we remain committed to helping employees reach their full potential and demonstrating that values and purpose do not change in a crisis. We are honored that the Orange County Register is recognizing our tireless efforts to make a difference in the communities in which we live and work.

For the past several years, Experian has been on a journey to help drive financial inclusion for millions of people around the world. This has required significant focus on how we operate, who we partner with, and the products and solutions we offer. Four years ago, when we decided to partner with and invest in Finicity, a leading financial data aggregator based in Salt Lake City, we did so on our strong belief in consumer-permissioned data and our shared vision with their leadership team. At the time, we knew Finicity’s commitment to empower consumers and drive the digital revolution fit perfectly with our priorities. Over the years, this has proven to be true time and time again as we’ve leveraged Finicity’s technology capabilities to create enormous opportunity for our clients and improve financial access for consumers. One example is our partnership on Experian Boost. With the support of Finicity’s infrastructure, more than 4.9 million consumers have connected to Experian Boost to contribute their on-time payments for their telecommunications, utility, streaming service and cell phones directly to their Experian credit reports. Through Experian Boost, and access to real-time consumer-permissioned data, we are increasing financial inclusion by helping lenders identify more consumers who can pay responsibly. In an equally powerful testament to the power of consumer-permissioned data, our partnership with Finicity is helping streamline the homebuying experience for consumers and lenders. As a distribution partner of Finicity’s Verification Solutions, we are delivering Verification of Assets (VOA), Verification of Income (VOI) and Verification of Income and Employment (VOIE) to the mortgage market. This innovative digitization of data and analytics is streamlining experiences for borrowers and is a critically important step in modernizing the mortgage process. Additionally, we have clients successfully utilizing Finicity’s Verification Solutions in automotive underwriting, personal lending, tenant screening and other sectors. Earlier this week, Mastercard closed its acquisition of Finicity. This move, along with the overall trajectory of market demand, is testament to the fact that we clearly invested in the right capability, the right team and the right vision at the right time. But our journey together isn’t over, it has just been reinforced and will continue with Finicity even under new ownership. Our commitment to working with Finicity does not change with this news, it is only enhanced. Our drive to accelerate digital lending, empower consumers and drive more consumer-permissioned data solutions is higher than ever. We will continue to partner with Finicity, now part of the Mastercard family, as a central component of our strategy. We look forward to a continued strong relationship with this new, combined entity as we continue to bring innovative solutions for consumers and businesses to the table.

We know small businesses are critical to the vibrancy of our economy and communities. Watching how hard the COVID-19 pandemic has affected them and their founders has been troubling. Here at Experian, we created new tools to help small businesses navigate this uncertain time. But we want to do more, and help businesses survive and thrive even in “normal” times.  That’s why I’m especially excited about our newest partnership with Black Girl Ventures (BGV).  This is part of our United for Financial Health program, which aims to empower vulnerable consumers to improve their financial health and protect them from fraud and identity theft. Through this partnership,we will provide resources, tools and services to Black and Brown women entrepreneurs to enable them and their small businesses to grow and prosper. We know that long-standing inequities have created barriers for women, especially women of color. Our partnership will provide financial resources to help scale its BGV Style Pitch Competition and Amplify BGV Programs and we are a proud sponsor of BGV’s new weekly podcast, “From Hustling to Handling, How to Stay in Business.” Together, we will curate entrepreneurial education content to assist a broader audience with knowledge and best practices related to financial literacy and wealth management.  The negative financial impact on these women and their businesses has had a reverberating effect across communities of color. Our United for Financial Health program is one of the many ways we are staying true to our mission to support all consumers and clients through their financial health journey, in normal and extraordinary times. This partnership with BGV will fuel the economic recovery by reaching millions of Black and Brown women entrepreneurs and, in turn, supporting the communities they serve. 

People’s engagement with financial information and their understanding of how organisations use it to make decisions about the products and services they can access has been growing for many years.    Experian has played a role in this journey. We were the first to allow people to view their credit report at any time and see their Experian Credit Score with the launch of CreditExpert in September 2003. It has allowed people to view their own information through a lender’s eyes, so they can understand how to improve their situation.   We’re excited to announce the next huge leap forward – the launch of Experian Boost in the UK.    Now for the very first time, people can instantly increase their credit score to help them access more financial products and services at better rates.  Experian Boost is a free service which allows people to use a secure Open Banking platform to share their everyday transactions – from council tax to digital entertainment subscriptions, such as Netflix and Spotify. These payments have never been factored into a credit score before, so adding them should broaden access to financial services.  Our analysis shows that more than 50% of people will see their credit score increase from using Experian Boost. But, crucially, the service will not make people’s score go down when they sign up to Boost.   People are also in total control of their data. If they wish, they can withdraw their information with a few clicks, and they are still free to re-join at any time. But by keeping Boost activated on their Experian account they can build a stronger payment history which could help them get their credit card, loan or mortgage they want.  We’re confident this is going to be a significant moment in how people represent their financial profile to organisations. Five million people have signed up for Boost in the US since it launched last year, with three million of those seeing their score increase.  At Experian, we strive to put people in control of their financial data and the launch of Boost is entirely in line with this goal.   Now it’s over to you – give your credit score a Boost.

There are many responsibilities I carry as CEO of Experian North America. All of them critical in terms of client relationships, product offerings, innovation, culture, our people and our purpose. A part of my work that I'm extremely passionate about is how we make a difference to consumers and their financial health. As leading data and technology company – and the world’s largest credit bureau – we have the opportunity to work with organizations and individuals every day to help them achieve their financial goals. And while that is good for business, it is also good for society and consumers. That is why I am pleased to join the HOPE Global Forum and John Hope Bryant to announce our new partnership. Operation HOPE is a national nonprofit with goals that align with our own at Experian: to uplift disenfranchised youth and adults from poverty to thriving in a credit ecosystem. We are committed to helping vulnerable communities with our data, analytics, products and services and working with Operation HOPE will help us further that mission. One way we have already been doing that is through products like Experian Boost, designed to drive financial inclusion and help people get fair and affordable access to credit. I have seen firsthand how these actions can change people’s lives. Let me tell you about an Experian Boost customer named Lawrence. Last spring, in March of 2019, his credit score was 640. He was already enrolled in our credit monitoring services, but was not proactive in trying to improve his credit score. Then, he tried Experian Boost. He was able to show positive payment history for utilities, cable, and his cell phone bills. Instantly, his score jumped 30 points. Following the advice of our credit education resources, he paid down his credit cards, which propelled his score even higher. He now has a credit score of 770. What does this mean for Lawrence and his family? Previously, they owned one car and paid 18% interest on that loan. Now, the family has two cars, and they pay 5% and 8.2% on two car loans. This represents incredible savings the family can now use for other needs, and increased access to financial services that can help them achieve other goals. This is what we mean when we talk about empowering consumers so they can have financial freedom. For some, this means the ability to purchase a car, have a credit card, own a home, or simply just save money. The financial health journey can start at any time and have a lifetime impact. I am really excited about this partnership. Together we have the potential to make a tangible difference in financial inclusion in the United States, combining Operation HOPE’s education and counseling programs with our credit education knowledge, capability and services like Experian Boost.  

In 2013, I came out to my brother. Sitting down at dinner, knowing whole-heartedly that he would fully accept me and nothing with our relationship would change, I was still scared. Each year on October 11, National Coming Out Day, I reflect on that first coming out experience and what I truly feared. Even though I knew I was safe, I also knew that coming out to him was just the start of coming out every single day for the rest of my life. It was the start of facing discrimination and judgment both in day-to-day life and professionally. It wasn’t a decision I made lightly. Coincidently, my brother came out to me at that very same dinner which certainly took some weight and anxiety off my shoulders. We came out to our family, together later that week and we were welcomed with love, acceptance, and support. The unconditional support I received is not normal, but my anxiety around the process was. I am grateful and quite lucky that my initial coming out process to my family was, for lack of a better term, easy. Like many others I don’t experience that same ease everywhere I go. I have been asked to leave restaurants, turned away from stores, spat on multiple times, and even asked to leave mass during service. I am regularly questioned when entering or leaving a women’s public restroom. Michele Bodda, our executive co-sponsor of Experian’s Pride employee resource group, said it perfectly in her message two years ago, “The difficulty some of our LGBT+ colleagues face making daily decisions about where they can be fully present aren’t merely insecurities. They are the realities of being LGBT+.” Let that sink in. Coming out is not a one and done experience, it is something we do over and over throughout our lives. That reality impacts people in different ways, and it’s why acknowledging National Coming Out Day means so much to me - why it means so much to many others. I feel particularly fortunate to work for a company that celebrates and recognizes our uniqueness. I know many people at Experian, like myself, who feel empowered and supported to bring their whole self to work and that reality is assuring, professionally and personally. I have been told I am brave for bringing forth my full authentic self each day. During a time of such global anxiety, uncertainty, and open expressions of intolerance and hatred, being a voice of empowerment, representation, and visibility for folks who do not feel comfortable being out is more important than ever. I’m willing to be a voice so others know they are not alone. Be brave with me. And if you’re not ready, I understand. I’m here for you when you are.

In a world that was already becoming increasingly digital, COVID-19 expedited timelines and turned forecasted projects into immediate needs nearly overnight. I’ve seen this play out in my role at Experian as well as across the financial services industry. Experian was recognized as an innovative company prior to the pandemic and the current environment has only accelerated our ability to innovate. As we surpassed the six month mark adjusting to our new normal, I was invited to join Bloomberg’s Future of Finance: Leveraging Digital Transformation for a Virtual World roundtable discussion with Senior Analyst of Bloomberg Intelligence Julia Chariell and leaders from IBM, Ally Financial, Deutsche Bank and others, to share how we are rising to meet the needs of consumers and lenders during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find a recap of our conversation here and view the full  video discussion here. We know each American is facing unique COVID-19-related circumstances, so there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. This notion has carried us as we are rising to meet the needs of our clients and consumers during the pandemic. We must allow individuals who can still meet their financial obligations to have access to credit and ensure lenders can identify them. Maintaining and improving financial access for these consumers will play an important role in our road to economic recovery. To continue to lend responsibly, the financial services industry must carefully examine all aspects of consumer financial capability in near real-time – consumer control and consumer-permissioned data play a key role in achieving this. By leveraging accurate data, I believe we have a chance to lessen the impact of the current U.S. economic crisis, extend credit responsibly, and support the hardest-hit consumers as we adjust to a new world post COVID-19.

Identity has always been the cornerstone of the advertising ecosystem; the connective tissue that helps brands create a more relevant experience for consumers. For the past 20-plus years, identity has heavily relied on the third-party cookie. But with the third-party cookie set to become obsolete in the next year and a half, and to a lesser, unknown extent, Apple’s pullback on the identifier for advertisers (IDFA), the industry needs to re-evaluate and adapt.   Without the third-party cookie, identity is a bit more complicated. Consumers engage brands through hundreds of different devices, apps and channels—and with walled gardens and disparate data sources, it’s tough to connect these digital touchpoints together. Add to that, the hundreds of offline interactions consumers have, and the single-customer view is unattainable; at least without the right data resources and partners. With little concrete direction on how to move forward in the post-cookie world, finding the right identity resolution partner can help you connect digital and offline touchpoints and better understand consumers.   Forrester recently released its Now Tech: Identity Resolution, Q3 2020 report, identifying 28 identity resolution providers that can help with identity data management, analysis and measurement. Experian is proud to be included on the list.   These identity resolution products serve a number of different use cases and it is important to select a vendor that you can trust while navigating this dynamic market. The new report states “Marketers must proactively calculate how industry changes impact identity resolution and marketing efforts, evaluate current partners’ ability to accommodate changes, and consider alternative providers and approaches.”  Finding new ways to approach identity resolution is challenging in such a dynamic industry; the path forward likely isn’t rooted in a single identifier. Experian is committed to helping you resolve consumer identities. Our solutions connect consumers at every touchpoint and execute matching in a privacy-compliant manner.  The phase-out of third-party cookies has already changed the advertising industry as we know it. But the deprecation of third-party cookies does not mean then end of people-based advertising; we still need to provide a relevant experience for consumers. The balance between data privacy and security with relevancy is achievable; the right partner can help you get there.  Learn more about how Experian can help you resolve customer identities. 

Today’s customer needs are ever-evolving and businesses both large and small are reshaping the customer journey at an unprecedented pace. Businesses are looking for solutions that are secure, easily scalable to meet emerging needs and changes in demand, and seamlessly upgrade to avoid getting stuck on outdated software. To enable organisations to keep up with the pace of change, Experian has developed a new set of cloud-based solutions designed for companies that seek to automate decisions across an increasingly complex customer journey. The new release includes both pre-configured solutions for organizations that prefer standard ‘out-of-the-box’ applications and highly configurable solutions for clients with sophisticated, decision-driven business processes. We want to offer more businesses access to Experian’s award-winning decisioning platform. Pre-configured SaaS solutions bring Experian’s rich data, analytics, decisioning capabilities, and expertise in credit risk to new markets, while we are able to continue to serve our largest enterprise clients with a full range of decisioning capabilities. With both options, businesses can benefit from the entire PowerCurve platform or select custom capabilities that address specific needs. PowerCurve solutions available on the cloud include: PowerCurve Customer Acquisition – an ‘out-of-the-box’ solution designed to help businesses quickly acquire high-value customers. PowerCurve Eligibility Check – an ‘out-of-the-box’ solution designed to help lenders automatically assess which prospects are the right fit for their credit products. PowerCurve Strategy Management – a highly customizable cloud-based solution that helps businesses drive higher performance with more insightful and dynamic decisions. PowerCurve Originations - a highly customizable cloud-based solution that helps businesses acquire more profitable customers through adaptive and targeted approaches. PowerCurve, which is used by 2,000 companies across the globe, is a platform to help businesses make analytically driven decisions and adopt the most effective decision management strategies across the entire Customer Life Cycle. Highly configurable PowerCurve solutions are available on the cloud in all regions and cloud-based; pre-configured solutions vary by market.