Experian introduces new features to its Experian Credit Educator(SM) Service

COSTA MESA, Calif., Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian^®, the leading global information services company, today released new enhancements to the Experian Credit Educator^SM, a consumer-education service that offers personalized, live, one-on-one, telephone-based credit education sessions to consumers and customers of Experian's clients. Participants will now receive a longer session with an Experian Credit Educator agent, score simulations providing specific examples of actions that may improve their credit score and more resources to assist in understanding their credit profile. With this enhancement, the Experian Credit Educator agents are able to answer consumers' questions as they relate to their personal VantageScore^® credit score and provide insight into how specific actions can affect the score, such as:

"Is there anything I can do today that may improve my score?"

"I have $500 to put towards my debt – what's the best way to distribute that to improve my score?"

"I want to prioritize paying down my debt, what actions could produce an increase in my score by five points?"

"Being educated about credit is the first step a consumer should take in order to maintain or improve his or her credit standing," said Andrew Sheehan, senior vice president, Consumer Information Services, Experian. "In 2011, we created Experian Credit Educator to give consumers an avenue to take that step, and now we have taken this service to the next level by giving consumers a new personal perspective on the types of actions that may have the highest impact on their credit score as they make future credit decisions."

An Experian Credit Educator session costs $39.95 and includes:

• An approximately 35-minute, one-on-one, dynamic phone session with a trained Experian Credit Educator Agent
• A detailed walk-through and a copy of a personalized Experian credit report
• A VantageScore with an explanation of score factors and benchmark scores for each participant's city, state, and region within the United States
• Score simulations providing specific examples of actions that may improve the consumer's score
• Links to online resources for credit management and life events information

"To evaluate the effectiveness of these sessions, Experian compared the difference between people who had used the service and people who had not within a 12-month period," continued Sheehan. "Those who graduated from the session improved their VantageScore by 21 points and showed material improvements in credit behaviors related to debt utilization and applications. Those results prove that this education is making a difference."

To view the results of our Experian Credit Educator study that compared consumers who had used the service to those who had not, please visit our Experian News Blog.

Consumers who want to take the next step in improving their finances can visit http://www.experian.com/crediteducator or call 1 877 903 1009 to initiate a personalized education session.

About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group 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, 2013, was US$4.7 billion. Experian employs approximately 17,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.

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

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.

VantageScore^® is a registered trademark of VantageScore Solutions, LLC.

Contact:

Kristine Snyder
Experian Public Relations
1 714 830 5192
[email protected]

SOURCE Experian