Consumer Action and Experian Present First National Financial Empowerment Conference

WASHINGTON and COSTA MESA, Calif., Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer Action, the national nonprofit education and advocacy organization, and Experian®, the leading global information services company, have joined forces to sponsor the first National Financial Empowerment Conference from Nov. 16–17 in Chicago, Ill.

The conference, which includes top adult financial education practitioners from consumer-based organizations (CBOs) across the country, will provide an opportunity for attendees to exchange best practices and proven strategies for financial empowerment.

"Consumer Action has developed a unique model to help communities spread the word of financial health," said Ken McEldowney, Consumer Action's executive director. "By forging key partnerships nationwide with CBOs and giving them free tools to conduct outreach in their communities, we have built a more complete understanding of what works and what doesn't. We are grateful for Experian's support because it allows us to bring CBOs together to share best practices for financial empowerment."

"Experian knows how important it is to reach out to consumers who need meaningful information about credit and credit reporting," said Maxine Sweet, Experian's vice president of public education, who is presenting financial literacy information at the conference. "The consumer-based organizations that will be our guests at the Chicago conference play a vital role and serve as a trusted source in helping their local communities live credit smart."

At the conference, Consumer Action and Experian will unveil a joint comprehensive consumer education and training module focusing on credit reports and credit scores and consumer/specialty reports. The free multilingual module can be mixed and matched according to the needs of trainers and learners.

The conference will be attended by 68 community adult education advocates from 59 organizations in 21 states. The groups include credit counseling and cooperative extension agencies, as well as social services, employment training, diversity and civil rights, legal aid, housing assistance and community development organizations.

The conference will feature speakers, panel discussions and training seminars focusing on how CBOs can effectively communicate the role credit management plays in overall financial health. Experian, which has developed its own library of consumer education resources to help consumers understand the need to manage credit wisely, will provide an overview of these resources. Consumer Action trainers will present newly developed adult learning activities related to financial topics.

To view the new teaching module, go to http://www.consumer-action.org/modules and choose Credit Reports, Credit Scores and Specialty Reports. To learn more about Experian consumer education resources, visit http://www.experian.com/crediteducation.

About Consumer Action

Consumer Action has been a champion of underrepresented consumers nationwide since 1971. A nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, Consumer Action focuses on financial education that empowers low to moderate income and limited-English-speaking consumers to financially prosper. It also advocates for consumers in the media and before lawmakers to advance consumer rights and promote industry-wide change.

For more information about Consumer Action, visit http://www.consumer-action.org.

About Experian

Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 90 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision-making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2010, was $3.9 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; Costa Mesa, California; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Maxine Sweet

http://www.profnetconnect.com/maxine_sweet

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.  

SOURCE Experian