Press Releases | SmartCredit Blog

Consumer Credit Expert John Ulzheimer Joins the SmartCredit.com Team

December 8th, 2010

NEWS RELEASE – December 8, 2010

John Ulzheimer brings his expertise and wealth of knowledge in credit scoring, credit reports and highly complex credit topics to consumers in an easy to understand and entertaining fashion.

COSTA MESA, CA December 8, 2010 – All Media

SmartCredit.com®, a leader in online credit education, identity protection and tools, today announced the appointment of credit expert John Ulzheimer as President of Consumer Education. Ulzheimer will report to CEO David B. Coulter and direct the growth of the company’s consumer-facing education efforts.

Ulzheimer comes to Smart Credit® with an extensive background in consumer credit. Ulzheimer was previously with Equifax Credit Information Services, FICO, and Credit.com and has a strong media and consumer following. He has been a speaker on credit topics at FICO, YWCA, FBLA, NFCC, and Fannie Mae Foundation events and has been published by and provided content to a variety of consumer sites including Mint.com, Credit.com, CNBC.com,NYTimes.com, FiLife.com and CreditExpertWitness.com.

“John is a reputable and highly sought after source of consumer credit advice and has been for many years”, said David Coulter, SmartCredit.com CEO. “We expect him to make meaningful contributions to our business and create value for our customers and likewise all consumers interested in understanding the importance of earning and maintaining good credit.”

“Your credit reputation continues to be one of your most prized and valuable assets. We’re at a credit industry cross roads and making the right decisions can benefit you so much more than simply getting approved for a credit card,” said John Ulzheimer. “What excites me most about this role is the opportunity to reach consumers and teach them the value of solid credit management. I’m thrilled to be a part of the SmartCredit.com team.”

ABOUT JOHN ULZHEIMER
John Ulzheimer is a nationally recognized expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft. John has over 19 years of experience in the consumer credit industry including positions with Equifax, FICO (inventors of the FICO® credit scoring system) and Credit.com. He has authored or created numerous educational materials on the subject of credit management and is a frequent contributor to FOX, CNN, NPR, Mint.com, New York Times, MONEY Magazine and other regional business and consumer media. John has been admitted in both Federal and State courts as a credit expert and qualified by the court to testify in credit related litigation. In his hometown of Atlanta, GA, John guest lectures about credit reportsand credit scoring at The Westminster Schools and the University of Georgia in Athens. For more information, visit www.JohnUlzheimer.com.

ABOUT SMARTCREDT.COM®
ConsumerDirect® is the maker of the Smart Credit system and was founded in 2003. It is an employee-owned company pioneering innovations, buttons and apps designed to get consumers to take action. No matter their credit situation or lifestyle, SmartCredit.com is for all Americans with its easy to use credit report, action buttons and apps. Smart Action® buttons allow consumers to immediately address items on their credit reports that may impact their credit scores or benefit their finances.

These action buttons allow members to get better interest rates or ask their creditor anything. There is no need for phone calls, writing letters or looking up account numbers. They can also fix credit report errors, get goodwill corrections, recover from identity theft, replace a lost or stolen credit card or settle a debt all directly with their creditors. It took years for Smart Credit to build its network of over 36,000 creditors, collection agencies and financial institutions making its Smart Action buttons the premier way of effectively communicating with creditors.

Smart Credit also includes its Always Active Complete Protection™ as the premier way consumers can guard against credit and identity theft.

New members to SmartCredit.com can take advantage of an unrestricted free-trial, then pay as little as $9.95 per month with no long term obligation. Over 350,000 people have subscribed to its products. For more information about Smart Credit, visit http://www.smartcredit.com.

Smart Credit Announces a Patent Filing for its Hiring Risk Index

May 18th, 2010

NEWS RELEASE – May 18, 2010

Hiring Risk Index helps consumers better understand how an employer may use their credit report to determine hiring, firing or promotion.

COSTA MESA, CA May 18, 2010 – Smart Credit™ today announced the recent filing of a patent to secure future intellectual property protection for its Hiring Risk Index. The Hiring Risk Index was developed by Smart Credit to help consumers better understand how approximately fifty percent of U.S. employers are viewing their credit report to, in part, make hiring, promotion and even firing decisions. The Hiring Risk Index uses credit report data to generate a score, rated 350-bad to 850-excellent, along with details on how employers may interpret their credit report. The Hiring Risk Index is included with Smart Credit membership at no additional charge.

“For the first time, consumers can better understand how an employer might judge their credit reports. It is a growing trend that employers are using credit reports as an aid in hiring; our Hiring Risk Index helps consumers prepare for job interviews,” said David B. Coulter, the founder and C.E.O. of Smart Credit.

This Hiring Risk Index is also tied to job listings showing applicants where there is a high likelihood that an employer may use one’s credit report in its hiring decision.

The Hiring Risk Index is connected to credit monitoring alerts and may change when certain elements of a credit report change. It uses certain stress weighted factors that Smart Credit believes are relevant to employers. The percentages below reflect how important each category is to the Hiring Risk Index:

Payment history in the last 12 months – looking for recent financial stress	40%
Tax liens and collection accounts	25%
Excessive credit cards, automobiles or mortgages – looking for signs of unnecessary or frivolous financial stress	15%
New credit or attempts for new credit within the last 6 months – looking for sudden change in financial needs	10%
Length of credit history	5%
Student loan history	5%

Total	100% of the Hiring Risk Index

With the unfortunate fact that credit reports often contain incidents of identity theft as well as common errors, consumers can be handicapped when looking for a job. SmartCredit.com is designed to help consumers control and protect their credit, along with developing more positive credit behavior. Smart Credit’s action buttons are ideal for ensuring that consumers’ credit reports are the most accurate they can be. This may have a positive effect on the Hiring Risk Index, thereby increasing the chances of a positive employer review.

About SmartCredit.com™

ConsumerDirect® is the maker of the Smart Credit system and was founded in 2003. It is an employee-owned company pioneering innovations, buttons and applications designed to get consumers to take action. No matter what their credit situation or lifestyle, SmartCredit.com is suited for all Americans.

Smart Action™ buttons allow consumers to immediately address items on their credit reports that may impact their credit scores or affect their finances. These action buttons allow members to get better interest rates or ask their creditor anything. There is no need to make phone calls, write letters or look up account numbers. Consumers can also fix credit report errors, get goodwill corrections, recover from identity theft, replace a lost or stolen credit card, or settle a debt all directly with their creditors. Smart Credit has built a network of over 36,000 creditors, collection agencies and financial institutions, making its Smart Action buttons the premier way of effectively communicating with creditors.

Smart Credit also includes its Always Active Complete Protection™ as the premier way for consumers to guard against credit and identity theft.

New members to SmartCredit.com can take advantage of a minimum five-day unrestricted free-trial, then pay as little as $19.95 per month, with no long-term obligation.

Over 350,000 people have subscribed to Smart Credit’s services. For more information about Smart Credit, visit http://www.smartcredit.com.

Press Contact: Ethan Taub

Email: ethan.t@consumerdirect.com

Phone: 714-431-0005 ext 205

Smart Credit Announces the Launch of the Jean Chatzky Score Builder App Empowering Consumers to Build Better Credit in 120 Days.

May 11th, 2010

NEWS RELEASE – May 11, 2010

Personal Finance Expert Jean Chatzky partners with Smart Credit to Help Americans Manage and Improve Credit Scores

SAN FRANCISCO, CA FinovateSpring May 11, 2010 – Smart Credit™ today announced the launch of its Jean Chatzky Score Builder application (‘app’) at the FinovateSpring 2010 conference in San Francisco, CA. Score Builder was developed in partnership with nationally-recognized personal finance expert Jean Chatzky. This app is designed to help all types of consumers achieve better credit in 120 days. It’s a personalized step-by-step program with action buttons, compressive help and videos of Jean guiding consumers to a credit score goal. In a tough competitive environment, SmartCredit.com was chosen by Finovate to present its innovative product with the Score Builder app. Other innovative companies selected to present include mint.com, bill.com and visa.com.

“The Jean Chatzky Score Builder app was selected for presentation at FinovateSpring 2010 because it is uniquely designed to help consumers of all types understand their credit and more importantly control it with the simple push of a button”, said David B. Coulter the founder and C.E.O. of SmartCredit.com, “We are very excited about our partnership with Jean Chatzky. She is America’s trusted voice for personal finance.”

Taking control of credit scores

In recent years, Americans have become increasingly aware of their credit report and the important role credit scores have in their daily lives. Jean Chatzky wants consumers to take responsibility for controlling and improving their credit scores. The Jean Chatzky Score Builder, an app exclusively with SmartCredit.com, is a personalized step-by-step program designed to help them on this quest. “Consumers understand that their credit scores matter whether they’re applying for a mortgage, renting an apartment, buying auto insurance or looking for a job. Yet, they’re not sure how to improve them – and dealing directly with their creditors is often very difficult,” said Jean Chatzky.

Score Builder starts by helping consumers make sense of credit scores. With Jean as the ever-present guide, users are given an explanation of the positives and negatives driving their individual scores, and advice on how to improve the negative items one-by-one. Score Builder then facilitates Smart Actions™—explicit steps users can take to remove or counteract the negatives—and tracks the status of these actions by interfacing directly with creditors. This direct contact with creditors makes Score Builder particularly effective in updating incorrect consumer information, since creditors typically quickly inform the credit bureaus of changes they make to consumers records. By following the action steps Score Builder provides, the typical user will see his credit score improve in just 120 days.

The JeanChatzky Score Builder app is now available to all SmartCredit.com members for no additional fee; non-members may also use Score Builder along with the rest of SmartCredit.com products on a 5-day free trial basis before committing to membership. Score Builder will soon be available as a stand-alone program that gives purchasers full access to the SmartCredit.com capabilities for a fixed 120 day membership.

Benefit for Strategic Partners

Lenders and financial institutions can use SmartCredit.com and the Jean Chatzky Score Builder app to get their prospects, customers and credit declines to achieve better credit health. Partners get a co-branded version of SmartCredit.com along with their own custom app. They can set their own credit triggers to display qualified ads and receive notices when individuals get better credit by using SmartCredit.com and the Jean Chatzky Score Builder app. These capabilities can lead to more business and on more favorable terms for the consumer. Partners can also subsidize Smart Credit membership fees for their customers or prospects.

###

About Jean Chatzky

Jean Chatzky, an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and nationally recognized television personality, has created a global platform that is making significant strides in helping millions of men and women battle an epidemic with a devastating impact—debt. Chatzky is a contributing editor for More magazine, and a columnist for the New York Daily News. She’s also the author of numerous bestselling books including Money 911, Pay It Down! and Make Money, Not Excuses. As one of America’s foremost authorities on personal finance, Jean has appeared on Morning Joe, Oprah, The View, Larry King Live, Sesame Street and numerous other television programs. For more information about Jean Chatzky, visit http://www.jeanchatzky.com.

About SmartCredit.com™

ConsumerDirect® is the maker of the Smart Credit system and was founded in 2003. It is an employee-owned company pioneering innovations, buttons and apps designed to get consumers to take action. No matter their credit situation or lifestyle, SmartCredit.com is for all Americans with its easy to use credit report, action buttons and apps.

Smart Action™ buttons allow consumers to immediate address items on their credit reports that may impact their credit scores or benefit their finances.

These action buttons allow members to get better interest rates or ask their creditor anything. There is no need for making phone calls, writing letters or looking up account numbers. They can also fix credit report errors, get goodwill corrections, recover from identity theft, replace a lost or stolen credit card or settle a debt all directly with their creditors. It took years for Smart Credit to build its network of over 36,000 creditors, collection agencies and financial institutions making its Smart Action buttons the premier way of effectively communicating with creditors.

Smart Credit also includes its Always Active Complete Protection™ as the premier way consumers can guard against credit and identity theft.

New members to SmartCredit.com can take advantage of a minimum 5-day unrestricted free-trial, then pay as little as $19.95 per month with no long term obligation.

Over 350,000 people have subscribed to its products. For more information about Smart Credit, visit http://www.smartcredit.com.

Press Contact: Ethan Taub

Email: ethan.t@consumerdirect.com

Phone: 714-431-0005 ext 205

Smart Credit™ announces its new and exclusive Rapid Response™ technology, putting credit and identity protection at your fingertips.

May 5th, 2010

NEWS RELEASE – May 5th, 2010

Quickly and securely stop identity theft with Action buttons on your mobile phone, or in your eMail, avoiding the need to make phone calls or logging in to your online account.

COSTA MESA, CA (May 5, 2010) – Smart Credit™ today announced the launch of its Rapid Response™ technology integrated in to its Always Active Complete Protection™, providing consumers with the premier way to guard against credit and identity theft. When smartcredit.com members activate Rapid Response, they can get important credit and identity alerts directed to a mobile phone SMS/MMS and any two email addresses. These alerts have an action button built-in allowing for rapid response. The action taken by the member will go directly to the source creditor, notifying them to cancel a new application for credit or close a new account because of possible identity theft.

Rapid Response credit and identity alerts, with built-in action buttons communicating directly with creditors, is exclusive and unique to Smart Credit providing unmatched protection against identity theft. This compliments Smart Credit’s innovative credit report and integrated applications.

“Rapid Response added to our Always Active Complete Protection has set the new standard for credit and identity protection,” said David B. Coulter the founder and C.E.O. of Smart Credit.

Most other identity protection products require a long process to stop identity theft. Usually it involves one or more lengthy phone calls, logging in to an account, and providing written documents. They also do not address what happens if that identity theft account is posted to ones credit reports. In most cases, an application for new credit or a credit account closed due to identity theft will show up on ones credit reports. This is especially true for instant, same day or in-store credit approvals. The credit reports may show it as a closed account, but it could still negatively affect ones credit score.

Rapid Response allows Smart Credit members to simply push the action button to stop an identity thief from opening a new credit account. Then, in the event that account shows up on their credit reports, the member will get an alert where they can simply remove it with the action button. Further, members can report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission and its Sentential database of identity theft victims used by law enforcement nationwide, all with the simple push of a button.

Rapid Response was built to address the urgency of stopping credit and identity theft. It is combined with Smart Credit’s patent-pending Smart Action buttons which communicate directly with the source. It took several years to build Smart Credit’s communication network connecting to over 36,000 creditors, collection agencies and financial institutions in the United States. These action buttons not only allow members to stop identity theft, but to ask their creditor anything. There is no need for making phone calls, writing letters or looking up account numbers.

Rapid Response is free for all SmartCredit.com members. New members can take advantage of a minimum 5-day unrestricted free-trial, then pay as little as $19.95 per month with no long term obligation.

About SmartCredit.com™

ConsumerDirect® is the maker of the Smart Credit system and was founded in 2003. It is an employee-owned company pioneering innovations, buttons and apps designed to get consumers to take action.

SmartCredit.com is for every type of consumer with its innovative credit report, action buttons and applications.

Smart Action™ buttons allow consumers to immediate address items on their credit reports that may impact their credit scores or benefit their finances.

Smart Credit also includes its Always Active Complete Protection™ as the premier way consumers can guard against credit and identity theft.

New members to SmartCredit.com can take advantage of a minimum 5-day unrestricted free-trial, then pay as little as $19.95 per month with no long term obligation.

Over 350,000 people have subscribed to its products. For more information about Smart Credit, visit http://www.smartcredit.com.

Press Contact: Ethan Taub

Email: ethan.t@consumerdirect.com

Phone: 714-431-0005 ext 205

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