Experian Earns Top Score in Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Congresswoman Young Kim (CA-40), co-chair of the Financial Literacy and Wealth Creation Caucus, to talk about something that affects millions of people every day: financial access.  In that conversation, one thing became clear: broadening access to financial resources starts with equipping people with financial knowledge. When people understand how the financial system works, including how lending decisions are made and what options are available, they’re better positioned to make informed choices and plan for the future.  But that’s not always easy.  Families today are navigating real affordability pressures, from everyday expenses to finding fair and affordable financial options. And as we discussed, many consumers learn by doing, often making decisions without fully understanding the long-term impact. I’ve seen that firsthand, and it reinforces why access to clear, timely information is so important.  That’s why financial literacy isn’t just important, it’s foundational.  It also has to be practical. Effective financial education starts with meeting consumers where they are. Every person begins their financial journey in a different place, and the right tools at the right time can make a meaningful difference, whether someone is building credit, managing expenses, or planning for the future.  We also discussed the need to modernize how we think about financial data. Today, many consumers demonstrate responsible financial behavior every day, such as paying rent, utilities, and other recurring bills, but not all of that activity is reflected in traditional systems.  Expanding the way we look at financial behavior can help create a more complete picture — one that allows more consumers to access the financial tools and opportunities they need to move forward.  If there’s one takeaway from our conversation, it’s this: talking about money matters.  Too often, those conversations are avoided. But when we normalize them, we help people build confidence, ask better questions, and make more informed decisions.  At Experian, we’re focused on helping make those conversations easier, helping more people feel informed, supported, and equipped to move forward with confidence. 

We’re starting the year strong by reaffirming our promise to empower consumers on their financial journeys. At Experian, everything we do is driven by our mission to bring Financial Power to All™—helping people not only understand where they stand but confidently move forward. That’s why I’m pleased to introduce the new high-yield Experian Smart Money™ Digital Savings Account[1], designed to make saving effortless, accessible, and more meaningful than ever before. This new offering is more than just a savings account—it represents an important evolution in how Experian supports financial progress. For years, we’ve helped tens of millions of consumers monitor their credit, improve their credit scores, and protect their identities. Now, by adding a high-yield digital savings account to our existing suite of financial health tools, we’re able to anchor that progress to something tangible: real balances and real momentum. With the ability to save built directly into the Experian ecosystem, members can track their savings growth alongside credit improvements, creating a clearer picture of their overall financial health. Positive financial behaviors—like paying down debt, making on-time payments, or improving utilization—can now be experienced in parallel with cash accumulation and stronger financial resilience, all in one trusted place. The Experian Smart Money™ Digital Savings Account offers up to 4.00% variable Annual Percentage Yield[2] (APY), which is nearly 10 times the national average savings rate[3], with no minimum balance or direct deposit requirement. It’s seamlessly integrated into the Experian membership experience, making it easier for consumers to take action the moment insight appears. This launch builds on the success of our Experian Smart Money™ Digital Checking Account & Debit Card introduced in 2023 and reflects our continued commitment to creating products that meet consumers wherever they are on their financial journey. We believe saving is a foundational financial behavior—and one that plays a powerful, often underappreciated role in credit outcomes. Strong credit health isn’t just about borrowing; it’s closely tied to liquidity, cash flow stability, and financial resilience. Having accessible savings can help consumers stay current on bills during income disruptions, build buffers that reduce reliance on higher-cost credit, and create flexibility that can support long-term credit improvement. In this way, a high-yield digital savings account becomes more than a place to store money—it becomes a practical tool for building healthier financial habits. Whether it’s emergency savings, goal-based saving, or smoothing cash flow, an Experian Smart Money Digital Savings Account enables consumers to turn good intentions into consistent action. This launch also reflects our broader evolution beyond a traditional credit bureau. Today, Experian membership provides access to credit monitoring and improvement tools, identity protection, a credit card marketplace, auto insurance comparison shopping, and personalized guidance through our AI-powered virtual assistant, EVA. Adding a high-yield digital savings account allows us to take the next step with our members—bridging the gap between insight and action. Instead of stopping at “here’s where you stand,” Experian can now help consumers actively build positive financial momentum. We’re extending our role as consumers’ BFF—Big Financial Friend—by making it easier to save, plan, and grow within the same ecosystem they already trust. By innovating and delivering products that truly make a difference in people’s everyday financial lives, we’re continuing to advance our mission and help consumers turn knowledge into progress. Learn more at experian.com/smartmoney. [1] The Experian Smart Money™ Debit Card is issued by Community Federal Savings Bank (CFSB), pursuant to a license from Mastercard International. Banking services provided by CFSB, Member FDIC. Experian is a Program Manager, not a bank.  See Experian.com/legal. [2] The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is 2.00%, 3.00% or 4.00% as of today’s date based on the Experian membership status. The APY may change at any time before or after your account is opened. Changes to the Experian membership can impact the APY, interest rate, and features. The interest rate and APY may be lower during membership trial periods. No minimum deposit to open account. Balance must be at least $0.01 to earn APY. Learn more. [3] As of Dec. 15, 2025, the national average rate for savings accounts was 0.39%, according to the FDIC.

The last several months stand out as one of the most dynamic periods in my career. To say it’s been an exciting time would be an understatement. For more than 20 years, the mortgage industry has relied on a single way to measure creditworthiness. With the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s decision to approve VantageScore 4.0 for use in mortgage decisions, that long-standing approach is evolving.  At Experian, we’ve advocated for score choice in mortgage from the very beginning. We believe in modern scores because they allow more of Experian’s rich, differentiated data to be used in lending decisions. Because this data provides a more complete picture of a consumer’s financial health, it creates new opportunities to expand access to homeownership.  At the same time, significant change naturally brings questions and debate. New models. New data sources. New decisions to make. New ways of doing things. Across the industry, there’s been a lot of discussion about what these changes mean in practice, how they impact lenders and consumers, and how the industry moves forward from here.  I recently had the opportunity to talk through many of these topics with Robbie Chrisman on the Chrisman Commentary Daily Mortgage News Podcast. Our conversation focused on bringing clarity to some of the most common questions I’m hearing today, while also looking ahead to the opportunity in front of us: modernizing mortgage decisions in a way that reflects how consumers actually live and manage money to help more consumers realize their dreams of homeownership.   We discuss the fundamentals, including the difference between credit reports and scores (and why that distinction matters), how expanded data, including things like rental data, cash flow insights and buy now, pay later information, can help lenders make more informed decisions and how we can help turn today’s renters into tomorrow’s homeowners. We separate fact from fiction on credit report pricing and we take a forward look at where we can, collectively as an industry, go from here.    The good news is: Consumers haven’t stopped believing in homeownership. Our systems just need to continue evolving to reflect the way people live and manage money today. With better data and more modern tools, we are moving in the right direction.   To hear more, listen to my full conversation with Robbie Chrisman on the Chrisman Commentary Daily Mortgage News Podcast.