The Score

According to the World Economic Forum, 85% of financial services organizations are using AI in some capacity. It's no secret the artificial intelligence ‘arms race' is impacting virtually every industry, especially financial services. It's also creating interesting and novel challenges for every industry, both in its application and its usage.  It's often said that technology advances faster than regulation. Is that the case with artificial intelligence, or are the rules of the road keeping pace with innovation? And how should fintech companies approach AI governance to ensure fair outcomes?Tamra Moore is VantageScore's Deputy General Counsel. Tamra has over 15 years of experience as a thought leader on legal issues associated with the use of AI and machine learning. She joins The SCORE this week to discuss the importance of centering the consumer experience in AI usage.  Listen to the episode here. 

To date, nearly all mortgage loans continue to use outdated credit scoring models, though in other loan categories, much newer, more predictive, and inclusive models are most commonly used. But the mortgage industry is advancing. By next year, all mortgage loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will require a VantageScore 4.0 credit score. In advance of this change, Bank of America recently issued an independent research report analyzing the VantageScore 4.0 mortgage data set.  Pratik Gupta is the Head of CLO & RMBS Research at Bank of America Securities. Pratik joins The SCORE this week to discuss the findings of Bank of America's recent research into VantageScore 4.0. Pratik outlines his findings and reasons his team of analysts concluded it's “better” for mortgage than the incumbent score. Listen in to learn more.

It's been called the “$1 trillion opportunity.” Currently, the housing market is paralyzed. Homeowners are left out of the market due to a lack of inventory or—even worse—can't access it due to outdated credit scoring models that exclude them. Recent VantageScore research found an estimated $1 trillion of pent-up growth potential in the form of borrowers who have historically been left out of homeownership opportunities due to unfairly restrictive, decades-old scoring models. But that's all changing with the implementation of VantageScore 4.0 for mortgages funded by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.Anthony Hutchinson is Senior Vice President of Industry and Government Relations at VantageScore. Tony joins The SCORE this week to help lenders understand the importance of implementation and plan their migration to VantageScore 4.0. To learn more about VantageScore 4.0 for mortgage, visit https://www.vantagescore.com/lenders/industries/mortgage/.

For markets to operate efficiently and for consumers to receive the best services, it is critical that competition exists in the financial services industry. Credit unions, or not-for-profit financial cooperatives, have unique structural differences that allow them to pass profits onto their member-depositors in the form of lower loan interest rates, higher yields on savings, and fewer or lower fees. With historically high interest rates deeply impacting household budgets and consumers' wallets, credit unions represent a small but impactful part of the financial ecosystem in the United States.  But they have to compete with large banks with billion-dollar marketing and technology budgets.  Credit unions, or not-for-profit financial cooperatives, have unique structural differences that allow them to pass profits onto their member-depositors in the form of lower loan interest rates, higher yields on savings, and fewer or lower fees. With historically high interest rates deeply impacting household budgets and consumers' wallets, credit unions represent a small but impactful part of the financial ecosystem in the United States.  Carrie Hunt is the Chief Advocacy Officer of America's Credit Unions, the new national trade association being formed through the merger of the Credit Union National Association (Credit Union National Association) and the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU).  Carrie joins The SCORE to discuss how credit unions help make the financial services system more efficient, effective, and accessible to consumers.  Listen in to learn more. 

CreditGauge, VantageScore's monthly analysis of consumer credit health, found that in April 2024, delinquencies declined for a second straight month. To date, consumers are weathering economic pressures fairly well. But is this proof of a climb out of a delinquency-heavy phase, or are household budgets on a bumpy roller coaster ride longer-term?Atif Mirza is Vice President of Digital at VantageScore, where he manages the VantageScore suite of digital tools for lenders – CreditGauge, Inclusion360, and RiskRatio – tools that help lenders expand their footprint in ways that both serve more creditworthy consumers and also boost financial inclusion.Atif joins The SCORE to help demystify the current state of consumer credit health for lenders and provide a sense of how average Americans are managing their household balance sheets.  Listen in to learn more.Read the latest VantageScore CreditGauge insights: https://www.vantagescore.com/lenders/credit-gauge/

Through exploitative interest rates of up to 600%, predatory lenders extract an estimated $9 billion from consumers each year – often from low-income communities of color and other populations unable to access the credit they need.  We know what financial inclusion is, and why it's important. But what creates ‘financial exclusion' to begin with, and how can we work to eradicate it? Dr. David Henderson, Founder and CEO of Giving Credit, joins The SCORE this week. Giving Credit is a fintech that recognizes and capitalizes community finance by mapping social credit networks and revealing how much you can borrow from friends and family. Listen in as Dr. Henderson explores the root causes of financial exclusion and the ways in which alternative data uses such as reciprocated transactions and cash flow underwriting broaden financial inclusion and bring more creditworthy participants into the financial services marketplace. 

Whether you're a renter or a homeowner, you likely have already had to contend with some of the challenges of the current housing market. While buyers and current homeowners faced persistently high mortgage rates and low housing supply in recent years, renters also faced steep cost increases in many markets. Will 2024 be more of the same?Selma Hepp is the Chief Economist for CoreLogic, America's largest provider of advanced property and ownership information, analytics and data-enabled services. Selma joins The SCORE this week to provide her perspectives on the residential housing market, trends we can anticipate in 2024, and what prospective homeowners can expect in the future as they get closer to achieving the American dream.Listen to Selma's insights here.

Originations across many product types – mortgage, credit cards, and the like -- were all lower in 2023 than the year prior. Historically high interest rates pinched consumers and made it less appealing to open new lines of credit. Will 2024 be more of the same? What can consumers and lenders alike expect in the coming year? Is the economy's elusive ‘soft landing' anywhere in sight?Kelsey Zhu, Lead Analyst at Bernstein/Autonomous, joins The SCORE this week. Kelsey to talk us through where we are in the consumer credit cycle and why she's optimistic about what both consumers and lenders have to look forward to in 2024. Listen to Kelsey's insights here.

Spending is up! Delinquencies are up? And oh, it's an election year!  With the resumption of student loan payments, persistent inflation, and other potential challenges, what can consumers expect in 2024? To be sure, all eyes will be on the economic health of consumers. This week, Susan Fahy joins THE SCORE Podcast to discuss what CreditGauge reveals about Americans' current credit health. Susan is VantageScore's EVP and Chief Digital Officer. In addition to spearheading the monthly CreditGauge analysis, Susan also helps keep lenders informed through leading-edge digital tools such as Inclusion360, RiskRatio, and MarketGain.  Listen to Susan's insights here. 

Recent news headlines indicate that consumers shopped big this past holiday season, and retail numbers, on the surface, appeared to be up. But given notable economic pressures like record-high inflation, how much of that was just paying ‘more' for ‘less'? And how can consumers make sure they're getting the best possible deal when using credit?  This week's guest on The SCORE is Matt Schulz, Chief Credit Analyst at Lending Tree, America's largest marketplace for loans. Matt joins The SCORE to explain common mistakes consumers make when rate shopping as well as reasons why he thinks “people have more power over their money than they realize.” He also explores how the rise of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services will continue to transform consumer finance, why credit usage reflects consumer sentiment, and how credit card lenders will continue to compete in the new lending marketplace. Listen to the episode here.  

In 2023, consumers balanced various financial challenges: the lingering effects of record inflation, rising credit card balances, and student loan payment resumption, among others, leaving many to explore financial products that help make changing personal budgets more manageable. In the same year, credit unions stepped in to fill gaps created by larger financial institutions and provide additional options for consumers currently excluded from the lending marketplace.  This week on The SCORE, we're joined by Yazel Pardo, Vice President of Credit Risk at Patelco Credit Union. Patelco is a full-service, not-for-profit financial cooperative with 450,000 members nationwide. Yazel joins The SCORE this week to tell us how he expects consumers to manage the various headwinds expected in 2024, how industry consolidation among credit unions affects the consumer, and where new opportunities for increasing financial inclusion currently lie.  Listen in as Yazel explains how alternative data helps make credit accessible to local communities and furthers financial inclusion. 

As many outlets are currently reporting, in many parts of the United States, renting is now far cheaper than buying property. Various economic factors like interest rate hikes and rising costs have created a housing system in which many Americans are renting. But does being excluded from homeownership preclude renters from using those payments to build and improve credit scores? This week on The SCORE, we're joined by Kristian Lund from Self Financial. Self is a credit-building platform working to increase economic inclusion and financial resilience through products that make building credit accessible. Kristian joins The SCORE this week to explain the advantages of including alternative data in credit scoring models, such as rental payments, and how it helps people create positive payment history and, in turn, strong credit scores.  Listen in as Kristian walks through how consumers can use positive financial history to build credit and move towards financial inclusion. 

$340 billion.That figure was the commitment offered by corporations looking to help address historical injustices in American society and help close the racial wealth gap in the wake of the death of George Floyd. This week, Donovan Duncan joins The SCORE to explore where corporations and communities currently stand with regard to making good on that commitment. Mr. Duncan is Executive Vice President at Urban Strategies, Inc., a national non-profit leader in the field of community development. Duncan is also Chairman of the Board at the Credit Builders Alliance and has decades of experience in ensuring communities are able to flourish and grow.Mr. Duncan explores the homeownership gap in communities of color and how lenders can best serve creditworthy borrowers currently excluded from one of the most significant creators of wealth in our economy.  

The U.S. economy is, in many ways, the envy of the world, and millions migrate annually to this country to participate and live out the ‘American Dream.' However, inequitable access to the financial tools that preclude milestone moments, like purchasing a home, can become barriers to the ‘credit invisible' or those otherwise unaccounted for in the financial services marketplace. So, how can fintech leaders help broaden the tent, and what role does competition play in keeping the doors open to the U.S. financial system for underrepresented communities? Silvio Tavares, President and CEO of VantageScore, joins The SCORE for his second appearance to provide his perspectives on VantageScore's record growth in the past year and how the success of VantageScore 4.0's mandated use for GSE-funded mortgages will be measured.Listen to Silvio's comments here.

Do health and wealth go hand in hand? Financial issues are commonly considered one of the primary sources of stress for many people and money is a well-documented reason for divorce, for instance.  But is there a real link between the two? And do your current money habits spell trouble for your long-term health?To help answer these questions, Dr. Sean Hundtofte joins The SCORE to explore the correlation between financial planning and wellbeing. Dr. Hundtofte has dedicated most of his career to household finance, and the insights he's acquired over the years help power Solve Finance, a company that helps households optimize their finances using market data to their advantage while letting technology do the work for them. Simply put, Solve Finance makes “makes borrowing outcomes easy” for consumers. Dr. Hundtofte explains the unexpected health benefits of planning for your financial future and how he uses behavioral finance concepts to make debt management simple in this week's episode. 

This fall, an estimated 44 million borrowers will stretch their personal budgets once again, adding yet another item to their bottom line – a federal student loan payment. If you don't know where to start your repayment journey, you're not alone. Dan Currell, CEO of the Digital Commerce Alliance and Former Deputy Under Secretary and Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education, joins THE SCORE to help borrowers figure out where to start.  VantageScore partnered with Dan to create an FAQ titled “39 Answers to Student Loan Questions,” designed to help consumers map out their path to student loan repayment.  Listen in to learn more.

A year ago, VantageScore funded a pilot program in partnership with the Credit Builders Alliance aimed at using data and analytics to extend credit counseling and credit scoring information to areas of the United States with large concentrations of lower income consumers. Interested in the results?The latest episode of THE SCORE podcast features Dara Duguay, CEO of Credit Builders Alliance and Joe Lauchlan, a Financial Coach with the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit. During the podcast they share how they leveraged VantageScore 4.0 in addition to new credit counseling capabilities to improve credit health in a measurable way.Did their VantageScore 4.0 credit scores improve? How are they doing now and what's next?Listen here to learn more.

Is there a tradeoff between expanding the pool of potential mortgage eligible consumers and sacrificing risk management? The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has mandated use of VantageScore 4.0 with a 3-year roadmap for implementation. Meanwhile, millions of creditworthy consumers are on the outside of the American Dream of homeownership, looking in. On this week's episode of The SCORE, we hear from Tony Hutchinson, Senior Vice President of Industry and Government Relations at VantageScore. Tony explains where we are on the road to VantageScore 4.0 implementation for GSE-funded mortgages, the positive reception to VantageScore from lenders, and the populations most impacted by maintaining the status quo. 

We've all seen ads beckoning consumers to ‘FIX YOUR CREDIT'! But – is this possible, and perhaps more importantly – are consumers helped or hurt by ‘credit repair' agencies?On this week's episode of The SCORE, hear from Dan Smith, President and CEO of the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA). Beyond leading the CDIA, Dan Smith has over 20 years of experience navigating the complex consumer credit ecosystem. Dan joins THE SCORE to walk through the challenges faced by underbanked Americans talks us through how consumers can advance their lives by focusing on their credit files, credit reports and other factors that significantly impact their financial futures.

It's maybe the least understood aspect of credit scoring: a 700 score today will represent a totally different risk during the next credit cycle. And as macro-economic issues change, so does the risk that any score represents.  During the pandemic, consumer credit health was positively impacted by various factors such as government stimulus payments, suspended student loan obligations, and resulted in increased personal savings rates. As a result, and logically, scores rose.The economy is much different now and many consumers have struggled with their debt obligations. The looming resumption of student loan payments further stands to impact credit scores.   Hear from Dr. Rikard Bandebo, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at VantageScore on The SCORE Podcast as he “peels back the onion” on credit scores. Listen in as Dr. Bandebo explains credit scores as measures of a consumer's relative risk of default, what to expect in the coming months as student loans become due again, and what an estimated 40 million impacted borrowers can do to prepare. 

Atif Mirza, Vice President of Digital at VantageScore joins The SCORE to discuss the post-pandemic shift to digital in the financial services sector and the tools VantageScore offers lenders – namely CreditGauge, Inclusion360, and RiskRatio – that help expand the lendable pool in a way that positively impacts financial outcomes in underserved populations.Atif explains how lenders and other market participants leverage new tools and insights that help market participants understand what's happening with consumers and their credit health, how delinquency rates are trending, and what adjustments are needed to optimize loan portfolios.

What does the future of fintech actually look like? How do companies balance innovation with the need to preserve competition and to expand financial inclusion?Phil Goldfeder is the Chief Executive Officer at the American Fintech Council, a leading association representing responsible fintech companies creating critical access to safe and affordable financial services. Phil recently spoke with THE SCORE's host Jeff Richardson to help map out the future of the fintech landscape and give shape to how financial services companies are evolving to better serve consumers through technology. Check out the resources available for borrowers, lenders, and other stakeholders in the fintech space at https://fintechcouncil.org. 

Over the course of the next few months, the resumption of student loan payments is likely to change household budgets for over 40 million Americans – one of the most significant changes to their personal finances and since the start of the pandemic. Data scientists Dr. Andrada I. Pacheco and Ritika Sinha recently joined THE SCORE to discuss VantageScore's perspectives and insights on how consumer behavior (and by extension, consumer credit scores) might shift in response to the end of the student loan forbearance period. Dr. Andrada I. Pacheco is Director of Data Sciences at VantageScore. Dr. Pacheco has more than 20 years of experience in the field and utilizes data analysis, statistical modeling, quantitative research, and econometric methods to develop VantageScore credit scoring models so they are more accurate, consistent, stable and inclusive. Ritika Sinha is a Data Scientist at VantageScore. Ritika uses her analytic experience to understand consumer credit score impact and the result of consumers' different credit behavior.  

Millennials and Gen Z have very specific financial habits. What drives these habits and how can lenders better serve the younger population?  Kyle Woodley is the Editor-In-Chief of Young and the Invested, an online publication for young people who want to learn how to plan, manage, and invest their money with confidence.  Kyle recently spoke with THE SCORE and helped decipher Millennials and Gen Z's money motives. How do lenders better attract and communicate with these generations? Listen here. Check out the resources available for young people looking to learn to manage, invest and plan their money at https://youngandtheinvested.com.  

Kareem Saleh, founder and CEO of FairPlayAI, has been working on financial inclusion and underwriting hard-to-score borrowers his entire career. He recently spoke with THE SCORE about the role artificial intelligence can play in supporting fair lending and how greater focus on fairness can actually drive revenue. 

Hear from Dr. Lisa Loury Lomas, Eastern Area Director, joined The Links Incorporated about how the organization is addressing key challenges facing our underserved communities and how friendship and service can actually serve as a catalyst for change. THE SCORE spoke with Dr. Lomas, a renowned psychologist about The Links Incorporated's history and upcoming conference where everything from discussions about money matters, and hunger and even a visit from DJ Jazzy Jeff will occur.

Hear from Susan Fahy, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at VantageScore about how consumers and lenders are responding to the current economic environment.Susan spoke with THE SCORE podcast about what CreditGauge powered by VantageScore™ is telling us about how consumer credit health is impacted by current economic pressures and how stakeholders can use the tool to instantly get access to a comprehensive database of consumer credit trends.

Hear from Dan Currell, CEO of the Digital Commerce Alliance, the premier, multi-industry trade association advancing the future of commerce through collaboration, education and standards in card-linking, mobile wallets and financial data.  Dan joins THE SCORE to discuss the current challenges faced by the banking sector, AI's promise, and how banks can avoid becoming disintermediated through fintech partnerships. 

This question and other current fintech trends are discussed on the latest episode of THE SCORE Podcast.Hear from Mary Wisniewski, editor-at-large and director of content at Cornerstone Advisors. A journalist that's been covering fintech for over a decade, Mary shares her insights into what types of fintechs are getting the most VC attention and where to find fintech talent.

Hear from Susan Fahy, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at VantageScore about the latest in how consumers are handling their credit accounts.Susan spoke with THE SCORE about what CreditGauge powered by VantageScore™ is telling us about the economy and how stakeholders can use the tool to instantly get access to a comprehensive database of consumer credit trends.

Hear from Chrissi Johnson, founder and CEO of Alinement Advisors, a New York-based advisory firm that coordinates housing policy efforts at the intersection of commerce and social change.Chrissi spoke with THE SCORE about how she's developing “salons” to collaborate and solve the mortgage industry's most urgent challenges.

Hear from Corey Carlisle, Head of Public Policy and Social Impact at Varo Bank.Corey spoke with THE SCORE about how Varo Bank structures its products and services to underserved consumers and how as a “tech-first” he works to tell the Varo story to policy makers.

Is alternative data really a game changer for credit scores? The answer…is yes.Hear from Jung Choi, Senior Research Associate at the Urban Institute about research that uncovers the impact that including rent data in credit scores has for underserved borrowers.Jung spoke to THE SCORE podcast about her research and how including VantageScore in mortgage applications will help solve for an increasingly growing racial homeownership gap.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

What's “in store” for the holiday shopping season and are consumers starting to demonstrate riskier credit behaviors?THE SCORE podcast caught up with Tom Aliff, who leads the Risk Consulting and Advisory practice for Equifax's US division. Tom shared insights on how consumers are spending so far this holiday shopping season and how lenders can track credit risk while the economy is showing some mixed signals. Plus, some fresh credit insights from CreditGauge Powered by VantageScore™!Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

Hear from Silvio Tavares, President & CEO of VantageScore about why the company has dramatically improved its digital engagement and how data innovation will drive future growth in the adoption of VantageScore credit scores.Silvio shared with THE SCORE how recent tools and data resources like RiskRatio and CreditGauge – Powered by VantageScore™ will help lenders, capital markets and other stakeholders track the latest in consumer credit health trends in an increasingly uncertain economy.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

Hear from Kate Griffin, Project Director for Building Inclusive Financial Systems at the ASPEN Institute, which is a powerhouse educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Kate joined THE SCORE to discuss the potential launch of a proposed National Financial Inclusion Commission in the U.S. to create a national financial inclusion strategy.But who should lead that effort and what organizations should be involved?  Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

Hear from Joseph Akintolayo, a serial entrepreneur, strategist, and technologist based in Dallas, Texas. He is CEO and founder of Deposits.Joseph spoke to THE SCORE about how he helps financial institutions make services more accessible to underserved populations including those that have been formerly incarcerated. Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

Hear from Susan Fahy, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at VantageScore, about her role at VantageScore and the recently released digital Inclusion360™ tool!Susan shared with THE SCORE how the tool allows stakeholders to examine regions in the United States and seamlessly and interactively download information that sheds light on how many more creditworthy consumers reside in communities across America.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

Are banking industry news outlets in trouble because they can't compete with, well…us?Hear from Rob Blackwell, Chief Content Officer & Head of External Affairs at IntraFi Network. Rob is also host of the “Banking with Interest” podcast and formerly was editor-in-chief of American Banker, the banking industry's most prominent media outlet.During the conversation, Rob explains why, despite all the great content that brands are creating, we still need American Banker and its competitors. He also discusses a survey that explored how banking executives are reacting to the Federal Reserve's recent activity.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

Hear from Mike Davis, founding partner of Olive Tree Ridge.Mike spoke to THE SCORE about how his firm exclusively funds women and immigrant-owned businesses and his fondness for the movie “My Cousin Vinny!”Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

THE SCORE landed an interview with one of the most prolific speakers that mortgage industry has! Hear from Faith Swartz, President of Housing Finance Strategies and founder of the #housingDC22 conference.Faith spoke to THE SCORE podcast about whether a downturn in the economy could impact the important spotlight that currently shines on housing equality.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

ARE WE HEADED FOR ANOTHER MORTGAGE DEFAULT CRISIS?  For the most part consumer credit is healthy, but will a Recession hit the mortgage industry harder?Here from Rick Sharga, Executive Vice President Market Intelligence at ATTOM as he breaks down the latest in mortgage foreclosure trends.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

Hear from Steve Ely, CEO of eCredible about how their services help consumers AND small business owners tap into their cell phone and other utility payments to help get access to loans.Steve spoke to THE SCORE podcast about how using permissioned data that isn't normally reported to the credit bureaus is likely to be part of loan underwriting in the future.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

You might be surprised to learn that among all the fintechs out there solving for so many unique problems that it's a student loan provider that American Banker named best fintech to work for. According to the Education Data Initiative, the average public university student borrows about $30,000 to obtain a bachelor's degree. Meanwhile, those who attend private universities borrow around $44,000 on average. Debt loads are also disproportionately impacting minority students.MPOWER is aiming to reshuffle the deck and help students, particularly those from outside of the United States, choose the right loans and educational experiences. Oh, and American Banker just ranked them the top fintech in the U.S. to work for!Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

It's a question we get all the time: Why do I have so many different credit scores and which one do lenders use?We posed this question and more to Liz Weston, award-winning personal finance columnist at Nerdwallet, speaker, commentator and author of “Your Credit Score,” which is in its fifth edition!Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

For tens of millions of consumers, the monthly rent is the largest monthly debt obligation, but (1) you don't get rewards for paying it like you do for credit cards, and (2) it doesn't help your credit score.Bilt is changing all that. Dan Seder, chief operating officer of Bilt Rewards spoke to THE SCORE about his start-up.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

Hear from John Sun, CEO & Founder of Spring Labs, which creates and oversees anonymous, decentralized data networks that vastly increase the amount, quality, and security of information available to market participants.John spoke to THE SCORE podcast about how loan transactions are occurring in the crypto market and on the blockchain…and that “know your customer” rules and credit scores will be an important factor in the future.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

Over 63 million Americans are unbanked or underbanked. With fees and interest rates, it's expensive to be one of these consumers. MoCaFi, a popular fintech company, is on a mission to bridge the wealth gap with their innovative solutions and products. Today we meet with their Founder and CEO  Wole Coaxum to understand the lay of the land and what they are up to.Follow us on social media!linkedin.com/company/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoreinstagram.com/vantagescoreyoutube.com/vantagescore

How are the credit reporting bureaus integrating BNPL financial data and using it? Find out in this episode with Liz Pagel, Senior Vice President, Consumer Lending Business Leader at TransUnionFollow us on social media!youtube.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorevantagescore.com/linkedininstagram.com/vantagescore

Millions of people have been financially impacted by COVID-19 around the world. How has the pandemic impacted the way American consumers are managing their debts? Find out in this episode with Emre Sahingur, SVP for Predictive Analytics, Research and Product Management at VantageScore Solutions.Follow us on social media!youtube.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorevantagescore.com/linkedininstagram.com/vantagescore

What's the difference between traditional underwriting and cashflow underwriting? Get an inside look with expert Kelly Cochran, Deputy Director at FinRegLab. Today we discuss what cashflow underwriting is and the benefits and risks of using this data in credit scoring.Follow us on social media!youtube.com/vantagescorefb.com/vantagescoretwitter.com/vantagescorevantagescore.com/linkedininstagram.com/vantagescore