All posts by Kara Nieberlein

Voter registration lists are the backbone of our democratic process. However, maintaining accurate and up-to-date lists is a challenge that election agencies constantly face. With several regulations related to voting and election integrity that have been enacted or proposed in the last two years, maintaining a quality voter list is more important now than ever before. Election officials now have a powerful tool at their disposal: commercially available data to enhance voter list maintenance and boost voter confidence.  The importance of maintaining voter lists  Audit teams within election agencies are tasked with ensuring election integrity through voter list maintenance. These teams need reliable tools to:  Verify and correct voter registration data  Identify and update contact information  Provide a cost-effective method for record updates  Reduce election costs for taxpayers  Success stories in voter list management  Case study: West Virginia Secretary of State   The West Virginia Secretary of State (WVSOS) uses Experian’s TrueTrace™ solution to enhance voter roll maintenance. Traditionally a skip-tracing solution for debt collectors, TrueTrace leverages unique data sources to ensure voters receive correct information, reducing wasted resources and improving election efficiency.  WVSOS was challenged with enhancing their existing processes to a more robust 50-state comparison for cross-state movers.  After WVSOS’s first data pull using TrueTrace, nearly 16,000 individuals were identified with a potential new "best" address that were also not flagged by other data comparison programs used by the state.  The results? Of the almost 16,000 mailings sent, about 25% returned were undeliverable, confirming those individuals had moved.   Access the full case study to discover best practices for maintaining voter rolls and conducting cost-effective elections.  Webinar: El Paso County Clerk & Recorder's Office   The El Paso County Clerk & Recorder’s Office was looking to bring transparency, efficiency, and increased voter confidence to the elections in El Paso County, Texas. To achieve this, they required verified enriched data for registered voters. By partnering with Experian, voter data was enriched using our TrueTrace solution. This partnership has enabled the Office to verify and append the most up-to-date voter address, leading to significant improvements in list maintenance.   To date, the El Paso County Clerk & Recorder’s Office has seen a reduction of more than $39,860 in undeliverable ballot costs. Their ROI to date is a positive $4,537 back to the citizens of El Paso County.  Listen to our on-demand webinar to hear more about this collaboration.  Visit us online to learn more about our public sector solutions. Learn more

You walk into your home, flick the light switch, head to the fridge and grab a glass of cold water. Suddenly, you feel a chill and turn the thermostat up.  These habitual acts are basic, but fundamental to our lives. Unfortunately, not everyone has equal access to such luxuries. There is a substantial amount of people who are impacted by heavy energy burdens.   What is an energy burden?  An energy burden is the percentage of gross household income that goes towards energy costs. Two families can have similar energy bills, but different household incomes. Like many other industries, the utility sector is shifting its’ focus toward equitable outcomes and establishing and implementing effective efficiency programs.    Who do energy burdens impact?  Due to the energy burden, many communities of color have been historically underserved by energy efficiency and clean energy programs. The energy burden can also impact those who rent, have less efficient appliances or live in older homes.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of August, 2022, 23.1% of U.S. adults lived in households that were unable to pay an energy bill in the last 12 months. Additionally, The American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEE) found that low-income Black, Hispanic and Native American households face dramatically higher energy burdens than average. How can Experian be a partner for energy equity?   As the “Consumer’s Bureau,” Experian is deeply committed to putting consumers’ best interests first as we make key decisions to support our clients. Like the energy industry, Experian wants to lessen the energy burden for underserved and low-income communities. This is a business of critical consequence, and we are focused on helping our clients accelerate progress and equity within the communities they serve. As we navigate along this inclusion journey together, we can assist with three core areas:  Measure and track: Understand geographies and audience segments containing the largest opportunities for inclusion within the communities you serve. Benchmark and track progress towards your internal diversity and inclusion goals. Determine who qualifies for energy efficiency programs by getting a more accurate view of the communities you serve. Include and reach: By incorporating supplementary data sources, we can help you identify and reach underserved consumers and small business owners who are often excluded from the traditional credit ecosystem. Inform and empower: Develop and educate vulnerable populations, offering the tools and support needed to advance their financial health journey. Enabling your consumers to obtain the assistance they need.  By leveraging our leading data assets, businesses can obtain a more holistic consumer view to drive better outcomes and opportunities while making smarter decisions and minimizing risk. With accurate data you can effectively prioritize field work, get correct assessment of household income, increase productivity of field personnel, and improve field collection rates. We care about doing the right thing and are here to ensure you meet your energy efficiency and equity goals. Together, we can make a positive impact on our communities and consumers.    To learn more about how Experian is helping the utility industry drive inclusion and bring equity to energy, visit us or request a call. Access the infographic Energy Burden Research. Aceee.org. (2022). Household Pulse Survey. Census.gov. (2022). Low-Income Households, Communities of Color Face High Energy. Aceee.org. (2022). Experian and Oliver Wyman find expanded data and advanced analytics can improve access to credit. Experian plc. (2022).

Experian recently attended Fintech Nexus USA, formally known as LendIt Fintech USA, the leading event for innovation in financial services. The event was held at the Javits Center in New York City on May 25-26. This year’s event housed over 4,000 attendees, 350 speakers and 225 sponsors. Experian was a proud platinum sponsor and participated in two expert sessions. Day one Gasan Awad, Product Management Vice President for Experian Fraud and Analytics, led the session, “Frictionless Fraud Prevention: Fintech’s Balancing Act.” Gasan was joined by Ibo Dusi, Chief Risk Officer for Revolut, and Ashish Gupta, Chief Risk Officer for LendingPoint, to discuss the growing fraud landscape. “ Fraud is not slowing down; it is getting more complex as customers continue to grow their online and digital usage.” Gasan Award There has been $56 billion in identity fraud losses since 2020, $13 billion stemmed from traditional identity fraud and $43 billion from identity fraud scams. 53% of consumers say security is the most important aspect of their online experience. During the session, our experts delved into important questions, including: What fraud and identity-proofing strategies should you consider to prevent sophisticated attacks and balance ease of interactions? How do you detect fraudsters without disrupting the customer experience? Want more insight? Access the discussion here. Learn more about how Experian supports fintechs by visiting our fintech resources page, and how we’re helping businesses of all types stay guarded against fraud with our fraud prevention solutions. Day two Greg Wright, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer for Experian, joined Afterpay, Sunbit and Jifiti in the session, “Reconciling Responsible Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) with the Need for Access.”   BNPL industry fast facts: Last year in the U.S., 45 million Americans used BNPL. The number of U.S. users has grown 300% since 2018. Spending in the U.S. was $20.8B in 2021 and is forecasted to grow globally to $1T by 2025. Real-time data is critical for the BNPL industry. Greg provided insight into what Experian is doing to incorporate BNPL data into the lending ecosystem. Through The Buy Now Pay Later Bureau™, Experian plans to bring transparency to the BNPL and financial services industries. We are currently working with large BNPLs to support data furnishing of BNPL tradelines to the new bureau.     “We figured out a way to work with the BNPL clients to bring BNPL data into the lending ecosystem to where it does not have an immediate impact on your credit score just because you chose to use a BNPL option rather than a credit card,” said Greg Wright.      Typical lending risk models limit the accessibility of financing, but the nature of BNPL dictates that merchants and consumers need instant decision-making. Experian's response to the BNPL finance method is a consumer-friendly solution that supports end-to-end credit risk insights and point-of-sale financing solutions that do not fit into mainstream credit processes and aren’t adequately handled by traditional credit scores. This one-of-a-kind specialty bureau allows consumers to benefit from successful repayment behaviors and lenders of all types to drive more inclusive and responsible practices. Additionally, Experian has plans to make BNPL data visible on the core consumer credit profile. Ready to learn more? Access the discussion here. Discover how you can bring transparency to the industry with The Buy Now Pay Later Bureau and power innovative fintech lending solutions. Fintech resources The Buy Now Pay Later Bureau