ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Operation HOPE today announced a partnership with Experian, the world’s leading consumer credit reporting agency and leading data and technology company, with the critical goal of reaching millions of people with a message of HOPE and financial inclusion, especially for those individuals struggling during COVID-19.
The 2020 HOPE Global Forums - titled “America on Reset, Healing a Nation. Opportunity for All” - is the backdrop to announce the foundation of a partnership which aims to further Experian’s United for Financial Health program to improve the financial health of consumers worldwide through education and action. Experian North America CEO Craig Boundy is scheduled to discuss this partnership and more later today at 4:00pmET at the virtual HOPE Global Forums meeting, which can be viewed on Facebook @OperationHOPE. Experian North America has chosen Operation HOPE’s award-winning model of community uplift and financial literacy to expand its reach and help thousands of people of color who are struggling to raise and sustain a 700 credit score with the following:
- Free credit reports to Operation HOPE clients
- Data and technology consultation
- Experian Premier Aggregated Credit Statistics product to enable the HOPE Research and Impact Institute to conduct enhanced research and program mapping
- Consumer education content to increase financial literacy
"Moving credit scores from 500 ("surviving mindsets") to 700 ("thriving and winning mindsets") and the opportunity to expand our HOPE 700 Credit Score Communities Initiatives is one of the many reasons why I am excited about partnering with Experian," said John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman, and CEO. “Armed with opportunity and financial literacy, we believe at Operation HOPE that Experian’s commitment to unlocking the power of data to create opportunity means more people will be set up not just to survive, but to thrive in the months and years to come.”
Experian has long been a leader in credit education. It was the first credit bureau to launch a financial education program in the early 1990s and has since built online education resources such as its Ask Experian series, Education Ambassadors (Experian employees who share financial literacy information in their communities through seminars, webinars and speaking engagements) and weekly online #creditchat discussions. This partnership builds on Experian’s legacy of working with and helping consumers.
“I’m really excited about the alignment between our goal of helping consumers in their financial journey and what Operation HOPE is trying to do. Together, we have the potential to make a real difference in financial inclusion in the United States, bringing Operation HOPE’s education and counseling along with our credit education knowledge, capability and great products like Experian Boost really represents a fantastic opportunity for us to make a difference,” said Craig Boundy, CEO of Experian North America.
The purpose of the annual HOPE Global Forums is to reimagine the global economy so the benefits and opportunities of free enterprise are extended to everyone. All participants are charged to commit to an action that will further the Forums’ purpose. The event is open to the public, and interested parties are invited to watch and weigh in on Facebook @OperationHOPE live on Monday, October 19 through Tuesday, October 20 from 9am-5pmET. Additional recorded sessions will be available from Wednesday, October 21 through Friday, October 23.
For more information about The 2020 HOPE Global Forums, including a detailed agenda, please visit: www.HopeGlobalForums.org.
ABOUT Operation HOPE
Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights”, with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through our community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. Project 5117 is our multi-year four-pronged approach to combating economic inequality that aims to improve financial literacy, increase business role models and business internships for youth in underserved communities, and stabilize the American dream by boosting FICO scores. Operation HOPE has received six consecutive 4-star charity rating for fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability by the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information: www.OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Experian
Experian is the world’s leading global information services company. During life’s big moments – from buying a home or a car, to sending a child to college, to growing a business by connecting with new customers – we empower consumers and our clients to manage their data with confidence. We help individuals to take financial control and access financial services, businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lenders to lend more responsibly, and organisations to prevent identity fraud and crime.
We have 17,800 people operating across 45 countries and every day we’re investing in new technologies, talented people and innovation to help all our clients maximise every opportunity. We are listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and are a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Learn more at www.experianplc.com or visit our global content hub at our global news blog for the latest news and insights from the Group.
