We’ve all seen news clip of a tornado that twisted down a street, destroyed one house, missed the next two then demolished another block or two of people’s lives. Credit card fraud is equally indiscriminate.
As more Americans emerge from the economic depths of the recession, they’re reminded by one significant fact: not all consumers reduced their debt burdens during 2011. Super-prime VantageScore® consumers — those with scores of 901 to 990 — actually increased debt by $100 billion from Q4 of 2010, notably in new mortgage, bankcard and auto debt.
To gear up for the second full day of Vision 2012, we chat with Kerry Williams, Experian group president, to discuss how clients can achieve growth using three key strategies. Check out the video to see his recommendations.
The first day of Vision 2012 covered numerous topics and offered attendees many new industry insights. In this episode of Experian TV, we catch up with Steve Wagner, president, consumer information services, to discuss universe expansion and strategies to find new consumers, and Tony Hadley, senior vice president, government affairs, to review consumer financial literacy and the CFPB. We also sit down with Andy Sheehan, senior vice president of marketing, to discuss this year’s Vision theme: growth.
The lifespan of a fraudster is short, but prolific. It typically takes about seven days to wreak millions of dollars of damage across a wide network of unsuspecting customers. The fraudsters begin by sending tens of thousands of emails to unsuspecting folks—your customers. They politely ask them to log-in to their bank account to confirm their password.
Unemployment remains high nationally, though consumer spending is steadily increasing.
Housing remains a stumbling block for the economy, while loan delinquencies show signs of improvement for most lines of business. What does this all mean?
Mortgage industry trends have already been a huge topic of discussion at Vision 2012. Although we’re seeing signs of recovery in the auto and bankcard lending sectors, when it comes to mortgage we’re clearly not out of the woods yet.
Hundreds of business leaders, risk officers and credit managers are gathering this week in Scottsdale, Arizona for Experian’s annual must-attend industry event Vision 2012. Over the course of three days, this group will hear from dozens of experts on new ways to improve business performance and make the most informed decisions. This blog will publish regular updates from the conference.
As part of Advertising Age’s American Consumer Project, Matt Carmichael (Director of Information Projects at Advertising Age) recently reported on “How the U.S. Watches Cable.” The coverage, and supporting map/infographic, offer some revealing analysis around cable television viewership with relation to demographic segmentation, with the map providing a snapshot of viewership by County. Experian Marketing Services contributed data and analysis.
I opened a few of my daily newspapers this morning (yes, the print kind!), and pondered some seemingly conflicting messages. In the Wall Street Journal, I saw the headline “Economic Reports Fan Fears.” In the New York Times, the top business story read “In a Shift, Debt Levels are Falling,” noting that American consumers are reducing their debt.
Last month, the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI)—a coalition of more than 80 leading online marketing companies—released its 2011 annual report reviewing efforts in online advertising self-regulation. In the annual report, which is required by the NAI’s self-regulatory Code of Conduct for Online Behavioral Advertising (OBA), the NAI reviewed the practices of member companies with regards to the collection, use and disclosure of data for OBA purposes.
The Death Master File (DMF) is a database operated by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that contains over 87 million records with information on persons who had Social Security numbers and whose deaths were reported to the SSA from 1962 to the present. The DMF is considered a public document under the Freedom of Information Act, and monthly and weekly updates of the file are made available through the Department of Commerce.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been busy hiring staff and building a regulatory agency from the ground up since July 21, 2011, when it assumed full rulemaking, enforcement and supervisory authority over 18 of the nation’s consumer protection laws that guide financial products and services, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, The Truth in Lending Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
A recent Experian Automotive credit trends study revealed that vehicle history can have a major impact on loan performance. The study found that more than 2 percent of the late-model used vehicles (model year 2005 and newer) had a negative vehicle history event (frame damage, salvage, odometer rollback, etc.), which can significantly impact the vehicle’s value.
Consumer information is at the center of our economy. It connects us to the right products and services, helps companies innovate and expand, and allows consumers to make smarter choices throughout their lives. While the use of consumer information is becoming more important to businesses and consumers, there is a growing concern among policy makers that the laws governing consumer privacy are not keeping up.
Many consumers simply do not understand what a credit report, credit score or id theft is until they have either been denied a loan or fallen victim to fraud. As part of Experian’s Live Credit Smart program, the company offers consumers information on the specific areas that they need to live credit smart.
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 90 countries. This news blog provides our perspective on issues and trends affecting our businesses and our constituents in North America, while occasionally touching on Experian global news. Subscribe by email.