SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- FICO (NYSE:FICO), a leading predictive analytics and decision management software company, today announced the availability of FICO^® Score 9 from Equifax for lenders and other businesses. This newest version of the FICO^® Score introduces a more nuanced way to assess consumer collection information, bypassing paid collection agency accounts and offering a sophisticated treatment differentiating medical from non-medical collection agency accounts. This will help ensure that medical collections have a lower impact on the score, commensurate with the credit risk they represent. These enhancements help credit grantors because they result in greater precision.

"FICO Score 9 is an innovative solution that will provide greater predictive strength at a time when the industry needs it most," said Martin O'Connor, senior vice president, Analytics for Equifax.

FICO has used sophisticated modeling techniques to make the new FICO^® Score 9 more predictive of a consumer's likelihood to repay a debt than previous versions. This latest version of the FICO^® Score, the industry-standard measure of U.S. consumer credit risk, captures recent consumer behavior to give lenders better risk assessments across the credit lifecycle and all credit products.

"FICO Score 9 represents our best analytic work to date," said Jim Wehmann, executive vice president, Scores for FICO.  "It delivers even more value to lenders, while minimizing the effort needed to upgrade. Equifax clients can use the greater predictive power of FICO Score 9 to manage their risk more precisely, enhance relationships with their customers, and strengthen their bottom line."

FICO data scientists used an innovative, multi-faceted modeling approach to develop a new FICO^® Score that addresses the subtleties of today's credit granting environment.  Among the results is that FICO^® Score 9 supports the desire of credit grantors to better assess the risk of consumers with limited credit history – so-called "thin files."  Credit grantors can safely grow their lending portfolios because with FICO Score 9, more consumers will score in the higher score ranges that lenders generally require for approving loans. Basically, lenders can approve millions more qualified consumers while keeping their portfolio risk level steady.

FICO is the leader in credit risk scoring, with 90 percent of all U.S. consumer lending decisions using the FICO^® Score. The 25 largest credit card issuers, the 25 largest auto lenders and tens of thousands of other businesses rely on the FICO Score for consumer credit risk analysis and federal regulatory compliance.  To learn more about FICO^® Score 9, please visit http://www.fico.com/en/campaigns/ficoscore9/

About FICO

FICO (NYSE: FICO) is a leading analytics software company, helping businesses in 90+ countries make better decisions that drive higher levels of growth, profitability and customer satisfaction. The company's groundbreaking use of Big Data and mathematical algorithms to predict consumer behavior has transformed entire industries. FICO provides analytics software and tools used across multiple industries to manage risk, fight fraud, build more profitable customer relationships, optimize operations and meet strict government regulations. Many of our products reach industry-wide adoption. These include the FICO^® Score, the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the United States. FICO solutions leverage open-source standards and cloud computing to maximize flexibility, speed deployment and reduce costs. The company also helps millions of people manage their personal credit health. FICO: Make every decision count^™. Learn more at www.fico.com.

For FICO news and media resources, visit www.fico.com/news.

FICO and "Make every decision count" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and in other countries.

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SOURCE FICO

Media, Elizabeth Hershman, IQ PR for FICO, +1 (917) 385-6057, ehershman@iqprinc.com; or Investors/Analysts, Steven Weber, FICO, +1 800-213-5542, investor@fico.com