Search Results for: covid-19
With the impact of COVID-19, we’re certainly in uncharted territory. Many people are struggling with high unemployment, which is resulting in missed credit card, utility, and rent payments. In response, Experian is joining forces with the other U.S. credit reporting agencies, to offer free weekly credit reports to all Americans for the next year via AnnualCreditReport.com. A credit report allows people to monitor their finances and better understand their overall financial health. We’re proud our industry is uniting to make this possible for all U.S. consumers starting today. Credit reports are updated constantly, so the ability for an individual to look at their report weekly is helpful to monitor for lender updates and ensure there is no fraudulent or unfamiliar activity. During these difficult times, this is especially important. In addition to the free weekly credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com, Experian also offers consumers free access to their credit report, FICO score, and ongoing credit monitoring at Experian.com. This is a no-charge product. We want to give consumers multiple options to access and manage their credit report. At Experian, we’re committed to enabling fair and responsible lending through the power of our data. As the consumer’s bureau, our goal is to not only help consumers build credit but to get better access to credit. All of us are working diligently every day to keep our data as accurate, relevant, and secure as possible so that lenders can use the data to responsibly extend credit to people who need it most especially when the economy returns to strength. What You Can Do Now The most vital action someone can take if they are unable to pay a bill is to talk with their lender and inquire about assistance programs that may be available. If a consumer receives an accommodation it will have minimal impact on their credit score if their account is in good standing and if there hasn’t been previous delinquencies reported We remain committed to informing, guiding, and protecting people during these unprecedented times. Beyond our offer for free credit reports, we’ve created a dedicated website, with links to multiple resources and materials to help the community learn about credit and other important personal finance topics. We encourage everyone to visit the Experian COVID-19 Resources & Credit Education. Take care and stay healthy.
The pandemic’s full economic impact is still unfolding, and I can assure you we have not stopped evaluating and evolving our COVID-19 response nor our thinking about economic recovery for consumers and businesses alike. In the last month, we’ve been driven by two major priorities. The first is the health and safety of our employees. On top of that, we have placed a laser focus on putting our resources to work to help people and businesses during these uncertain times. While we have all been adjusting to our ‘new normal’ working environment, our employees in North America have not slowed down. In fact, they have worked hard to create solutions and tools designed specifically to help people successfully navigate the evolving financial landscape. From free credit reports to complementary ‘payer alerts’ for healthcare organizations to consumer credit education, we’ve launched a wide-range of initiatives. Here are a few highlights I’d like to share with you: FOR CONSUMERS: Experian Credit Report and Score: Consumers can sign up and access their FICO® Score, Experian credit report, and ongoing credit monitoring through Experian’s free CreditWorks product. Consumers can also sign up to Experian Boost, a free financial tool that has helped more than 2 million consumers increase their credit score. Consumer Resources Website: As the consumer's credit bureau, Experian’s commitment is to inform, guide and protect its consumers and customers during uncertain times. One way the company is doing this is through this dedicated website, with links to multiple resources and materials to help the community learn about credit and other important personal finance topics. COVID-19 and Your Credit Report: Being fully committed to helping consumers and lenders during this unprecedented period, Experian has created this dedicated blog page with ongoing and updated information pertaining to how COVID-19 may impact consumers’ creditworthiness and – ultimately – what people should do to preserve it. The blog will be updated with relevant news as Experian announces new solutions and tactics. #CreditChat: In response to the urgent and rapid changes associated with COVID-19, Experian is accelerating and enhancing its financial education programming to help consumers protect their financial health. With expected delays in bill payments, unprecedented layoffs, hiring freezes and related hardships, Experian seeks to aid consumers in understanding how the credit reporting system and personal finance overall will move forward in this landscape. Experian has launched an eight-week series of #CreditChat conversations surrounding COVID-19 on Wednesdays at 3 pm ET on Twitter and live video credit chats every Friday at 12:30 pm ET on Facebook Live. FOR BUSINESSES: Free Experian Business Credit Report: Experian is offering all American-owned small businesses free access to their Experian business credit report through May 1, 2020, to help small business owners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. By accessing a free business credit report now, small business owners can understand where their credit score stands and look for the best lending options for their business before they obtain funding. COVID-19 U.S. Business Risk Index: To further help small businesses gain access to capital they need, Experian launched its free COVID-19 U.S. Business Risk Index to assist lenders and government organizations in understanding how to make lending options available to the business segments that need it the most. This new risk index can help business risk professionals better understand the impact that the pandemic may have on commercial operations based on several key factors. This methodology combines business risk, anticipated impact on business industries and real-time COVID-19 case data to help businesses better simulate various impact scenarios down to the state level to help develop relevant strategies. Experian® Health Payer Policy Alerts: This is a free comprehensive list of COVID-19 and telehealth payer policy alerts for United States hospitals, medical groups, pharmacies and specialty healthcare service organizations. Payer policy alerts are provided by commercial, Medicare and Medicaid payers and summarize changes to medical coverage policies from those organizations. This public service to the healthcare community will continue to be updated and remain free as long as alerts related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be distributed. At-Risk Audiences: In an effort to help essential organizations, such as healthcare and government agencies, provide resources to those most in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, Experian is leveraging its data assets, free of charge, to identify groups of individuals that are most likely to be impacted. Experian developed new audience segments that are built in a privacy-compliant manner and designed to help these organizations find and communicate with at-risk populations, enabling them to deliver essential services as quickly as possible. Business Resources Website: This newly launched website was developed to help businesses prepare to manage increased attacks, continue to push toward digital banking, and understand regulatory changes as businesses find their footing in this evolving financial services landscape. FOR COMMUNITIES IN NEED: First Responders First: Experian North America is supporting first responder workers by donating funds for personal protective equipment (PPE) to COVID-19 for hotspots in New York City and New Orleans through the nonprofit organization, First Responders First. These funds will provide essential supplies, equipment and resources such as masks, gowns, gloves and more to those on the frontline. Heart of Experian Giving Opportunity: Experian is leading this effort in which employees can assist by making a donation to First Responders First through Experian’s Heart of Experian giving opportunity. Experian will match employee donations up to the annual limit of $500 per employee, while funds last. This donation is the latest support the company has provided to help minimize exposure for those most at risk. For example, in California, the company also donated 12,000 masks to the Hoag Medical Group. I’m proud of the work we’re doing at Experian to help those impacted by this crisis. We remain dedicated to our employees, consumers, businesses and communities – and we will continue to innovate and develop new offerings to help those in need. Craig Boundy CEO, Experian North America
As I reflect on the impact COVID-19 has had on my work and family life, I’m reminded of the things I once took for granted. My day-to-day routine has evolved into one of working from home, helping to take care of my toddler, and at times, doing so while on conference calls, sorting out the next grocery delivery, and writing this blog. While it’s a challenge, I’ve come to appreciate and value many of the things I’ve once taken for granted. But I also understand, I’m not the only person experiencing change. Across the globe, lives have been upended. The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak has been far-reaching and felt by hundreds of millions of people; whether due to family members that have fallen ill, job loss, shortened working hours or their children out of school. COVID-19 is an existential challenge that no one industry or entity can single-handedly address; we all need to play our part. Some companies, such as Fanatics, Ford, General Motors and Tesla, have shifted production efforts to focus on manufacturing medical resources, including personal protective equipment and ventilators. Others are donating free meals and resources to help consumers across the globe manage during this unprecedented time. Much like these organizations, Experian is committed to helping consumers and businesses navigate our current environment. We’ve expanded our financial education programming with the goal of helping consumers maintain good credit and protect their financial health. We’ve also offered small businesses free access to their Experian business credit report to help them better gauge their financial options and understand what capital is available to them. But as the world continues to combat the pandemic, we, like others, must look for new and additional ways to help. As essential organizations extend outreach efforts for those impacted by the outbreak, we believe data and technology can help them identify the groups that are most at-risk. With finite resources and limited bandwidth, it’s important for these organizations to communicate with at-risk populations and provide essential products and services as quickly as possible. With this urgency in mind, Experian developed At-Risk audience segments, which it is making available free of charge to essential organizations, such as government agencies, healthcare providers and non-governmental organizations, to help combat the fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak. The segments are built in a privacy-compliant manner and provide insights to help essential organizations reach those most in need. Organizations can use the information to determine where to allocate emergency funds, as well as redirect healthcare resources. Because the situation associated with the pandemic is changing seemingly every day and is impacting individuals in different ways and times, we also instituted a daily survey of the general population to gain insights around shifting consumer sentiment as a result of COVID-19. The insights from the survey will help organizations understand consumer sentiment during this difficult time and begin the process to identify at-risk populations. As of April 8, 2020, the survey found that: 73 percent of Baby Boomers are concerned about visiting the doctor and/or would hold off seeking care. 60 percent of Americans are concerned about filling prescriptions and/or accessing healthcare resources. 64 percent of Americans are concerned about their ability to access food and other essentials. COVID-19 has impacted consumers and businesses across the globe. As we all adapt to the new environment, we need to work together and collaborate to find ways to combat the fallout. Experian will not be stopping here, and we are committed to developing new ways to use our resources, data, technology, and creativity to help be part of the solution.
Listen or download the podcast: Every week, we talk about important data and analytics topics with data science leaders from around the world on Facebook Live. You can subscribe to the DataTalk podcast on a iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, SoundCloud, and Spotify. DataTalk features data science leaders at MIT, Caltech, United Nations, Gartner, Twitter, Salesforce, Amazon, UBER, IBM, LinkedIn, Spotify, Dow Jones and dozens of other startups and top data companies. In this week’s #DataTalk, we chat with Lisette Sutherland about ways to lead and manage remote teams. She also shares strategies to improve communication, reduce conflict and keep remote teams motivated. Lisette is the author of the best-selling book "Work Together Anywhere: A Handbook on Working Remotely -- Successfully -- for Individuals, Teams and Managers." In this chat, Lisette shares: Types of Remote Team Maturity How to Lead & Facilitate a Great Virtual Meeting Why NASA Keeps Team Meetings Under 45 Minutes Steps for Creating a Team Agreement to Improve Communication on Remote Teams How to Reduce Multitasking & Disengagement in Virtual Meetings Ways to Prevent Burnout by Setting Work-Life Boundaries During Covid-19 Steps to Improving Virtual Meeting Engagement Opportunities for success as a remote worker And much more ... About Lisette Sutherland Lisette Sutherland is a public speaker, workshop facilitator, author of Work Together Anywhere, podcaster, and remote-working champion. She is also Director of Collaboration Superpowers. To learn more about working anywhere, check out her TED Talk. Follow her on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out our data science podcast and video series DataTalk is hosted by Mike Delgado, Director of Social Media at Experian. Please reach out if you have suggestions for topics or guests.
Listen to the podcast (FULL TRANSCRIPT): Level Up is a podcast for anyone interested in improving their leadership skills. The series is designed to help you get to know the leaders of Experian and gain insight into the skills needed to grow your career. You can subscribe to Level Up Leadership on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud and Spotify. Times are hard navigating life with something we're not very familiar with at all: the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of us are making drastic changes to our work and home lives, and we know that this can take a toll physically and mentally, so today's episode will be a short discussion about ways to cope during this period. For this episode, we spoke to Nora Cook, Experian HR Director and Business Partner, as well as the Executive Co-Sponsor for ASPIRE, Experian’s mental health and wellness employee resource group (ERG). Here are some simple reminders as your work and home lives change in response to COVID-19: Focus on the positive and on the things that are within your control. With how uncertain and unstable everything seems right now, it’s easy to feel like things are completely out of your control. And while a lot of things are, it’s important to focus on the positive—on what you do have control over. You can’t control gyms being closed, but you can control the at-home workouts you do or the walks you go on. You can’t control being unable to gather in public, but you can control how often you want to video chat with loved ones. In times like these, it really becomes the little things. It’s okay to be scared and to talk about your fears, but remember to continue to actively try and move forward from them. Have a dedicated space and time. If you separate your work area from the rest of your home, it will be easier for you to feel like you’re entering and leaving work, and therefore easier for you to carve out your work hours and adhere to them. Too often, employees feel like they need to overcompensate with their hours due to the fact that they’re in the comfort of their home. Avoid overworking yourself by making sure your day starts and ends at a certain time and that when you leave work, you don’t see it for the rest of the day. Make an effort to talk to colleagues about non-work things too. It’s easy to get on a call or video chat with your colleagues and talk about nothing but work and the Coronavirus. But you should make a concerted effort to chat about fun things too—how the family is doing, what you’re watching on Netflix or Hulu, a funny meme you came across. Water cooler conversations aren’t any less important now that we’re working from home; having these fun and lighthearted interactions are what makes the stressors more bearable. Be patient. It’s a difficult time for everyone, and we are all still trying to adjust to this new normal. Remember to be patient with your colleagues, your family, your friends and most importantly, yourself. These are tough changes for a lot of people and your mental health may be put to the test while you’re expected to continue to exhibit high performance at work. Be patient with yourself and know that you aren’t expected to have all the answers at this moment. We were so happy to have the opportunity to chat with Nora for Level Up. If you found this episode helpful, please consider joining our weekly #CreditChat on Twitter every Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET. For the next several weeks, we will be dedicating #CreditChat to discussing ways you can manage your finances, pay down debt, cope with remote work, arrange emergency financial assistance and more as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic together. For more information, please click here. Check out interviews with other Experian leaders. Full Transcript Mike: Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Level Up Leadership Podcast. My name is Mike Delgado. Patty: My name is Patty Guevara. Mike: This podcast is designed to help you get to know the leaders here at Experian and also gain insight into the leadership skills and traits needed to grow our careers. Patty: In this podcast, we'll talk mentorship, career navigation, handling rejection, work-life balance, mental health, diversity and inclusion, and so much more. Mike: A lot of our recordings are done through WebEx, so sometimes the audio quality is not perfect. We apologize. We'll get better in time, but we hope you enjoy the show. Patty: Hi, everyone. We know that times are hard navigating life with something we're not very familiar with at all, the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of us are making drastic changes to our work and home lives, and we know that this can take a toll physically and mentally, so today's episode will be a short discussion about the ways to cope during this period. Patty: We're speaking with Nora Cook, HR Director and Business Partner at Experian. Nora also serves as the Executive Co-Sponsor for Aspire, Experian's mental health and wellness employee resource group. We hope you find useful insights and advice in this episode. Enjoy. Patty: Why don't we start with introduction. So Nora, if you can explain what you do at Experian and your role in Aspire to our listeners? Nora: Sure. So yeah, so I'm Nora Cook. I've been at Experian for about three years now, I am an HR Director. I work with two businesses, specifically DA North America and GDA; I used to be with ECS. And I used to work out of Costa Mesa in our headquarters, and I moved to San Francisco about year and a half ago now, for personal reasons. So I'm remote, up here by myself. We had an office here until the month before I moved here. So, I now work out of my home office and I travel a bit. Mike: Awesome. How long have you been working from home? Nora: A year and a half, since I've moved to San Francisco. Mike: How was that transition for you? Nora: It was interesting. I thought it would be really easy. I came here and I was like, "Oh, I'm going to have so much time in the day. And I'm going to be able to just work and get so much done and have free time." Nora: And what ended up happening, because I have a global business and a regional business, is I start my global calls at 6:37 AM; I get right out of bed and I go to those calls. And then I get a little break, I make my coffee, I do something. And then I go right into finally looking at emails, because I had been on calls for the beginning of the morning. Then I'm looking at emails and then I feel like I'm already behind. So, I had to find a way to not feel like I'm already behind by 10:00 AM, which took some adjustment. Patty: So, has anything changed for you during this time, with this pandemic? I know a lot of people are adjusting to working from home, but I know that's something that you've been doing for a while now. Nora: Yeah. So, it has. So I work from home. My husband is a farmer and a chef, so he's usually out and about, and he's home now. So we've got myself, him, and we have a friend living with us right now and she works from home. Nora: And then, my stepson usually is with his mom on weekdays and with us on the weekends, and we swap schedules. We've got more adults here and so we do weekdays now. So we're doing homeschool with my 11 year old son and all working out of our San Francisco apartment. Patty: Full house. Everyone is super busy. Nora: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Patty: And how are you feeling during this time? How are you coping with everything? Nora: I'm a little worried. I'm someone who's more on the cautious side, right now. Shelter-in-place came a little bit earlier in San Francisco, so I think we had a bit more time to be alarmed earlier. I know I have a lot of family in the Midwest and they're still... some fitness gyms are still open and things like that, but ours is all closed over a week ago now. And so, I definitely, I see the serious side of it. I go to the hospital, actually. And happy news, I found out I'm pregnant, two weeks ago. Mike: Oh, congratulations! Patty: [crosstalk 00:04:21]. Nora: Yeah, thank you. So, that means I'm going to the hospital. I'm being extra cautious and seeing how they're taking care of that, but I'm going for a really happy reason, which is different from why a lot of people are going in. So, I'm trying to channel that happiness and excitement and good news, and really positive... or focus on positive things and things I can control. Nora: So, I'm closing my rings every day on my Apple Watch. You can't see me, but I'm holding up my Apple Watch. I'm on day 23. I started this before and I'm committed. I'm doing virtual yoga. I'm going for walks with my son and my husband. And I'm video chatting constantly with my best friends and family, who already lived far away from me, and now we actually are seeing each other more and making a bigger effort. Nora: So, really just focusing on what I can control, positive things. Allowing myself to have a moment, turn to my husband and be like, "Can I talk about my fears for a second?" And then we talk about them, and then let's move on. Patty: Great. Just don't dwell on the negative things. I feel like that's my issue right now is that I'm so invested and keeping up with the news that I start to feel overwhelmed and scared and yeah, out of control, because there's nothing I can do to change what's happening with this pandemic, right? Other than staying home. Nora: I know. Patty: Yeah, it's tough. Do you have tips for people who are working remotely for the first time? Nora: Gosh, this is just what's worked for me. I have to do something before my work day starts. I was talking about how I would just get right into a work day. I mean, it sounds obvious, but take a shower, go for a walk, make your coffee. Do something that's yours and your time, like you would if you were driving into an office, before you start your work calls. That has made a huge difference for me, for my head space, and it's also made me feel more manageable, that feeling of feeling behind from the beginning. I did something today and I wasn't behind when I made my coffee, so I'm okay. Nora: I'm also a big fan of a dedicated space. So, I share... My son's bedroom has a corner where I've carved out my workspace and we take turns. And now that he's here, we'll swap, but this is my dedicated space. My computer sits here when I'm not working, my work stuff, I'll notes stick here so it's not all over my house. My living room is my living room, my bedroom is my bedroom, so it's still keeps some semblance of normalcy in my house and doesn't make it all collide too much. Nora: I make my own lunch. That's one of the pros we have of working from home. You get to eat yogurt out of your fridge and not have it in a lunchbox, that you forgot to put it in the fridge and then you can't can't eat it. So, take advantage of the things that are advantages. Do a workout class middle of the day, because you can do a workout class in the middle of the day. Nora: And I think a big thing for me has been chit-chatting with coworkers. There's no water cooler talk, you're not walking by and talking so find a way to chit-chat. At the beginning of a call, ask them how they're doing. Share something about your life. Force people to have informal conversations with you. Even if they're in an office and they have plenty of them, you need it when you're working from home. Patty: Exactly. Mike: Yeah. I miss popping over and just seeing Patty and just chatting with her. Patty: Yeah. Mike: I miss that already. What have you found to be some of the dangers of working from home, when you're not separating that work life? What are some of those dangers, those things you're cautious of, as you've been doing it for a while? Nora: Yeah. I think one of the main ones is, just that feeling of feeling frustrated. I don't like feeling overwhelmed by my workload. I don't like feeling frustrated that I haven't had a break yet for me today. I like to avoid that. I like work to be positive. I like to problem solve. I feel so happy to work for a great company culture like Experian and to be in HR, where that's really what we focus on. So for work to be enjoyable, I need to find ways to schedule in time that's for me. I think that's a main one. Nora: Another one is just, by the end of the day, you're so exhausted if you don't do it. If you don't take a walk in the morning or after lunch, by the end of the day, you don't want to take a walk because you're just tired of it all. And I think my husband probably gets the brunt of that. By the end of the day I'm like, "I'm not making dinner. You make dinner. I've worked all day, raising this kid. That's not fair." Mike: I think that's the hard thing, especially because Experian, I think what's really cool about Experian is we have so many high performers, people that are goal driven, people who work really hard, people who like constantly innovating, testing new things. And at least for me it's like it was always nice for me to go into the office and there was that separation. When I'm in the office work hard and they want to get in the car, now I'm home. And now that I'm just beginning to try to adjust to working from home, I'm running into the, "I'm always thinking about work." Because the computer's right there. Nora: Right, right. I think having a dedicated space for your work to be helps. Because you can walk in and out of a room. And I'll do that, I'll walk out of this room that I'm in right now and I'll hear myself take a breath. And I'm like, "Oh I needed to breathe." My Apple watch [inaudible 00:10:03] yet. But I guess I did. And it's finding those physical separations from work at home. Otherwise it all becomes the same thing. Nora: And like I said, my husband will get the brunt of it but he'll hear all about my work. He doesn't need to hear all about my work. We need to talk about other things that matter to us. So, finding that way to dedicate time and space to work makes you feel like you have permission to walk away from it in the middle of the day. And at the end of the day, close your computer. I'm satisfied with what I've done. It's as if I'm driving home right now on my commute. Patty: I think a big issue a lot of people deal with is that when they're working from home they feel like they have to compensate and like work even harder and work even longer. And I know that's an issue for me. I'm checking my email after hours. I'm trying to log on as often as possible. I was just telling Mike, I totally forgot it was Saturday and I got for work [crosstalk 00:11:01] I lost all concept of time. It was crazy. Nora: It bleeds together. Patty: Yeah it does. And I know a lot of people are dealing with that and it's even harder for them because they have families. And I know for you, your son is at home, your friend, your husband. So, do you have any tips for people who are maybe having to deal with merging their work life with their home life and then making sure their family is well taken care of? Because they're scared too, but then also getting work done at the same time. Nora: Yeah, I really like having a schedule. So, for me, the three of us, we have outlook. We go in the beginning of the day, we open our calendar, and there's a schedule for us. What I do is I look and I find a break and it's like, okay, there's time. That's going to be my lunch today. Or that's going to be my 15 minute walk. And then I share that with my husband and my son and I say, "Here's when I can eat lunch. Do you guys want to do it together?" Or like, "Can we do PE at 11:30 because I can go for a walk?" Nora: Yeah. And for kids, my son's been doing the same thing. So we've got a dry erase board with each day of the week on it. We already had it, I think we use it for groceries and at the beginning of the day we have him put in, what do you think your schedule should be? What do you want to do? You know you have to do math and writing and those. But what else? How do you want to do it today? And it gives him some control right now. Nora: He's setting that routine and then we sit down and then like I said, I'll say, "Well, actually do you mind if we move lunch? Because then we can eat together." Or, "You don't seem to have reading here. I know you don't like reading, but when would you like to do it?" So, I've really found that that helps. Nora: And journaling helps, reflecting. We do something called Rosebud Thorn at our dinner table. Have you heard of that? Patty: No. Nora: Okay, so at our dinner table where there's no phones, they stay somewhere else if all goes right, we go around and Rose is where you talk about the best thing that happened today. So, on Friday I made myself an awesome peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I had this feeling of being a 10 year old and that was my rose. Mike: I love that. Patty: It's the little things. Nora: Yeah, it is. You can still have these sparks of joy even on stressful times. And then Thorn, we talk about what just kind of sucked today. What do wish didn't happen or made you upset? And I'll talk about something like, I went for a walk and I pulled my leg and I had to go back early and I didn't get outside again that day. And that really, I found, had an effect with me. Because if I can't get out the rest of my day, I looked out the window and wished I could be there. Nora: And then Bud is whatever you're looking forward to tomorrow. So, it helps you visualize and think what could go really well tomorrow. Like, tomorrow I'm going to call my mom and talk to her because she told me she'd be free and there's things I've been wanting to catch up with her. So, I'm going to make sure I call her no matter what. And that's really helped us get to talk about the day and integrate our family and fit and reflect a little bit for ourselves during this. Patty: I love that. I love the part where you ask your son to make his own schedule and give him some sense of control in a very uncontrollable situation. Nora: Yeah. Mike: Nora, I wanted to ask you about staying connected with your colleagues. And one of the things that I'm having a hard time with is I've always just enjoyed being in the office and be able to just drop by somebody's cube, sit and chat, and just do my rounds, and I just enjoy doing that. Even just walking up and down the hallway, seeing my friends, seeing colleagues on the way to the kitchen. And now that I don't have that, right now I'm doing a lot of text messaging and some video capture in there. But I'm just wondering how are you being intentional about keeping in touch with not only your own team but those even outside your team that you want to keep that communication going? Nora: That's a really good question and I think that's actually harder for people who work remotely when everyone else is in an office. Like you said, your way of staying in touch is to walk around. So, I find that felt more challenging to be honest, before we're all working from home. Now there's this desire to stay connected. So my manager, I'm really lucky. I work for a manager who cares about the human being and then the work and I think that helps us be better at our work. Nora: So, she started a group chat with everyone who reports directly into her, we're skip level, and we just have like a very informal texting conversation. Every other day she'll text us and say like, "Hey, I'm just checking in to see how you're all doing." A lot of us are in different cities and she'll just be like, "How's it going in your city?" Nora: [inaudible 00:16:02] I do like a roll call. Like, "Hey San Francisco, shelter in place for two days. Here's how it feels. Besides that, I'm okay." So we have the informal texting. I call my direct reports or message them on Slack every day and just check in. How was your weekend? Kaylee on my team told me that she put up wallpaper on Sunday, and just talk about that. We'll talk about working a little bit. Nora: Besides texting and making sure to talk not just about work, I think there's this feeling right now that seems to be going through a lot of the teams, like with my businesses, people want to help each other and people want to know what they can do for you. It's that service mentality. So, I've been feeling that and trying to give that to my businesses as well, which is like, "Hey, is there anything I can do for you?" They come back and they're like, "How about you? How are you doing it all of this?" And it's a really easy way to stay connected right now and not just have bombarded by to do lists. Mike: Yeah, I love that you're being intentional about talking about things other than work. I think sometimes people feel really guilty about having that water cooler time, but that's actually super important for building relationships, building trust, getting to know people. And I think right now, everyone working virtually, we're on all these business calls as it is, but I think it's super key what you just said about setting up those little, even a five minute call, just to catch up with somebody. That's super important right now. Nora: Yeah. Yeah. So, I was already used to working from home. If it's your first time building this routine, is it harder to get those informal channels set up right now? Mike: Yeah, I think right now I set up a video chat during our lunch hour, so basically every day from 12:00 to 1:00, I have a group video chat using the Blue Jean app. So anybody who wants to, it's just there. It's random people popping in at different times and it's just kind of a fun way. I said, "No work talk." Nora: Good. Mike: Talk about what you're streaming on Netflix or Hulu. Or listening on Spotify, this is the time just to chat and it's lunchtime. You can even make your lunch. So that's kind of a fun thing that we're doing in our team to keep the levity up. But yeah, I think we have to just be intentional about setting up those times. Nora: Yeah, we use Slack too. In DA North America, we've got the organization on Slack. We have a channel set up for competitions, and right now we started a workspace competition. Share your workspace. Gosh, I wish I remember who it was off the top of my head, but his workspace was a yoga mat with toilet paper and his [crosstalk 00:18:59] on top of it, looking out a window, and he was like, "This is how I'm saying Zen. I know I'm prepared, I have what I need. I can relax." It's so fun. People want to know more about people. You know, our highest open click rate for our internal communications emails were the getting to know you email, or new joiner emails. So when we'd have five new joiners, we'd send an email and that was the highest click through. Nora: People want to know about each other. I don't think we've historically felt like we needed to find reasons to share more about our personal lives. I think that's a beautiful thing coming out right now. Patty: Yeah, that's so true. Because I thought going into this, you know, I'm introverted, so this is going to be the time of my life. This is where I'm going to thrive. That was so not the case. I was like [inaudible 00:19:49] my coworkers, I get to talk to [crosstalk 00:19:53] because people started to really come out of their shells and call people they wouldn't call usually, or want to reach out to the people that they usually wouldn't talk to that often in the office. Patty: So yeah, like another professional, like you were saying [inaudible 00:20:09] when you try to look up pros in this terrible situation, is that you're making connections you probably might not make in the office. Nora: Right. I mean I'm talking to you guys. Patty: Right! Nora: I talked to Patty, but this is the first time, you know, the three of us are chatting. I FaceTimed with Justin Hastings. That was great. We're all getting more exposure to each other. Patty: Yeah. Mike: So I have a question. What's interesting to me also about this virtual working space is that I enjoy very much face to face. Being in the office, I enjoy nonverbal communication. I get a lot of feedback that way. So my thing right now, Nora, is video calls. With Patty I'm always like, "Let's FaceTime, let's chat." But I know that not everyone wants to FaceTime every day. Right? So can you talk about being sensitive? Some people might just want to be on the phone and talk, and that's pretty much all they want to do with that day. But then sometimes maybe they want to FaceTime. How do you kind of balance between, I don't want to ever put someone in an awkward position of you need to FaceTime with me. Because I'm happy if you just want to email me, that's fine too. But I also want them to know that I love seeing them. Nora: Yeah, we've been talking about that for how long have I said I'm remote? A year and a half, since I went remote, my manager was like, "I will be FaceTiming you, I need to see you, I need to talk to you." So with her we immediately set the schedule, once a week at our one-on-one, it will be over FaceTime. I might be in my yoga outfit with my headband on, I might look really nice because I'm going to happy hour later. It doesn't really matter. I might be walking around my house, doing things while I'm talking to her, and it's just built a habit to be honest. Now that we have that habit, it feels normal. I know that that is harder for people. I've got a team member who I love and we work so well together, and we don't need to be on FaceTime to work well together. But sometimes it is nice to have the video there, especially if there's a group of us. Nora: I've noticed that she'll open her blinds behind her so that she actually looks like a dark shadow, and then she's on the line, but you can still see kind of like reflections and her hand motions. I was like, "Hey, that's so clever. I see you there, we know you're present. We know you're a part of it, but you just don't want to be totally visible all the time and that's okay." Nora: So I think honoring people's space, if somebody never wants to get on video, I think that's a bit more challenging. Really it's just continuing to talk more about why it's okay for us to be looking whatever way we're looking. I don't have makeup on right now and that's okay. I'm at home. You might be sitting on your couch, I'm not judging you if there's a couch in the background, that's fine. We're all in our homes. Homes have couches. They'll let you see them in person at the office. So just trying to I think help people who are uncomfortable see it as more of a normal thing. Patty: That's really good advice. Do you have any tips for people who might need something a little more than just taking a walk outside or talking to their family? Like a little mental break I guess. Do you have anything that you really like to do? Nora: So we have employee assistance program, and I didn't share this during my intro, but I'm also a co-sponsor of our Aspire EAP. And one of the things I've loved about being so involved in Aspire is I'm personally learning more about all of our resources out there. With EAP, you can call and you can talk to a counselor over the phone. You can also do in-persons when it's not the current situation. But right now you can do that. I actually, during all this, I was like, "I'm going to try this whole text to counselor thing." Nora: So it's called Talkspace, talk, T-A-L-K space. It's an app you can download, and it's through EAP. I immediately started chatting with somebody who's like, "Hey Nora, how are you doing?" And I was like, "I'm good. You know, I just found out I'm pregnant, so I'm excited, but I'm also scared because this is what's going on." I just started texting and she's like, "Okay, you're in a close space, and we'll continue texting and then I'll assign you to a counselor." Within 24 hours I had a counselor, and you just chat when you're ready to chat. Mike: Oh. Nora: They reply when they're ready to reply. Sometimes it's not immediate, but it's kind of nice because it keeps it ongoing. So for somebody who's looking for something... I have found a good experience with Talkspace. This isn't the only one out there. You can go outside of our EAP. What I haven't tried [inaudible 00:25:10] live for mental health, but we have MD Live, which I don't know if you guys have used for physical health, you just call a doctor, "Hey, this is what is going on." They talk you through it. You don't have to go into urgent care all the time. They have it for mental health over the phone. I'm not sure if they have texting, but Experian waived the copay for 90 days. So if you are enrolled in Experian benefits, yeah, you have access to MD Live physical and mental health with zero copay for 90 days, starting I think last week. Mike: Oh, that's awesome. Nora: So those are a bit more extreme, not extreme but like powerful resources in the moment. Right? Mike: Yeah. That's really, really cool. I'm sorry Patty, I was going to say... I think those are wonderful resources, and I'm glad you shared them because I wasn't even aware, the texting one sounds really cool, the Talkspace. That sounds like an amazing resource, but I want to ask you about, as we're all being sensitive to our colleagues and if we're sensing that someone's going through something hard, what are some ways you suggest to approach that person in a caring way? Not to be intrusive, but just to be able to help, prompt them to make a move towards using one of these tools. Nora: Yeah, I know that can be challenging. Being in HR, there's often times where we're talking to employees where I think we have kind of a different, like what is it called? We're allowed to say things maybe, because we're in HR, like we talk about resources. But I think this is a good skill for everyone. What I've kind of stuck with is start by asking people how they're doing, and if they're avoiding talking about that, "I'm good, I'm moving on," or, "I'm fine," find a way to ask something more specific like, "Hey, I know you have shelter in place in your city. Have you been able to go outside? You haven't been able? How has that felt not being able to go outside?" Finding a way to not get a yes or no and not shut the door and just open that conversation, because really, I don't know about you guys, but I don't like taking resources from people I don't trust. If there's someone I don't want to talk to or I don't trust, you can tell me all day what to do and I'll be like, okay, thank you, but if it's somebody who I'm like, okay, Patty cares about me. She's asked me about how I'm doing. I can tell she's been vulnerable back to me and opened up a little bit so I know this feels real. I should listen to her because she probably genuinely cares. Patty: Right. Nora: I think that's something, it's like laying the groundwork before trying to go that extra mile to offer someone support and make sure they know you'll be vulnerable with them so they can be vulnerable with you. You trust them. You care about them. Then asking permission, like, "It sounds like it's really stressful for you in San Francisco. Is it okay? Can I talk to you about some of the resources that I've heard of lately that really helped me? I don't know. They might be helpful to you right now," and asking if you can open that door. If they shut it down, they shut it down. I think if it's beyond that, if you're really nervous for their mental health and safety, then definitely reaching out to an HR partner or their manager in this type of moment could offer you more support and offer ultimately that person the best opportunity to get the help they need, whatever that could look like. You don't know, but at least we're caring and we're looking out for each other. Mike: I think that's actually the hard thing sometimes when the leader is checking in on someone on their team, and let's just say that there is trust there and mutual respect, and somebody on the team begins to share something that's painful going on in their lives and it's one of those situations where that person's not ready to go to HR. They're not ready to talk to a professional, but they just want to share what's going on with the leader. That leader's kind of conflicted, like, "Oh man, this is something that's really heavy. I care about this person. I want them to get help, but I don't want to break their trust by going to HR or an outside party." How should leaders, how should colleagues work in that realm? Nora: Sure, sure. I think that's a really good question. I think that's something that people often kind of worry, "Will I be able to make the right choice if I'm in that situation?" I don't know if everyone even knows when they're in that situation. Before I answer, just as a reminder, I'm not in any way a mental health specialist, so really what I go with is that gut feeling and trusting that sometimes your gut can be one of the strongest facts. If your gut is telling you something is wrong, if it's telling you that you fear the safety of a coworker, and if you know that there are resources that could help that person, I think it's admirable to be able to go to your HR partner, the manager, or go to somebody you trust to help you talk to that person and ensure they have access to the information that would benefit them at that time. Nora: Every situation is different so there's not a recipe for this. If you are entering it with compassion, and I was going to say love, I mean, sometimes there is love behind there in a coworker relationship, we care about each other, but if you're with compassion and delicacy and sensitivity to where the other person's coming from, there is a way to navigate that situation. Sometimes you do just [inaudible 00:31:03] HR partners or even like your spouse at home that you can talk to about it can help you think through [inaudible 00:31:08], but we do have good resources at Experian. I've mentioned this before. I love working in HR here because I work in a people function at a company that cares about people. We're in it together. How Experian has responded to the COVID crisis just proves that we're in it together. I've never felt more connected, honestly, globally across Experian or with my coworkers as I do right now. You've got to just trust that the best intentions are there. Patty: Right. We have come up on our 30 minutes here, Nora. Thank you so much for joining us. If you have any last words for our listeners about like maybe coping with all of this or just well wishes, go ahead and take the floor. Nora: I think going back to the very beginning where we talked about thinking about what we can control, there are beautiful things coming out of these crazy circumstances. Mike is having lunch with all of his coworkers. Who knows if they would have lunch with him in person regularly, but look, he's got a party of people. We're learning how to be better at videoing with each other and getting on FaceTime and being responsive. A lot of us are going for walks and doing healthy things. Remember that things you can control and the positive things coming out that you want to keep going in your life. I am going to continue closing my rings on my Apple Watch even a
At Experian we have an unwavering commitment to help consumers and clients manage through this unprecedented period. We are actively working with consumers, lenders, lawmakers, and regulators to help mitigate the potential impact on credit scores during times of financial hardship. In response to the urgent and rapid changes associated with COVID-19, we are accelerating and enhancing our financial education programming with the goal of helping consumers maintain good credit and gain access to the financial services they need. This is in addition to processes and tools the industry has in place to help lenders accommodate situations where consumers are affected by circumstances beyond their control. These processes will be extended to those experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. As the Consumer’s Credit Bureau, our commitment at Experian is to inform, guide and protect our consumers and customers during uncertain times. With expected delays in bill payments, unprecedented layoffs, hiring freezes and related hardships, we are here to help consumers in understanding how the credit reporting system and personal finance overall will move forward in this landscape. One way we’re doing this is inviting everyone to join our special eight-week series of #CreditChat conversations surrounding COVID-19 on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. ET on Twitter. Our weekly #CreditChat program started in 2012 to help the community learn about credit and important personal finance topics (e.g. saving money, paying down debt, improving credit scores). The next several #CreditChat events will be dedicated to discussing ways to manage finances and credit during the pandemic. Topics of these #CreditChats will include methods and strategies for bill repayment, paying down debt, emergency financial assistance and preparing for retirement during COVID-19. “As the consumer’s credit bureau, we are committed to working with consumers, lenders and the financial community during and following the impacts of COVID-19,” says Craig Boundy, former Chief Executive Officer of Experian North America. “As part of our nation’s new reality, we are planning for options to help mitigate the potential impact on credit scores due to financial hardships seen nationwide. Our #CreditChat series and supporting resources serve as one of several informational touchpoints with consumers moving forward.” Being fully committed to helping consumers and lenders during this unprecedented period, we’ve created a dedicated blog page, “COVID-19 and Your Credit Report,” with ongoing and updated information pertaining to how COVID-19 may impact consumers’ creditworthiness and – ultimately – what people should do to preserve it. The blog will be updated with relevant news as we announce new solutions and tactics. Additionally, our “Ask Experian” blog invites consumers to explore immediate and evolving resources on our COVID-19 Updates page. In addition to this guidance, and with consumer confidence in the economy expected to decline, we will be listening closely to the expert voices in our Consumer Council, a group of leaders from organizations committed to helping consumers on their financial journey. We established a Consumer Council in 2009 to strengthen our relationships and to initiate a dialogue among Experian and consumer advocacy groups, industry experts, academics and other key stakeholders. This is in addition to ongoing collaboration with our regulators. Additionally, our Experian Education Ambassador program enables hundreds of employee volunteers to serve as ambassadors sharing helpful information with consumers, community groups and others. The goal is to help the communities we serve across North America, providing the knowledge consumers need to better manage their credit, protect themselves from fraud and identity theft and lead more successful, financially healthy lives. COVID-19 has impacted all industries and individuals from all walks of life. We want our community to know we are right there with you. Learn more about our weekly #CreditChat and upcoming schedule here.
Whether due to job loss, shortened working hours, or the need to take off time from work to care for ill family members, the current COVID-19 outbreak will undoubtedly cause financial hardship for millions of Americans. Understandably, the current situation is causing some consumers to fear losing something they’ve worked incredibly hard for – their home. For many, a home is the largest purchase they’ll ever make. We spend many years of our lives working to purchase a home and then many years after working to fill it with memories. We understand how important it is for you to protect your home. Thankfully, we’re seeing mortgage lenders, federal associations and the financial industry working together in truly unprecedented ways to help consumers cope with new financial challenges brought on by COVID-19. Last week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- two of the largest mortgage services in the county -- announced they are suspending foreclosures and evictions for at least 60 days. You can read more about this announcement here. This was followed by New York, an area hit particularly hard by COVID-19, urging mortgage servicers to refrain from reporting late payments for 90 days. The order outlines ways lenders can provide support to consumers who are unable to make timely mortgage payments, including forbearing mortgage payments for 90 days from their due dates. As part of this, late payments would not be reported to credit reporting agencies like Experian for 90 days and consumers would not have to pay late or online payment fees. The order also postpones foreclosures and evictions for 90 days and requires lenders to proactively outreach to consumers, through text, email or other means to ensure they’re aware of the assistance that’s being offered. Los Angeles, Miami and other cities across the U.S. are now also halting evictions. This news was shared in conjunction with Bank of America announcing additional support to borrowers, including the option to defer, or essentially pause, mortgage payments during the current outbreak. Many of the largest mortgage lenders in the country are offering the same support to consumers. Please note, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac acted fast, and these are the guidelines as of the time when this article was written. As things are still early, our Experian mortgage team will stay abreast with potential new developments and update this information if or as things will change. These are unprecedented times and we are starting to see lenders and consumers engage in equally unprecedented ways as we work to overcome the new reality we’re all facing. At the same time, we are seeing interesting trends unfold in terms of mortgage lending activity. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, as of March 25, 2020, these include: Refinancing existing mortgages, which has been booming with interest rates at historically low levels, declined almost 35% compared to the previous week, but is still twice as high as it was the previous year. Not surprisingly, the states with the biggest declines are the states hardest hit by the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e. New York, Washington, and California) In addition, with the economy under pressure, there was a nearly 30% decline in weekly new mortgage applications. If you or someone you know is a homeowner, I hope you found this information useful. Remember, if you are concerned you may miss a mortgage payment, the first and best move you can make, to protect your home and your financial health, is to contact your mortgage lender as soon as possible. Lenders do not want you to miss a payment any more than you do. They can discuss options for navigating these unusual circumstances. Keep in mind, these programs are available to you if you are facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis, for example, if you lost your job or had to be hospitalized. Of course, we’re all hoping not to be in either of these categories. If you haven’t been financially impacted by the current COVID-19 crisis, you are expected to continue to make your mortgage payments (and meet all your other financial obligations). You should feel good about being able to do that as it will make you part of the important group of individuals who can keep contributing to sustaining the American economy.
The panel included Rod Griffin: Director of Consumer Education and Awareness at Experian; Alicia R. Hudnett Reiss: CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™; Take Charge America; Sarah Brady: financial consultant, workshop facilitator, and writer; Beverly Harzog: Credit Card Expert and Consumer Finance Analyst for U.S. News; Todd Christensen: Education Manager at Money Fit by DRS; Molly Ford-Coates: Founder, Ford Financial Management; Sha’Kreshia Terrell: Founder of Humble Hustle Finance; Kimberly Hamilton: Founder of Beworth Finance; Athena Lent: Latina Personal Finance Expert; Sean Gillespie: Financial Advisor; Navicore; Brian Haney: Vice President, The Haney Company; Tremaine Wills: Financial Adviser; Gloria Fagbemi: Founder, TeaForTwoAndACrowd.com; and Consumer Federation of America. Questions We Discussed Q1: How are you keeping updated on the COVID-19 pandemic? Any favorite Twitter accounts? Q2: What types of financial emergencies are people having right now? Q3: What COVID-19 financial assistance programs should people know about? Q4: What are some ways to deal with unemployment and income loss? Q5: What resources are available to help with childcare and education? Q6: What services are available to help those needing food and basic needs? Q7: What programs are available for student loan relief? Q8: What relief might be available for those unable to pay rent, utilities, or car payments? Q9: How often should you check your credit report? Why is that important? Q10: What financial scams are out there right now? Q11: How can all of us support each other during this isolating time? Retweet these insights from our community: A1. The #CDC and #IRS websites are great for up-to-date news and information important for everyone. #creditchat — FTWCCU (@FTWCCU) April 22, 2020 A2. One of the biggest financial emergencies people are having is a cash flow emergency. This can be in the form of less income or no income, which affects every other aspect of their financial life. #creditchat — Alicia R. Hudnett Reiss, CFP® (@AliciaRHudnett) April 22, 2020 A3. In addition to the CARES Act, there are financial assistance programs being offered by individual banks and lenders for affected customers and small businesses. There are also programs being offered to those with specific health issues: https://t.co/VhDNLOHDlH #CreditChat — Jennifer White (@Jennifer_Wwhite) April 22, 2020 A4: If you can't pay your debts, call lenders today. The CARES Act gives credit score protection to those whose accounts are in good standing. But you MUST have an agreement in place. #creditchat — Beverly Harzog (@BeverlyHarzog) April 22, 2020 A5: I personally do not have any children, but @HiMamaSocial did a good job on compiling a list or resources for childcare and education for childcare centers, teachers, and parents. #CreditChathttps://t.co/sheVFiuNTE — Angel Trinh | 7 Continents (@pnywisetraveler) April 22, 2020 A6: If you or someone you know needs food assistance during this crisis, there's great info here: https://t.co/fr7wXROtQu #creditchat — Beverly Harzog (@BeverlyHarzog) April 22, 2020 A6: If you or someone you know needs food assistance during this crisis, there's great info here: https://t.co/fr7wXROtQu #creditchat — Beverly Harzog (@BeverlyHarzog) April 22, 2020 A8: Many utility companies are easing shut-offs or allowing customers to pay late without penalty. Car loan servicers are offering concessions to payments. For those who can’t afford rent, talk to your landlord to see if you can work out a plan. #CreditChat — American Consumer Credit Counseling (@ACCC_TalkCents) April 22, 2020 A9. You want to keep a close eye on your credit report for any signs of identity theft, which always increases during a crisis. #CreditChat pic.twitter.com/pIuKHsfq5f — Take Charge America (@TCAsolutions) April 22, 2020 A10: There are a ton of coronavirus stimulus payment scams out there. Here are 4 red flags to watch for via @CNBC https://t.co/rPJbJjKa6i #CreditChat https://t.co/aSBcIDMj1O — Sarah Lai (@_SarahLai) April 22, 2020
By Alex Lintner At Experian, our top three priorities are the health, well-being and safety of our employees, the financial health of consumers we serve, and the accuracy and integrity of the data we provide to our clients. And of course, we are motivated by the fact that we are, and will always be, an integral part of the communities where we live and work. We provide an essential service and we are committed to being great at it. Even now, when so much around us is uncertain. Like you, we are working to navigate this new normal. And we are doing that while being fully committed to helping consumers and lenders during this unprecedented period. While you are, understandably, thinking about your family, friends and neighbors as I am, I thought it might also be helpful to provide you with information pertaining to how COVID-19 may impact your creditworthiness and – ultimately – what you should do to preserve it. As the consumer’s bureau, we are committed to working with consumers, lenders and the financial community now more than ever. I’d like to share some of your options to mitigate the potential impact on credit scores due to financial hardships you may encounter. First, it’s always important to be vigilant about monitoring your credit accounts and credit history. This is especially true now. You can get free credit monitoring from Experian, which includes alerts and an updated monthly credit report. You may also request free copies of your credit reports from each of the three national credit reporting agencies once every 12 months at AnnualCreditReport.com. Regularly monitoring your credit report can help you identify potentially fraudulent activity and respond to it before it causes significant damage to your credit history and scores. Second, to whatever extent possible, it’s important that you aim to continue to make all your payments on time. Making at least your minimum monthly payments will ensure your scores stay strong. If you are unable to make a timely payment, the first and best step you can take to protect your financial health is to contact your lender. At a time of national emergency, they do have the option to suppress a delinquency (that’s a fancy word for a late payment), which – in turn – can help maintain your credit scores. Lenders and the national credit reporting companies have additional tools and resources in place to assist consumers in times of crisis such as the one we are all now facing. Lenders may have several options for helping you cope with a variety of COVID-19-related financial hardships. Here are a few options that may be available to you: As I mentioned above, lenders may place your accounts in forbearance or deferment for a period of time, effectively suspending your payments until the crisis has passed The national credit reporting companies, including Experian, have special reporting processes for lenders to report accounts in forbearance or deferment during a crisis. Being reported as in forbearance or deferment will help minimize the impact to the credit score if the account is in good standing and hasn’t had previous delinquencies reported. Lenders may add a special statement to accounts that indicates the customer or borrower has been “affected by a natural or declared disaster.” Some scoring systems will consider accounts with the statement as “neutral,” meaning they will have no negative effect on that score Early communication with your lenders is key so that they can assess your circumstances and identify alternative, workable payment solutions appropriately. Keep in mind, working with your lenders and finding ways to accommodate some of the financial challenges you may be facing in the coming days, weeks and months, is in the best interest of lenders, borrowers and our economy as a whole. We have a long history of successful coordination during emergency circumstances with lenders and others who report data - think of hurricanes Katrina or Harvey, for example. During events such as these, processes were put in place to support people affected by disasters and these same processes will be the foundation for what is necessary now. Please know we are committed to doing all we can to protect your financial health. We are here for you should you have any questions, comments or concerns about your financial obligations during this time. As the situation around us is very fluid, we will update this content regularly. I hope you find it useful.