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.

There are many types of credit scores.  Most people are familiar with FICO’s credit score, mainly used for mortgages and refinancing home loans or home equity lines of credit.   However, there are many other types.  For example, there are alternative credit scores for auto loans, insurance and even to determine employment status.  All the scores are based on your credit report information, but are just calculated in different ways.

The auto score is a very popular alternative to the standard credit score and it is important consumers understand who can look at it.

The auto lending industry uses a specialized auto score, usually from FICO.  It’s called the Auto Industry Option Score.  Approximately 90% of auto loans use this auto score instead of the more familiar credit score.  The auto score judges your credit risk more heavily weighted to your prior auto loan or lease payment history.

Who can look at your auto score:  auto lenders, auto dealers and you.  Your permission is required, in the form of a signed credit application, for an auto dealer or lender to view your auto score.

You can view your auto score by becoming a member of SmartCredit.com Whenever you update your credit report, all your credit scores are updated as well, including your auto score.

Be sure you understand there is a difference between your credit score and your auto score.  Confusion often is to the advantage of the auto dealer.

Click here for more information on this Auto Scores >>

What can you do?

Be proactive by using SmartCredit.com and ensure all your scores are the best they can be.  Smart Credit’s patent-pending Action buttons communicate directly with your creditors for anything you need, including improving your auto and credit scores.

Its simple.  Just use Smart Credit’s innovative credit report and click on action buttons to talk directly with your creditors to get better interest rates or ask your creditor anything.  No need for phone calls, writing letters or looking up account numbers.  You can 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’s fast and effective!

Always Active Complete Protection gives Smart Credit members the most complete credit monitoring and identity protection available.  Having only one or the other is not enough.  It also includes our Mobile Rapid Response action button in alerts for the fastest way to stop identity theft.

David B. Coulter – Founder and C.E.O. of SmartCredit.com