Abstract
This report examines the opportunities and tools available to credit card
issuers and a few alternative lenders in the very broad non-prime consumer
market. What emerges is a picture of an expanding frontier, with:
- subprime prospects well-covered by established decisioning and data tools
- thin credit bureau file prospects becoming increasingly well covered by
established alternative data sources and scoring tools
- "no file" prospects remaining on the frontier of specialized, sometimes
narrow data sources, specialized analytics, and alternative card products.
Competitively, the reasons for pursuing non-prime segments are readily
apparent. Subprime consumers, while possessing a high risk of default, will
likely bear a higher range of risk-based pricing (ARPs, fees) in order to gain
access to credit, and skilled issuers can manage the portfolios to a higher
overall return. Thin file or no-file consumers have less of a demonstrated
credit track record, and may prove to be either good or bad credit risks.
While some of these thin-file/no-file individuals can appropriately be called
credit-underserved (i.e. they collectively represent a backlog of prospects
who deserve credit consideration), these segments contain perennial new
prospects as well: students, first time credit users, immigrants, etc...
Highlights of the report include:
- 1. None-prime consumers, defined by multiple segments delimited by bureau
score ranges or lack of bureau files, represent 80 - 105 million credit
prospects.
- 2. Subprime credit card prospects, defined by a demonstrated history of
credit problems, are so far avoiding the drastic declines of subprime mortgage
holders.
- 3. Thin file credit underwriting tools are rapidly maturing, with an
ability to handle previously-unscorable individuals.
- 4. Remaining unscorable prospects with no bureau files reside on the
frontier of underwriting tools. Specialized data sources and analytics are
the tools of lenders wishing to address these remaining no-file prospects.
Table of Contents
TABLE OF FIGURES
Introduction
I. Defining The Non-Prime Opportunity
- Definitive Scores = Unclear Boundaries
- Just Part of a Long Term Trend
II. The Best/Worst of Times for Subprime
- Always Under the Microscope
- Which Way Is The Wind Blowing?
- Picking The Best Subprime Prospects
III. Thin File Comes Of Age
- FICO Expansion Score
- LexisNexis RiskView
- Link2Credit
IV. No-File Prospects: The Tough Get Tougher
- A Diversity of Circumstances
- A Payday In Payday Lending?
- Tapping The Power of Payroll Deduction
V. The Future Frontier
TABLE OF FIGURES
- Figure 1: Definitive Scores = Fuzzy Boundaries
- Figure 2: Non-Prime Segments
- Figure 3: Subprime Opportunities Were Being Tapped 15 Years Ago
- Figure 4 Even Before Thin-File Technologies, Issuers Were Moving
Down-Market
- Figure 5: Issuers Supported New Cardholders' Lower Wealth and Income
- Figure 6: Overall Portfolio Management Trends Have Been Positive
- Figure 7: ABS Subprime Portfolio Trends Have Been Positive Through Mid-Year
- Figure 8: Improving FICO Expansion Score Scorability Results
- Figure 9: RiskView Data Sources
- Figure 10: Link2Credit Provides Thin-File/ No-File Prospect File
Compilation and Marketing Applications
- Figure 11: A Qualitative Segmentation of Today' s No-File Consumers