The 2017 FinLab Snapshot discusses recent trends in the financial technology landscape based on observations from more than 350 applicants to the Financial Health Network’s Financial Solutions Lab.

Active military members have more consumer debt and lower self-reported credit scores than civilians, but secured credit cards can limit service members’ financial vulnerabilities.

Americans in rural communities are losing access to locally available, affordable financial services and products.

A long history of discrimination and wealth-stripping has caused African Americans, Hispanics, and other people of color to have lower credit scores, less wealth, and less trust in the U.S. financial system than whites.

Secured credit cards can be an effective way to build U.S. credit history and thereby access affordable credit products and fully benefit from inclusion in the U.S. financial system.

This one-pager gives examples of applying the Compass Principles to transaction products.

In the United States, there are approximately 198 million insured vehicles on the road today. Among those, approximately 53 million vehicles are insured by low- to moderate-income (LMI) — often known as underserved — consumers.

Financial technology (“fintech”) has tremendous potential – as a delivery channel for high-quality products and services – to help consumers improve their financial health.

Over the last two decades, the emergence of new intermediaries that aggregate data from numerous sources has enabled financial services providers of all kinds to provide consumers with a more complete view of their financial lives. – See more at: http://cfsinnovation.org/research/consumer-data-sharing-principles-a-brief-on-the-framework-for-industry-wide-collaboration/#sthash.oYX1cTQi.dpuf

This executive summary examines new consumer research on secured credit cards.

The 2016 Challenge topic of the Financial Solutions Lab is Helping Americans Weather Financial Shocks. This issue brief introduces the topic, the reasons it is an important problem to solve, and some innovative approaches to doing so.

This brief explores the challenge of household cash flow challenges, its impact on financial health, and the opportunity for innovation.

Over 29 million Americans comprise the “at risk” segment – most likely of all the segments to live paycheck to paycheck and run out of money before the end of the month.

A whopping sixteen percent of the country is unengaged with their financial situation. This segment earns its name from these consumers’ lack of awareness about their financial lives and their low level of engagement with traditional financial services.

More than half of Americans in the tenuous segment live paycheck to paycheck (53%) and struggle to keep up with bills and credit payments.

Strivers are generally able to make ends meet, but many of them are not satisfied with their current financial situation and are working to better their financial circumstances.

To be truly groundbreaking, financial services companies must go further than delighting their customers with convenient, beautifully designed products and services.

The U.S. Financial Diaries (USFD) is an ambitious research project first-of-its-kind undertaken in the U.S. The project is collecting detailed financial data from more than 200 low- and moderate-income households over the course of a year.

U.S. Financial Diaries Case study: Elena Navarro is a single, 27-year-old woman living outside of San Jose, CA.

The U.S. Financial Diaries (USFD) is a research study collecting detailed financial data from more than 200 low- and moderate-income households over the course of a year.

When asked whether “financial stability” or “moving up the income ladder” is more important, 77% of the participants in the U.S. Financial Diaries (USFD) research study chose “financial stability.”

U.S. Financial Diaries Case study: Lauren Walker, 29, is a single mother living with her four-year-old son Riley in a rented townhome in a small town in eastern Mississippi.

Banks and credit unions can and should be doing much more to support consumer credit building – and, importantly, they can do so in ways that align their own success with the success of their customers.

This one-page document has examples of applying each of the four Compass Principles to savings products.

Although underbanked consumers in the U.S. often have insufficient access to financial services, their access to mobile phones is fairly widespread.

Underbanked consumers need minute-to-minute information about their finances, and mobile financial services (MFS) are well suited to deliver it.

The Financial Health Network led a consumer research study on secured card products, conducted with MasterCard and Blue Flame Consulting.

The current economy has spawned renewed examination of the market potential for secured credit cards.

The Financial Health Network led a consumer research study on secured card products, conducted with MasterCard and Blue Flame Consulting.

This the Financial Health Network inBrief analyses the financial attitudes and behaviors of the 20.6 million Latino underbanked consumers in the U.S.

This the Financial Health Network inBrief provides some insights on underbanked consumers’ preferences and usage regarding financial service providers. The information is drawn from the 2008 the Financial Health Network Underbanked Consumer Stud.