National Foundation for Credit Counseling® and Experian Announce Donation

COSTA MESA, Calif. and WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Foundation for Credit Counseling^® (NFCC) and Experian^® jointly announced today that Experian committed 80,000 free, 12-month memberships to its freecreditscore.com™ product in support of the NFCC's Sharpen Your Financial Focus™ program, launched in September of this year. The donation, the largest of its kind ever awarded by Experian, will be used by the NFCC to complement financial education provided by NFCC member agencies to individuals who take part in the program.

"Experian's generous gift in support of the Sharpen Your Financial Focus program underscores its commitment to financial education and to the American consumer," said Susan C. Keating, president and CEO of the NFCC. "The NFCC network is proud to join forces with Experian, as together we help Americans emerge from one of the most difficult financial crises of their lifetimes and rebuild their financial futures."

Among other features, the freecreditscore.com membership includes access to:

• The member's Experian credit report and credit score
• The Score Planner™ feature, which allows consumers to see how various financial actions can impact credit scores
• Credit monitoring
• Alerts that notify members about new activity on their credit reports
• A mobile app enabling alerts and updates on the go
• Access to fraud resolution agents if suspicious activity is found in the member's report 

These features all are designed to increase consumers' understanding of credit and to provide knowledge that can be used to make educated financial decisions.

"We put a lot of resources toward financial education intended to remove the mystery surrounding credit reports and scores," said Victor Nichols, CEO of Experian North America. "Contributing these memberships is a very tangible way to simultaneously educate consumers and demonstrate the impact that credit education products can have on a person's long-term financial wellness. Doing that through a trusted credit counseling organization like the NFCC is a natural extension of our commitment to helping consumers and our commitment to giving back to the communities where we work."

The three steps of the Sharpen Your Financial Focus program are as follows:

1. A visit to MyMoneyCheckUp^®, available at http://www.SharpenToday.org. MyMoneyCheckUp is an online financial self-assessment tool designed to increase financial awareness and provide consumers with concrete steps to improve their financial well-being.
2. A one-on-one financial review with an NFCC Certified Financial Professional to find solutions to current concerns and develop a realistic plan to meet long-term goals.
3. A financial education workshop designed as a "deep dive" into the major area(s) of interest to the consumer.

"The donation from Experian is a useful resource to put in the hands of people looking to better understand how to get control of their finances," said Dawn Lockhart, president and CEO of NFCC Member Agency Family Foundations. "It makes the counsel we give come to life in a very real way. Financial behaviors — good and bad — are reflected in a credit score, and seeing that is a powerful motivator."

About the National Foundation for Credit Counseling
The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), founded in 1951, is the nation's largest and longest serving network of nonprofit, community-based credit counseling agencies. The NFCC's mission is to promote the national agenda for financially responsible behavior, and build capacity for its members to deliver the highest-quality financial education and counseling services. NFCC Members annually help millions of consumers through more than 600 community-based offices nationwide. For free and affordable confidential advice through a reputable NFCC Member, call 1 800 388 2227 (en Espanol, 1 800 682 9832) or visit http://www.nfcc.org/. Visit the NFCC on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NFCCDebtAdvice, on Twitter: twitter.com/NFCCDebtAdvice, on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/NFCC09 and on its blog: http://financialeducation.nfcc.org/.

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 Sao 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:

Gail Cunningham
National Foundation for Credit Counseling
1 940 500 4100 (office)
1 240 672 2700 (cell)
[email protected]

Becky Frost
Experian Consumer Services
1 949 202 7296 (cell)
[email protected]

SOURCE Experian Consumer Services