FICO Announces Licensing Agreement with MicroBilt for FICO Expansion Scores

FICO (NYSE:FICO), the leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, announced today that MicroBilt Corporation, Kennesaw, GA, will be the exclusive licensee of the FICO® Expansion® score. Under the agreement, MicroBilt, a provider of risk management information and services to small and medium-size enterprises, has the rights to use FICO’s scoring model in the United States to calculate and sell FICO Expansion scores to lenders and businesses that grant credit. FICO developed the FICO Expansion score to help lenders assess the credit risk of an estimated 50-70 million U.S. consumers who have either no traditional credit history or “thin” credit bureau files. This diverse population includes students, senior citizens and recent immigrants. The scoring model bases the score on a variety of non-traditional credit data such as subscription memberships, deposit account activity and utility histories. The resulting scores have the same 300-850® score range as the traditional FICO® score and can be used to complement the traditional score. As a result, businesses and financial institutions can grant credit confidently to responsible consumers who are capable of meeting their obligations but lack established credit histories. Under the terms of the agreement, FICO will retain ownership of the FICO Expansion score model and its development, and the data sources underlying the FICO Expansion score will not change. The licensing agreement will streamline the process for businesses to obtain scores for credit applicants through MicroBilt. MicroBilt will obtain the underlying data directly from the providers, enabling the firm to process applications seamlessly that might benefit from the inclusion of non-traditional credit data. In addition, MicroBilt has direct links to the three major credit bureaus, which means clients can get both the traditional FICO score and the FICO Expansion score from a single source, without the need for multiple connections and complex workflows. "Small and medium-size businesses have been hard hit by the recession. They need to be able to extend credit to thin and no-file consumers to build sales, move inventory and add jobs," said Walt Wojciechowski, CEO of MicroBilt. "The FICO Expansion score evaluates the most comprehensive set of non-traditional credit data in the market, making it the most reliable indicator of creditworthiness in the absence of traditional credit history. Our agreement with FICO will benefit our clients and their customers alike. It will accelerate the strategy we have been following since our acquisition of PRBC last year: becoming the premier provider of alternative credit services to companies serving un-banked America." "MicroBilt was our first reseller of the FICO Expansion Score, and its strong relationships with lenders are a major factor in broadening the score’s appeal in the market," said Robert Duque-Ribeiro, vice present and general manager of Scoring for FICO. "We are extending this partnership because MicroBilt’s market focus will provide additional convenience and support to clients who want to extend credit to thin and no-file consumers." About MicroBilt
MicroBilt Corporation is the single source and preferred provider of decision critical information that responsibly assists businesses in reducing risk and managing their business. MicroBilt provides online access to consumer and commercial credit bureau data with automated decisioning and collection services. MicroBilt also offers additional data products, which include a basic person search, criminal conviction, bankruptcy, liens, judgments, motor vehicle, employment background and bank history reports at www.MicroBilt.com or through a direct interface utilizing their systems integration tool kit. For more information visit www.MicroBilt.com. About FICO
FICO (NYSE:FICO) transforms business by making every decision count. FICO’s Decision Management solutions combine trusted advice, world-class analytics and innovative applications to give organizations the power to automate, improve and connect decisions across their business. Clients in 80 countries work with FICO to increase customer loyalty and profitability, cut fraud losses, manage credit risk, meet regulatory and competitive demands, and rapidly build market share. FICO also helps millions of individuals manage their credit health through the www.myFICO.com website. Learn more about FICO at www.fico.com.