There’s a revolution going on in the credit markets, and the lowly utility bill has an important role to play. More than 30 million adults have FICO credit scores between 600 and 700, and 50 million adults don’t have enough data in their files to even get a score. These consumers would benefit from providing their utility payment history to the credit bureaus. Recent studies show that:
97% of consumers adding utility payment history saw their credit score increase, typically by 27 points.(1)
10 million of the unscored will have scores of 600 or more.(2)
2.5 million newly scored adults would qualify for a mortgage.(3)
More scores means more business. For a mortgage broker helping a new home buyer, or a PACE or solar contractor wanting to qualify a prospective solar customer with marginal credit, adding a good utility payment history can fill out a credit file, raise the score and qualify the buyer.
Expanded data means better default predictions. Lenders also benefit from adding utility bill payment data to credit files. Zest Finance and Revolution Credit, both users of expanded data sets, report that increased precision in default predictions has led to loans with 54% and 40% fewer defaults respectively.(4)(5)
WattzOn’s LINK PRIME allows your customers and clients to improve their credit scores. A national software offering, LINK PRIME connects to consumers’ phone, internet, natural gas or electricity account and transfer the payment histories to the credit bureaus. Learn more at wattzon.com/solutions/consumer-credit/
