Freecreditscore.com™ Teaches Kids and Parents the Effects of Cosigning With New Television Advertising Campaign

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Freecreditscore.com™ unveiled a new educational advertising campaign today designed to inform kids and parents alike about the importance of making smart financial decisions. Recent survey findings indicate that consumers — both the young and young at heart — are not fully aware of the positive and negative effects of cosigning. In fact, nearly 30 percent of survey respondents ages 18 to 24 were not aware that both the primary borrower and the cosigner are equally responsible for paying credit card bills, mortgage payments or rent.

Additional highlights from the survey include:

• When asked if they had cosigned for a variety of specific loans and lines of credit (i.e., car loan, mortgage, etc.) for someone, 40 percent of survey respondents reported that they had
• When asked if they had someone cosign for a variety of specific loans and lines of credit (i.e., car loan, mortgage, etc.) for them, nearly 30 percent of survey respondents reported that they had
• Nearly 20 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds have cosigned for someone
• Nearly one-third (28 percent) of respondents ages 45 to 64 have cosigned for someone  

Created by The Martin Agency and featuring the freecreditscore.com Band, the commercial will follow the brand's typical musical format, portraying a reality that many students and parents face each year as a family member heads to college.

The new 30-second advertising spot is from the parents' perspective as their daughter is headed into her first year of college. As many parents do, they cosigned for a credit card. Yet, soon after purchasing school supplies, she was using the credit card as a conduit to social expression and activities while failing to pay the bill. The lesson for this family – if you're co-signing something for a family member, ensure that you are monitoring all transactions for that person because co-signing for a financially irresponsible family member can negatively impact your credit score.

"It is never too early to learn about the cause and effect of financial decisions — even something as simple as cosigning to help a friend or family member," said Ken Chaplin, senior vice president of marketing for Experian Consumer Direct. "Learning smart financial decisions early can help kids and their parents achieve a positive financial future."

The new ads will air nationwide on national cable networks such as USA Network, Comedy Central and Turner Cable, as well as online. For more information on your free credit score, visit freecreditscore.com.

About freecreditscore.com

Freecreditscore.com, together with freecreditreport.com®, is part of a family of online consumer credit reporting sites belonging to ConsumerInfo.com, Inc., an Experian company. ConsumerInfo was founded in 1995 to give consumers quick, easy and inexpensive access to their credit profile. It is now the leading provider of online consumer credit reports, credit scores, credit monitoring and other credit-related information. ConsumerInfo provides credit monitoring to its more than 3.1 million members and has delivered more than 20 million credit reports on the Web. As part of the Experian family, it continues to grow its membership base and develop innovative products to help consumers better understand their credit.

Freecreditscore.com and freecreditreport.com are part of a family of products from Experian that help consumers monitor and manage their personal finances.

About Experian

Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 80 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 31 March 2011 was US$4.2 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 41 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.

Contacts:

Corie Jackson
Edelman PR
1 323 202 1075
[email protected]

Renee Borsack
Experian Consumer Direct
1 949 567 7739
[email protected]

SOURCE freecreditscore.com