VantageScore Solutions Releases Whitepaper Identifying Key Benefits of Trended Credit Data for Lenders and Consumers

STAMFORD, CT--(Marketwired - November 02, 2017) - VantageScore Solutions, LLC, developer of the VantageScore® credit scoring model, today released a white paper that explains trended credit data, how usage of the data in scoring models can benefit both lenders and consumers, and how these data are incorporated into the recently announced VantageScore 4.0 credit scoring model.

The white paper, titled "Trended Credit Data Attributes in VantageScore 4.0," defines trended credit data and provides concrete examples of the types of trended credit data attributes included in VantageScore 4.0. It also describes how those attributes were leveled in order to yield more consistent credit scores, which is a patent-protected, defining characteristic of all VantageScore credit scoring models.

With the open disclosure of this information, lenders will be able to more easily implement VantageScore 4.0 and have a value-added measure of model governance available to them. It also will allow consumers to better understand how the usage of trended credit data might impact their credit scores going forward.

How Trended Credit Data Benefits Lenders and Consumers

• When supplemented with traditional, static credit data, trended credit data has been shown to provide up to 20 percent incremental predictive performance lift amongst Prime and Superprime consumers (compared to the use of only static data attributes).
  
• Trended credit data may be used to determine patterns in credit behavior history, such as trends in balance increases/decreases, payments above the minimum agreed amount due, and the number of times a consumer is over his/her revolving credit limit. Use of those attributes is especially valuable in improving the predictive performance of VantageScore 4.0 when applied to Prime and Superprime consumers for both new originations and existing accounts.
  
• While 58% of Americans carry revolving credit card debt from month to month, trended credit data allows lenders to better assess the risk of those who are reducing their balances, information that is unavailable if a score merely analyzes a balance "snapshot" from the previous month.

Paving the Way for Greater Usage of Trended Credit Data

• VantageScore is the first and only tri-bureau model to incorporate trended credit data from all three nationwide credit reporting companies (CRCs) -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
  
• Because of VantagesScore's patented leveling process, VantageScore 4.0 is the only model that is identical at each CRC, ensuring that the trended attributes are consistent across all three CRCs.
  
• Trended credit data attributes derive from the same credit fields provided by the three CRCs for decades (i.e., loan amount, credit limit, balance, minimum payment due and scheduled payments).

"Using this longitudinal approach improves a lender's decisioning process and rewards consumers who are taking strides to improve their credit health," said Sarah Davies, senior vice president, analytics, research and product management at VantageScore Solutions. "With VantageScore 4.0, lenders can leverage this insight through a fully compliant, generic scoring model that they can use across the product spectrum."

VantageScore 4.0 is scheduled to be available for commercial use from all three CRCs in the fall of 2017.

For more details on the study, visit the VantageScore website to download the white paper.

About VantageScore Solutions
Credit scores can impact many aspects of your life, everything from whether you are able to get a loan and how much interest you will have to pay to whether you are able to rent an apartment.

VantageScore Solutions, LLC (www.VantageScore.com) is the independently managed company that owns the intellectual property rights to the VantageScore credit scoring models and is the leader in scoring innovation. Recently introduced VantageScore models score 30-35 million more consumers* who typically are not scored by conventional models without relaxing standards. VantageScore credit scores are used by lenders, landlords, utility companies, telecom companies, and many others to determine your creditworthiness. By using the VantageScore model, these enterprises have access to many more consumers, and in turn, consumers have greater access to mainstream credit.

Although there are many credit scoring models in the industry, the "win-win" for VantageScore is its innovative, highly predictive, patent-protected, tri-bureau scoring methodology that provides lenders and consumers with more consistent credit scores across all three national credit reporting companies. VantageScore is also the model tens of millions of consumers use to monitor their credit behaviors through dozens of websites and lenders who provide their users and customers with their VantageScore credit scores for free. More than eight billion VantageScore credit scores were used in the 12-month period from July 2015-June 2016 by over 2,400 lenders and other industry participants, including 20 of the top 25 financial institutions -- an increase of nearly 40% over the previous 12-month period.

The company is celebrating its 11th anniversary in 2017.

* NCAP-related data suppression will impact the number of consumers who are newly scoreable because some public record data may be removed.