View full post on CreditBloggers
If you're the proud owner of your very own (valid) student ID, you stand to save some serious cash – from travel to entertainment to household goods. Check with any place where you're a regular shopper to see if they offer student discounts – they just might. Here's a list to get you started:
1. Clothing – From Banana Republic to J.Crew, Top Shop and Club Monaco, your student ID can help you score discounts at major clothing retailers.
2. Technology – At Apple stores students can save up to $200 on a new Mac. Dell also has a discount program for students.
3. Shipping – Students get free membership to Amazon Prime for one year (a $79 value), which gets you free unlimited 2-day shipping on textbooks and all other Amazon items.
4. Dining – You can easily nab discounts at local restaurants and cafes around campus with your student card. Find discount listings in roughly 20 states at StudentSavingsClub.com.
5. Travel – For $25 you can register for the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) and in return you’ll be able to save hundreds of dollars on international travel. Domestically, students can also earn 15% off Amtrak tickets when they purchase the Student Advantage Discount Card ($20). The card also gets you discounts on Greyhound, American Airlines and Alamo Rent A Car, among other savings at major retailers and restaurants.
6. Museums – Museums welcome students with discounts of as much as 25% off. For example, the Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Philadelphia Museum of Arts entrance fees are just $12 with valid student ID compared to $16 for the general public.
7. Bulk Buys – Students can get a collegiate membership at Sam’s Club, which earns them discounts on groceries and laundry detergent, as well as 25 free photo prints, $10 off a year’s supply of contact lenses and an instant $15 gift card just for signing up for the program.
8. Theatres – Local theatres usually have specials days or show times reserved to offer students discounts. For example select AMC Theatres offer students a lower ticket price when they show a current high school or college ID on Thursdays.
// <![CDATA[
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.creditbloggers.com/2010/09/8-ways-to-save-with-your-student-id.html.html';
tweetmeme_service = 'bit.ly';
tweetmeme_source = 'CreditExperts';
// ]]>
Farnoosh Torabi – Credit.com Personal Finance Contributor, nationally recognized author, expert and television host. Her first book,
You're So Money, is an acclaimed tell-all for young adults searching for financial independence. Her new book
Psych Yourself Rich, gives readers the mindset and discipline to build their financial life.
View full post on Today’s News
We’ve grown fairly accustomed to seeing announcements from state attorneys general about how sore their hands are from slapping around debt collection agencies and debt buyers.
Well, here’s another one to add to the list: “Attorney General McGraw Reaches Settlement with Out-of-State Debt Collectors…” That announcement came from West Virginia AG Darrell McGraw. He put the press release up on his site Friday afternoon. Yes, the Friday before a long holiday weekend.
Why, I wondered, is a state AG burying such a juicy announcement? After all, every time a state AG sues or settles with a debt collector, an angel gets its wings. It should be bigger news, right?
Reading the press release reveals why everyone at the West Virginia AG’s office decided it would be a good idea to just give this one a cursory release. There is no story here.
Apparently, a consumer in the Mountain State had complained to McGraw’s office that his “credit card account had been sold so many times he could no longer identify who the creditor was.” So McGraw’s office launched an investigation. They learned that a debt buyer from Texas had bought some accounts belonging to WV residents and then had assigned those accounts to be collected by a debt collection company in Kansas.
The two companies’ biggest crime? Not being licensed to collect debt in West Virginia. So McGraw’s office “settled” with the companies for $1,000 each and the letter was signed with a promise to become licensed should the ARM firms need to call on delinquent West Virginia consumers.
And that’s it. Literally. There were no other accusations at all in the three paragraph press release. No claims of harassment or FDCPA violations; just the licensing issue. But this was still such a big deal that the AG’s office felt it warranted a press announcement. And you’ll see that press announcement in the news today on many other sites, I’m sure.
But there is a little more to the story. We could rail on McGraw for hyping up a non-story just to stay in front of his constituency. But he’s a politician, and that’s what they do. The more disturbing part of the story comes from the last paragraph of the announcement. According to the AG’s office, the debt buyer “agreed to cancel the outstanding balances of West Virginia consumers whose debts it had previously assigned for collection.”
That’s crazy. McGraw is using a licensing issue to help consumers in his state avoid paying their obligations. This is where I insert the earnest caveat that all ARM companies need to go the extra mile to ensure they are fully licensed and bonded, where required, to collect in any state in which they do business. This is actually very, very important. But for the highest law enforcement officer in a state to compel a company to simply throw away one of its capital assets is beyond the pale.
Remember: state attorneys general are not infallible. They generally have the law on their side, and most genuinely have the interests of their citizens at the tops of their minds. But they overstep their bounds, as well.
The attorney general in Missouri recently learned that he couldn’t just sue an ARM firm for anything and everything, “Judge Throws Out State AG Case Against Debt Buyer,” June 30). But their announcements carry a lot of weight. When the media sees a headline of “so-and-so AG settles with evil debt collector,” a Pavlovian response kicks in, and the old tired narratives are trotted out once more.
We as an industry must get better at nuance. We have to do a better job of explaining when there’s a “there” there in legal action announcements, and when there isn’t.
<<< Return to Newsletter
View full post on Today’s News
Link Financial Group (“Link”), the leading European receivables management company, is today pleased to announce the appointment of Marco Angheben as Project Director in its expanding advisory team.
Marco has 10 years’ experience in the financial and regulatory world with a specific focus on structured finance. He previously was Director at the Association for Financial Markets in Europe in the European Securitisation Forum division dealing with central banks, security regulators and policy makers from across Europe. He has been at the forefront of various industry transparency initiatives creating reporting standards and increasing data availability. He has also been actively engaged in a number of expert groups working towards improving consistency for structured finance transactions and a speaker at many industry events and workshops.
Marco will initially be working on the ABS loan level data project to assist the European Central Bank (ECB) in developing a data handling infrastructure and delivering detailed loan level reporting templates across asset classes. These are some of the initiatives that are aimed at restoring confidence in the European financial markets by providing market participants with greater transparency which in turn will improve their overall risk controls.
Philippe Paillart, Chairman of Link Financial Group, commented, “We are seeing increasing demand for the services of our advisory division from clients in areas ranging from our core business in NPLs right across the wider consumer and commercial loan markets. Marco provides a huge boost to the expertise in our practice advising governments and regulatory agencies in the UK and the other major EU economies.”
Paul Burdell, CEO of Link, added: “Marco has a wealth of experience in dealing with market practice, legal and regulatory matters in structured finance, and I am very pleased to be working alongside him. Link will benefit from the additional complementary skills and knowledge he will bring on both operational and business development fronts, particularly in the German, Irish, Italian and Spanish markets where Link is currently operating.”
Marco commented on his appointment: “I am very pleased to be joining Link and working with Paul, particularly in assisting the ECB on this fundamentally important and groundbreaking new project.”
Link Financial is a leading European purchaser and servicer of performing and non-performing receivables. Link partners with most of Europe’s major lenders, manages a portfolio exceeding €5 billion and employs over 500 people in contact centres in the UK and across Continental Europe.
Formed in 1998, we are one of the founding members of our industry and have remained constantly at the forefront of innovation in the markets we serve. Our proprietary operational platform allows us to service a range of asset types from within and outside the financial services industry.
View full post on Today’s News
Mays Landing, New Jersey – Global Connect, the leading provider of hosted dialing and communication services, and Global LiquidEdge Solutions, the leading provider of collection scores and call sloping services, announce the Global² family of call optimization solutions.
Global² call optimization delivers improved liquidation and lower overall call expense by leveraging Global Connect’s leading hosted dialing solution and best time-to-call reporting with Global LiquidEdge’s industry leading collection scores and call sloping strategies.
With Global², clients can now target call campaigns to penetrate accounts most likely to pay with increased frequency, and improve connect and right party rates with Global Connect’s best time-to-call strategies. Clients can expect liquidation improvement of up to 80%, 40% increase in payers, and quicker recoveries.
“The use of collection scoring and call sloping strategies, coupled with the utilization of an effective dialing program, will prove to be a key differentiator in this market. We are excited to be partnering with a company such as Global LiquidEdge,” remarks Darrin Bird, Chief Operating Officer of Global Connect.
“We are very excited to team with an industry leader such as Global Connect. Together we offer very compelling solutions for collection call centers to improve their collections,” stated Rick Wittwer, President of Global LiquidEdge. “Now a call center can target accounts most likely to pay, dial them at the best time-to-call, and apply call sloping to optimize each call made.”
About Global Connect
Global Connect is a privately held company with corporate offices in Mays Landing, New Jersey, supporting ten regional sales and services offices located throughout the United States with Data Centers in Pennsylvania, New York and Canada. For more information on Global Connect, please call 1-888-421-4151 or visit www.gc1.com in the United States or www.gc1.ca in Canada.
About Global LiquidEdge Solutions
Global LiquidEdge Solutions is a privately held company with offices across the United States and data centers in Arizona and New York. Global LiquidEdge Solutions is a leading supplier of collection scores and call sloping solutions servicing collection agencies, debt buyers, and lenders. For more information on Global LiquidEdge Solutions, please call 1-877-294-4065 or visit www.liquidedgesolutions.com.
<<< Return to Newsletter
View full post on Today’s News
MINNEAPOLIS — The International Association of Commercial Collectors, Inc. (IACC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the 10th anniversary of its IACC Agency Certification Program. Offering members another step in quality assurance, obtaining this objective, third-party designation demonstrates an agency’s commitment to compliance and the highest standard of operations.
In August 2000, after three years of discussion with members and careful development, the IACC Board of Directors introduced the program, offering IACC members the chance to demonstrate their devotion to quality collection services.
“Far from being a simple marketing tool, a designation in name only, certification offers creditors substantive evidence of an agency’s compliance with the highest standards in the industry," said Louis Figueroa, president of Credit Decisions International, Inc. in Elk Grove Village, Ill., IACC member and one of the first agencies to be certified through the program.
While meeting the membership requirements for IACC indicates that an agency is self-committed to quality, taking the additional step of attaining IACC certification indicates that a third-party has reviewed the agency’s operations and that the agency meets or exceeds the program’s standard operational guidelines.
Another important aspect of the IACC Agency Certification Program is that it is ongoing. Members must provide documentation on an annual basis supporting the program’s various requirements to maintain their certified status.
“There was value from both the standpoint of marketing and internal operations. It was a no brainer for us, we knew the value was there and realized that value as soon as we could,” said Tom Haag, president of State Collection Service, Inc. in Madison, Wis., IACC member and also one of the first to receive the certification.
In celebration of this 10-year mark, IACC would like to recognize all of the currently certified agencies who have worked hard to reach and maintain this designation. Congratulations to the following:
The Bessenbacher Co.
Kansas City, Mo.
www.bessenbacher.com
Cedar Financial
Calabasas, Calif.
www.cedarfinancial.com
Commercial Collection Corp. of NY
Tonawanda, N.Y.
http://www.commercialcollection.com
Credit Decisions International Ltd.
Elk Grove Village, Ill.
www.creditdecisions.com
Johnson, Morgan & White
Boca Raton, Fla.
www.jmandw.com
Joseph, Mann & Creed
Shaker Heights, Ohio
www.jmcbiz.com
McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff
Cleveland
www.mbandw.com
Priority Credit Recovery Inc.
Edmonton, AB, Canada
www.prioritycredit.ca
PRO Consulting Services, Inc.
Houston
www.proconsrv.com
Randall & Richards, Inc.
Tucson, Ariz.
www.rrcollections.com
Ross, Stuart & Dawson, Inc.
Auburn Hills, Mich.
www.rsdcollects.com
State Collection Service, Inc.
Madison, Wisc.
www.statecollectionservice.com
Windham Professionals, Inc.
Salem, N.H.
www.windhampros.com
To find how your agency can work toward this designation, e-mail iacc@commercialcollector.com or call +1(952) 925-0760
View full post on Credit and Personal Finance Blog | Credit Karma
The average consumer carried $7,752 in credit card debt in July.
If the average Joe or Jane paid only the minimum payment of 3% on a credit card with an average interest rate of 14%, it would take 15 years and 11 months to get rid of that debt. Plus, they will also be paying $4,751.80 extra in interest.
Maybe Joe and Jane should visit ReadyForZero.
ReadyForZero website just launched today and promises to guide consumers out of credit card debt with a realistic plan based on a consumer’s real debt and credit cards.
How It Works
Though the site is still operating in invitation-only beta, here’s their basic process to debt freedom:
You sign up for free and input your credit card information so ReadyForZero can import and access details such as how much debt you have, what kind of credit cards, and more. Though handing over private financial information may make some consumers skittish, ReadyForZero assures that they have top-notch security and will never charge your card. ReadyForZero then creates a payment plan particular to your credit cards, minimum payments, and salary, and determines the most effective plan of how to pay down your debt. A key aspect of the site is that it tracks your progress and sends integrated reminders, which helps motivate consumers likely to fall off the bandwagon. You receive account updates and payment reminders to keep you moving on your path to zero debt.
What Makes It Different
ReadyForZero strikes a happy medium as a free site that informs while emphasizing action with concrete tools and a realistic plan to cut down debt in measurable ways. It’s much more than an educational website or blog, which may inform you yet lack serious, hands-on tools to turn financial lessons into action. It’s free and will not damage your credit, compared to debt negotiation and debt settlement services out there. Plus, it takes some guesswork out of figuring out debt payments, a huge plus for the average Joe and Jane who have trouble paying debt beyond minimum payments.
Ready for ReadyForZero?
Overall, ReadyForZero looks like a personal finance tool that can be truly helpful and effective for consumers to control their debt. Once it is off beta, we’ll check out how the site actually runs and functions and report back. The only question is whether the average consumer will latch on and stick to a tool as financially healthy as this; are they ready for zero debt?
-
Share this on Facebook
-
Post on Google Buzz
-
Share this on Reddit
-
Digg this!
-
Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon
View full post on CreditBloggers
This won’t exactly incite your flight attendant to deploy the emergency exit and slide to the tarmac, but next time you’re flying, pull out a travel mug when they offer coffee, tea or other drinkage. Why? Because that’s what you will do if you aspire to attain the status of green java guerrilla like Sarah Wilson-Jones.
“They looked at me kind of funny, but think of all of the cups they go through on one flight and for the hundreds of travelers every day,” Sarah says, while taking a break in one of her five Phoenix Coffee shops throughout Cleveland, Ohio.
When it comes to sustainable and affordable coffee and tea drinking, she and her husband and master roaster, Carl Jones, know the drill.
To enlist in this merry band of smart coffee drinkers, you must first arm yourself with a travel mug. And you must do whatever it takes to remember to carry it at all times. By doing so, you'll do your part to cut back on waste. Think about it. One cup a day times countless days and years. And that’s just you.
Sarah’s stores – and hopefully the espresso slingers near you – offer a $.10 discount for mug bearers, and a $.10 upcharge for the mug-barren who request disposable, compostable cups. She also offers a $.25 discount for those who bring their own canister or reusable bag when purchasing their coffee beans or tea leaves.
Even if your favorite coffee haunt doesn’t offer discounts for being eco-friendly, packing a travel mug is still a smart practice. And don’t be shy, soldier. Start bugging your baristas to implement some of these savings and practices, too.
Now that you’ve signed up, here are a few more tactics for courageous coffee commandos. After all, earth-changing times call for aggressive coffee and tea drinking strategies:
● Use coffee or tea grounds as compost on your plants.
● Buy premium teas, especially green and white teas that can be infused twice or more before you do what? Right. Use them for compost.
● Make a giant ‘green impact’ by buying locally roasted Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance coffee.
● Strongly encourage your shop to use washable ceramic mugs and glasses, if they don’t already. “They have a sink, don’t they?” Sarah quips.
● Just as strongly encourage your cappuccino carriers to make real spoons available for stirring to eliminate disposable stirrers. Sarah says she’s heard of one shop using uncooked linguine noodles as stirrers, which are at least compostable. And interesting. Washable spoons, however, save waste.
● If you can employ burlap bags for mulching cloth, art, kids crafts, three-legged races or other purposes, inquire if they keep the coffee bags at their roastery. Phoenix even gives the chaff that gets separated in the roasting process to a local farmer for compost.
Photo credit: Nevit Dilmen
// <![CDATA[
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.creditbloggers.com/2010/08/of-coffee-flight-attendants-and-spaghetti-stirrers.html';
tweetmeme_service = 'bit.ly';
tweetmeme_source = 'CreditExperts';
// ]]>
Christopher Johnston has written for American Theatre, Cleveland, Continental, Crain’s Cleveland Business, Editor & Publisher, The Plain Dealer, Progressive Architecture and Urban Design, and Scientific American, among other publications. He is currently writing a biography of Frederick C. Crawford, founding chairman of TRW Inc. As an avocation, he is a playwright and director, and this December, his play APORKALYPSE! will premier at convergence-continuum theatre in Cleveland.
View full post on Today’s News
Kaulkin Media, through its flagship Web publication insideARM.com, announces the launch of a special editorial series on consumer complaints against accounts receivable management firms.
The Complaints Issue will be the first in a series of topic-focused content offerings dubbed “The Big Issues.” The series will feature articles, opinion pieces, infographics, videos, training & educational materials, and other types of informative content. Over the coming weeks, insideARM.com readers will learn more than they ever thought they could know about debt collection complaints.
“Our original reporting and coverage of ARM industry news changes every day and we recognize the importance of breaking news content to our audience,” said Michael Klozotsky, Managing Editor of insideARM.com. “But we also perceived a lack of any in-depth, continuing content being produced on topics of real consequence to the credit and debt collection industry.”
Complaints against ARM firms and professionals are the stick pins used to skewer the debt collection industry like some exotic butterfly. Constantly referenced in the mainstream media, complaints against collectors have steadily increased over the past few years, according to data released annually by the Federal Trade Commission. But, as always, there is much more to the story, and all one has to do is dig a little deeper to reveal some misconstrued facts.
For example, the category of complaints that increased at the highest rate between 2007 and 2009 involves debt collectors failing to properly identify themselves on phone calls or written correspondence. Dubbed a “mini-Miranda” violation, failure to identify accounted for more than 21,000 complaints in 2009, up a staggering 1,612.5 percent from just 1,200 in 2007. While mini-Miranda may still be violation of FDCPA, it’s certainly a technical violation. But rather than investigate the actual harm done to consumers, most regulators, critics, and cranks choose to zero in on the percentage change rather than its real effects.
As a practical extension of insideARM.com’s mission to shift the public conversation about the ARM industry, The Complaints Issue will explore the subject of debt collection complaints beyond the standard headlines and conventional wisdom. It will approach the topic from a wide range of insightful perspectives across the ARM industry.
The Big Issues format also speaks to insideARM.com’s dedication to bring the most credible news and information to the credit and debt collection industry. And The Complaints Issue is another key ingredient in Kaulkin Media’s effort to lay out its goals in public.
“Almost any college student with a laptop, internet connection, and a rudimentary understanding of Google alerts could profess to run a collection industry news site/clipping service,” said Klozotsky. “insideARM.com’s standards are higher, and our experienced team works hard to produce intelligent, creative, and credibly sourced information vital to ARM business owners and front line employees alike.” Klozotsky continued, “The Complaints Issue aims to be an innovative departure from anything currently being published in the ARM industry.”
insideARM.com’s loyal readers will still get the best and most timely news on a daily basis through The ARM Insider email newsletter. But now there will be more substance on the topic of complaints.
For more information about The Complaints Issue visit http://www.insidearm.com/thecomplaintsissue/.
To complain about insideARM.com please contact Michael Klozotsky, Managing Editor.
View full post on Today’s News
Nonfarm payroll employment changed little (-54,000) in August, and the unemployment rate was about unchanged at 9.6 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Government employment fell, as 114,000 temporary workers hired for the decennial census completed their work. Private-sector payroll employment continued to trend up modestly (+67,000).
Household Survey Data
The number of unemployed persons (14.9 million) and the unemployment rate (9.6 percent) were little changed in August. From May through August, the jobless rate remained in the range of 9.5 to 9.7 percent.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.8 percent), adult women (8.0 percent), teenagers (26.3 percent), whites (8.7 percent), blacks (16.3 percent), and Hispanics (12.0 percent) showed little change in August. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted.
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) declined by 323,000 over the month to 6.2 million. In August, 42.0 percent of unemployed persons had been jobless for 27 weeks or more.
In August, the civilian labor force participation rate (64.7 percent) and the employment-population ratio (58.5 percent) were essentially unchanged.
The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) increased by 331,000 over the month to 8.9 million. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.
About 2.4 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in August, little changed from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.
Among the marginally attached, there were 1.1 million discouraged workers in August, an increase of 352,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.3 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.
Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment was little changed (-54,000) in August. Government employment fell by 121,000, reflecting the departure of 114,000 temporary Census 2010 workers from federal government payrolls. Total private employment continued to trend up modestly over the month (+67,000). Since its most recent low in December 2009, private-sector employment has risen by 763,000.
Employment in health care increased by 28,000 in August, with the largest gains occurring in ambulatory health care services (+17,000) and hospitals (+9,000). Thus far in 2010, the health care industry has added an average of 20,000 jobs per month, about in line with the average monthly job growth in 2009.
Mining employment rose by 8,000 in August. Since a recent low in October 2009, employment in the industry has increased by 72,000. Support activities for mining has accounted for about three-fourths of the gain.
Manufacturing employment declined by 27,000 over the month. A decline in motor vehicles and parts (-22,000) offset a gain of similar magnitude in July as the industry departed somewhat from its usual layoff and recall pattern for annual retooling.
Within professional and business services, employment in temporary help services was up by 17,000. This industry has added 392,000 jobs since a recent employment low in September 2009.
Construction employment was up (+19,000) in August. This change partially reflected the return to payrolls of 10,000 workers who were on strike in July.
Employment in retail trade was about unchanged over the month. A job gain among motor vehicle and parts dealers (+8,000) was essentially offset by losses in building materials and garden supply stores (-6,000).
Employment in other private-sector industries, including wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality, showed little change in August.
Over the month, government employment fell by 121,000, largely reflecting the loss of 114,000 temporary workers hired for Census 2010. The number of temporary Census 2010 workers peaked in May at 564,000 but has declined to 82,000 in August.
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged over the month at 34.2 hours. The manufacturing workweek for all employees increased by 0.1 hour to 40.2 hours, and factory overtime was up by 0.1 hour. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.1 hour to 33.5 hours.
Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 6 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $22.66 in August. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 1.7 percent. In August, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees increased by 3 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $19.08.
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was revised from -221,000 to -175,000, and the change for July was revised from -131,000 to -54,000.
View full post on Today’s News
Kennesaw, GA and Tampa, FL — MicroBilt Corporation, a leader in risk management information for small and medium-sized businesses, and CL Verify LLC, the industry leading real time credit bureau, announce today that the two companies will combine under the name MicroBilt Corporation.
The merger combines two growing entrepreneurial companies with complementary businesses and a shared spirit for innovation. Both companies are leaders in providing data solutions for verification, credit and collections, with each company serving different market segments. A combination of MicroBilt and CL Verify will result in significant growth opportunities from leveraging the companies’ combined data sets and analytic technologies.
Industry veteran, William "Wink" Price, will lead MicroBilt as its new CEO. Mr. Price is the former CEO of CBCInnovis, a leading provider of risk management solutions to customers in the business, government and not-for-profit sectors, which Mr. Price led for over 25 years. Mr. Price will join the Board of Directors and make an investment in MicroBilt Corporation.
“I am very excited to lead this combination of MicroBilt and CL Verify” said Price, “Both companies are true innovators in the business of risk management. Their respective data sets and tools are a great complement to each other and with little overlap in their respective businesses, there will be an immediate opportunity to achieve significant new growth.”
This merger follows MicroBilt’s acquisition of Payment Reporting Builds Credit (PRBC) and relaunch of the PRBC® Consumer Report with FICO® Expansion® Score early this year. “The need for new and alternative data sets for verification, credit, collections and screening is expanding in every segment of the market.” said Price, “MicroBilt and CL Verify have built great businesses that will provide the foundation for a great new company.”
About MicroBilt
MicroBilt is the leader in serving small businesses with data and tools that they need to manage business risk and make informed lending and hiring decisions. MicroBilt offers the small business owner simple, cost-effective solutions for fraud prevention, consumer financing, debt collection, and background screening. With its PRBC® Consumer Report with the FICO® Expansion® Score, MicroBilt is the leading provider of alternative credit data to businesses that want to offer credit and other financial services to the over 100 million underserved consumers in the United States. For more information, visit www.MicroBilt.com.
About CL Verify LLC
CL Verify™ LLC is the leading FCRA compliant real time credit bureau providing a fully integrated suite of decision support solutions. The company’s unique and proprietary consumer data provides clients with the most predictive resources for identifying, managing and optimizing the entire consumer credit life cycle. CL Verify provides access to over 3 billion debit account records, nearly 30 billion pieces of demographic and public record data and nearly 100 million unique consumer records to prevent identity fraud, evaluate credit risk and retain customer relationships. For more information, visit www.clverify.com.
