Welcome to the Experian Thought Leadership Hub

Home equity lending is shifting fast and hidden risks could be costing you.

• Fraud is rising: Identity theft and misrepresentation are becoming more common, increasing losses and slowing approvals.
• Workflows are outdated: Manual processes and legacy systems are creating bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
• Profitability is impacted: Many lenders underestimate how these issues affect their bottom line.

Experian’s latest Commercial Pulse Report dives into the financial health of the restaurant sector amid rising costs and shifting consumer behavior.

Key insights:

• Menu prices at Full-Service Restaurants rose 4.6% in August — outpacing inflation.
• Limited-Service Restaurants are showing improved credit risk scores, suggesting stronger adaptability.
• Credit access is tightening across the board, with average credit limits falling below $6,000.
• Revolving credit utilization is climbing — an early signal of potential cash flow strain.

What does this mean for lenders and decision makers?

✅ Not all restaurant types face the same risks.

✅ Segmenting credit strategies is more important than ever.

✅ Watch utilization and inquiry trends closely — they may be early indicators of distress.

Check out the full report to see how these trends could impact your strategy!

Subscribe to Commercial Pulse Report

Learn how background screeners can modernize employment verifications and improve outcomes:

• Reduce manual intervention with digital response channels
• Maintain compliance while strengthening data accuracy
• Boost efficiency and client confidence with best practices

The U.S. economy shows signs of steady growth in Q3, yet challenges remain. A cooling labor market and persistent inflation create uncertainty, prompting lenders to stay cautious while adapting. Even in this dynamic environment, growth opportunities continue to emerge across the industry.

First-party fraud is notoriously difficult to separate from credit risk — but first-payment default (FPD) can be the key to earlier, more accurate fraud detection.

Key insights:

• What makes first-party fraud and credit risk so difficult to separate (and so costly to misclassify).
• Why FPD is the strongest, most reliable indicator of first-party fraud.
• Actionable takeaways for businesses to combat first-party fraud.

Rental fraud is surging, driven by generative AI (GenAI) and automation, overwhelming leasing systems and increasing financial risk. Experian helps rental companies detect fraud early, protect revenue, and maintain seamless leasing experiences.

• 93% of rental companies reported fraud in the past year 
• Evictions cost over $3,500 each due to misrepresentation 
• 84% of companies saw falsified income documentation

Generative AI is a powerful force that’s driving higher efficiency and productivity in credit risk management for financial institutions. Read our latest white paper to discover how lenders can improve the credit risk management process to:

• Streamline operating expenses
• Enhance compliance
• Increase lending volume
• Reduce credit and fraud losses

A strong credit risk decisioning strategy is crucial for any financial institution looking to stand out from the competition, book more high performing loans, and drive revenue. Lenders can achieve this by implementing next-gen AI technology to: 

• Build and deploy models faster 
• Optimize lending criteria 
• Reduce fraud risk 

Watch this video to learn how you can level up your credit decisioning journey across the customer lifecycle with the Experian Ascend Platform.

First-party fraud and credit risk are often indiscernible at origination, resulting in misclassified losses. Learn how to separate the two — and why the easiest way to do so may be hiding in plain sight. 

Key insights:

• Why first-party fraud and credit risk are so difficult to differentiate
• The financial and strategic costs of misclassified losses
• How first-payment default can unveil fraud early