Globalization and technological innovation are changing the way Americans work. More and more, people are taking advantage of easy-to-use technology to take care of their day-to-day tasks, be they personal or work-related. While consumers have adapted to the new digital world and continuous progress in many aspects of their lives, their credit bureaus have been hard at work shifting and navigating to the new normal of frictionless technology tools on our personal devices that most of us are embracing. However, we have to acknowledge that even with some positive changes and advancements taking place in the lending industry, the lending process overall has not always kept pace with technology and consumer expectations, with applicants stuck pushing papers in application stages that can last almost 10 weeks. Aspirations for higher education that require a student loan, building or purchasing a home through a mortgage and realizing that next big innovative idea with a small business loan are hamstrung by a remnant of the 20th century – the paper-based loans processes. So today, Experian and Finicity are announcing a partnership that promises to transform the consumer and lender experience and bring it into the 21st century. By partnering with Finicity, we are leveraging our combined capabilities – their industry-leading 16,000 developed integrations throughout the financial services field and Experian’s Decisioning as a Service platform, to be the first credit bureau that can digitize the loan asset and income verification steps of the underwriting process for consumers and lenders. For consumers, this digital transformation of key steps of the loan underwriting process can mean increased time and money savings by helping to decrease the cost of lending. Loan approval speed can move up to 85 percent faster, taking the process from as many as 70 days to as few as 10 days. The access to faster lines of credit enables consumers to get the keys to their new home sooner and removes obstacles to opening a business. Instead of filling out, printing, photocopying and compiling document upon document, consumers need to only permission lenders to verify their income and assets. The new lending process also opens new opportunities for the millions of Americans who may be “credit invisible.” Tens of millions of Americans lack access to credit either because they haven’t ever accessed credit or have a weak credit history. Yet, most consumers have a checking and savings account, as well as other payment obligations such as rent, and utility and phone bills, which can demonstrate they are capable of repaying a loan. Finicity’s extensive integrations fill this gap by capturing alternative data, like on-time rental payments, utility bills and other non-traditional transaction information, which creates a more comprehensive picture of consumers. By looking at predictive alternative data, we are leveraging and harnessing the power of data to help underserved populations, including millennials, minorities and immigrants build their futures by accessing credit to start a business, obtain a mortgage or finance higher-education pursuits. What does this mean for lenders? It means providing customers with a better experience throughout the underwriting process and significantly reducing the risk of fraud with up-to-date, accurate information. In addition, Finicity is in a final pilot testing review to obtain Day 1 Certainty by Fannie Mae. With Day 1 Certainty, lenders can validate loan application data including income and assets upfront. The results are freedom from representations and warranties, more efficient risk management and a streamlined process. At Experian, we take charge of powering opportunities seriously. We take pride – but don’t rest on our laurels – in that we’re the industry leader in technological innovation to reduce pain points for consumers and build better products for our clients. We don’t innovate for innovation’s sake. Rather, we seek to leverage technology to help more people access better tomorrows. This partnership and the product stand to benefit millions people by facilitating access to credit for the first time for many. For all consumers, it will reduce the burden the formerly burdensome loan underwriting process – and speed the approval times. For lenders, we’re reducing occurrences of fraud and allowing them to more appropriately price risk. We’re continuing to lead by digitizing the credit bureau, and undoubtedly, this announcement will be joined by other announcements that we will be making in the near term. Revolutionizing the Home-Buying Journey Introducing Income & Asset Verification

I’m a Senior Vice President of Sales, responsible for leading Experian Health’s teams as they assist hospitals, physicians, labs and pharmacies across the U.S. We provide technology for providers and patients to help keep the costs and payment processing component of healthcare easy and transparent. The part of my work I am most passionate about, however, is our efforts to decrease identity theft in healthcare. Medical identity theft is one of the fastest growing areas of identity fraud in the world. With everything moving online at a fast pace, health care providers may not always keep up with the protections needed with new technologies. Unfortunately, that means hackers can sometimes acquire a patient’s personal information – name, Social Security number, health insurance number – to illegally obtain medical services or devices, insurance reimbursements or prescription drugs. One of the biggest issues with this type of fraud is that it leaves its victims with little to no recourse for recovery. They often experience financial repercussions and discover that faulty information has been added to their personal medical files as a result. To address this issue, my team and I partnered with Experian’s Decision Analytics team to create a new tool that protects patients’ online portals in much the same way that banks have protected their online clients for years. Additionally, our team is the in process of launching a Universal Identity Matching solution – a unique PIN which acts like the Social Security Number for your health care information. As more health care companies begin to adopt it, this PIN will be the one thing you will need to carry with you, as it will be your unique identifier for all your health care experiences. A lot of processes in hospitals today are still manual, but I want to change that. I want to automate systems so hospital staff can focus on where they are most needed. I am proud to work at a company that’s at the forefront of solving the major problems in healthcare IT. Being able to provide technological solutions in an industry where you can directly see the benefit is both personally and professionally rewarding. Read more #ExperianStories from our colleagues around the world.

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.

The benefits of financial education are clear — higher economic growth, lower poverty rates and greater consumer confidence. This is why we put education as a top priority. One principle in our education philosophy is a “train-the-trainer” approach. We know that alone, we cannot reach every person but together, we can reach significantly more. We partner with nonprofits, such as Credit Builders Alliance, to ensure they have accurate information to share when consumers come to them for assistance. This week, Experian and Credit Builders Alliance are hosting a two-day credit education training session for financial educators in Mississippi. The event is organized by the Mississippi State University Extension Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy and will be held March 1 – 2, 2017, at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center in the Jackson, Miss., area. “Mississippi’s average credit score is 645. It’s the lowest ranking state in Experian’s State of Credit report, falling 28 points below the national average,” said Rod Griffin, Experian’s director of public education. “We are committed to empowering the state’s financial educators with high-quality education, which ultimately will help strengthen the community’s understanding of personal finance management.” The workshop will highlight the basics of building credit, the importance of a good credit history and the value of credit reports. Additionally, the workshop will demonstrate how to promote access to responsible financial products and how to respond to consumer questions. Participants also will share information about local initiatives aimed at bringing underserved consumers into the financial mainstream. “We want to alleviate poverty and bring prosperity to our communities. Credit is essential to attaining that goal. However, consumers need to know how to use credit responsibly,” said Dara Duguay, executive director, Credit Builders Alliance. “These educators are on the front line of ensuring consumers are receiving accurate information. This is why we are so passionate about delivering training sessions with top credit experts throughout the country.” To learn more about the training, visit http://creditbuildersalliance.org/register. For more information regarding Experian’s education efforts, visit https://www.experian.com/consumereducation.

  I’m a Senior Product Strategy Manager in Experian’s Consumer Services department. I help banks connect people to the loans and credit cards they need, but my role is always changing because the world around us is changing. My team and I noticed how a whole generation is now thinking differently from other generations about the way they work and live. Rather than joining a large corporation, they make a living through a variety of platforms, like Uber, Airbnb and others — stringing together multiple jobs to make their income on their own timetable. The challenge for these people comes when they go to a bank to take out a loan, apply for a credit card or try to finance a car. The banks have difficultly gauging their risk or creditworthiness because they don’t have a traditional income source or because their credit footprint is difficult to trace. Banks refer to those types of individuals as “credit invisibles.” That’s where my team and I come in. We brainstorm ideas and create concepts for Experian to implement that will enable us to aggregate data from alternative sources — like utility bills or phone bills — to give banks a more accurate, robust view of each individual. Additionally, we create useful tools that help people manage their multiple income streams to ensure they’re able to meet their financial obligations each month. As the wealth of data in the world continues to grow, I see myself as an innovator who turns data into utility that works for people. I am constantly dreaming up new ways to connect banks with people who need a loan to feed their family, send their kids to college or buy a car for work. I want to help people take the guesswork out of taking each of life’s biggest steps. I want to empower them — through their data — to realize their dreams. Read more #ExperianStories from our colleagues around the world.  

At Experian, we unlock the power of data to create opportunities for consumers, businesses and society. Every day, we help millions of people navigate key life moments, helping them to protect, manage and make the most of their data. On top of that, we continually work to make sure that we have all the right processes, policies, training, monitoring, governance and behaviours in place – to ensure that we treat all our customers fairly and avoid consumer detriment. As a result of our commitments and values, I am pleased to announce that Experian has achieved Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorisation. In 2014, the FCA became responsible for regulating all consumer credit and credit reference agencies in the UK and we applied for full FCA authorisation on 25 February 2016. The process has allowed us to stress-test our risk management structures and the plans we have in place to ensure fair outcomes for our customers. We have always looked to implement effective resolutions for people, to dispute what they identify as errors in their credit reports, through a responsive and fast system. It is an evolving and dynamic system and we have made many changes and improvements over the years. So we naturally welcomed the opportunity to discuss new proposals for enhancing and improving what we were already doing. Experian has always led the way in setting new benchmarks for best-practice, when it comes to both our operating standards and approach to data stewardship. As such, the authorisation from the FCA is important – and we are proud to have received the nod. This is another key milestone and we will continue to strive for the very highest standards of integrity, ensuring that we always focus on doing what's right for our customers.

  I’m a Regional Sales Strategy Director for Experian in France. While Experian provides grants for entrepreneurs, we are always looking for ways to support new businesses beyond financial support. I had discovered an avenue for employees to volunteer as coaches to train budding entrepreneurs, so I brought the opportunity to Experian’s attention. Eight colleagues and I ended up bringing together entrepreneurs from the Ainée Business Incubator and a charity supporting young entrepreneurs from low-income areas in Paris for a day-long workshop in our Experian Paris office. The workshop was focused on helping entrepreneurs build elevator pitches, digital marketing plans and data protection strategies. I was running the elevator pitch session when I met an entrepreneur named Jocelyne. She wanted to set up a business importing Jamaican fruit and vegetables to the top restaurants in Paris. During the session, I coached Jocelyne and her peers through the basics of an elevator pitch, giving them opportunities to practice together in pairs before presenting to the group. Jocelyne had never given a pitch before, but she did an amazing job. She decided to pretend she was pitching Alain Ducasse – one of the big three Michelin star chefs in Paris. She talked as though he was in the room, which brought her pitch to life. She made her business sound so tasty, I was hungry myself by the end. Jocelyne had been quiet at the start of the workshop, but after giving that pitch, you could see this fresh sense of confidence in her as a new light came into her eyes. By helping one entrepreneur in Paris nail her business pitch, I got to help inspire a small amount of confidence to help Jocelyne turn her business dream into a reality. It was amazing and touching to see that kind of transformation. Read more #ExperianStories from our colleagues around the world.