Credit
Millions of U.S. households struggle to access credit to manage expenses and pursue long-term goals. As a result, many consumers are turning to poor-quality, subprime credit sources. The Financial Health Network is actively working to find solutions to these challenges, so that more Americans can obtain the credit they deserve.
Understanding Credit and Financial Health
In our credit work to date, we have uncovered several key findings:
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Access to high-quality credit helps consumers manage budget volatility and cover unexpected expenses.
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Credit can also support broader financial opportunities, helping consumers pursue long-term goals, like owning a home.
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Proving creditworthiness is difficult for people without an established credit history or a non-prime credit score.
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Banks are well-positioned to help solve these credit issues by offering small-dollar credit products and other loan options prudently and responsibly.
Data Spotlight
Why Credit Matters to Providers
Access to high-quality credit creates a critical safety net for consumers, helping them manage income volatility and debt levels while creating a foundation for financial health. With many consumers struggling with student loans, medical bills, and other forms of debt, industries across the spectrum have an opportunity and responsibility to develop sustainable solutions for credit and debt management.
How We Can Help
For more than a decade, the Financial Health Network has been a leading voice on expanding high-quality credit to more Americans. Our Compass Principles offer a framework to help providers design better credit products. In addition, we continue to explore new solutions for improving credit access, such as making greater use of alternative credit data.
Explore All Related Research
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A New Vision for Serving America’s Small Businesses
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Secured Credit Cards: Military and Veteran Service Members
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Secured Credit Cards: Rural, Underserved Communities
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Secured Credit Cards: Establishing a Path for New Immigrants
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The Financial Health Network Comment Letter on Information Regarding Consumer Credit Card Market
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Employee Financial Health
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The Financial Health Network Comment Letter to the CFPB’s Request for Information Regarding Use of Alternative Data and Modeling Techniques in the Credit Process
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Global Financial Health Framework
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The Financial Health Network Comment Letter on Exploring Special Purpose National Bank Charters for Fintech Companies
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2016 Financially Underserved Market Size Study
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The Financial Health Network Comment Letter on Proposed Guidance for Third-Party Lending
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The Financial Health Network Comment Letter on Payday, Vehicle Title, and Certain High-Cost Installment Loans
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Financial Solutions Lab Snapshot: Innovations in Helping Consumers Weather Financial Shocks
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Straight-Talk: Successful Messaging for Secured Credit Cards
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Dispatch from D.C. — September 2016 – Full Report
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Dispatch from D.C. — September 2016 Executive Summary
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Secured Credit Cards: Innovating at the Intersection of Savings and Credit
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Hidden in Plain Sight: How Secured Credit Cards Can Build Credit and Engage New Customers
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Dispatch from D.C. — March 2016 — Full Report
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Dispatch from D.C. — March 2016 — Executive Summary
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Case Study: Moving Beyond APR: How Oportun Re-Imagined the True Cost of a Loan so Customers Can Thrive
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Financial Solutions Lab – Helping Americans Weather Financial Shocks
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Designing for Financial Health: Stories and profiles from the Financial Capability Innovation Funds
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Executive Summary: Designing for Financial Health: Stories and profiles from the Financial Capability Innovation Funds
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Competing on Financial Health: How Credit Unions can Win the Gen Y Market
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“MyBudgetCoach” by Solutions for Progress
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The Financial Strains on Small-Dollar Credit Users
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Dispatch from D.C. – 2016 Outlook
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Credit Cards and Financial Health
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2014 Underserved Market Size: Financial Health Opportunity in Dollars and Cents
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Dispatch from D.C. — December 2015
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“VITA Credit Builder” by Mission Economic Development Agency
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“LIFT” by Filene Research Institute
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“Just Right” Small-Dollar Credit Products by Center for Community Self-Help
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Infographic: Why Consumers Turn to Small-Dollar Credit
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A Snapshot of Quality and Innovation Among Small-Dollar Credit Installment Lenders
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“Lending Circles” by Mission Asset Fund
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“Borrow Less Tomorrow” by Clarifi
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Checking Accounts and the Financially Struggling Majority
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Designing High-Quality, Small-Dollar Credit: Insights from the Financial Health Network’s Test and Learn Working Group
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The Financially At Risk, a Consumer Financial Health Segment
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The Financially Unengaged, a Consumer Financial Health Segment
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The Financially Tenuous, a Consumer Financial Health Segment
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The Financially Striving, a Consumer Financial Health Segment
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Dispatch from D.C.—August 2015
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Consumers and Credit Scores: Understanding Consumer Confusion to Target Solutions
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Consumer Financial Health Study
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Big Data, Big Potential: Harnessing Data Technology for the Underserved Market
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Dispatch from D.C. — March 2015
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Infographic: Opportunity Fund, Start2Save, and the Journey of Product Development
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The Financial Health Network Comment Letter on Department of Defense’s Military Lending Act
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2013 Financially Underserved Market Size
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One-Page Overview of the Compass Principles
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Design Matters – Learning from Consumers Experiences with Small-Dollar Loans
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The Financial Health Network Comment Letter on FDIC Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Community Reinvestment
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U.S. Financial Diaries: An Invisible Finance Sector – How Households Use Financial Tools of Their Own Making
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Elena Navarro Household Profile: Getting Through A Tough Year
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The Compass Guide to Small-Dollar Credit
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Infographic: 2013 Financially Underserved Market Size
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Know Your Borrower – The Four Need Cases of Small-Dollar Credit Consumers
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The U.S. Financial Diaries Methodology: The financial lives of low-income Americans
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Financially Underserved Market Size Study 2012
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Investment Activity in Fintech for the Financially Underserved
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Bridging the Gap with Social Loans
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Lauren Walker Household Profile: Getting By With Limited Resources
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The Rodriguez Family Household Profile: Extended Family Strives to Get Ahead
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The Financial Health Network Comment Letter on OCC’s Proposed Deposit Advance Products
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Financial Technology Trends in the Underbanked Market
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The Financial Health Network Comment Letter on CFPB’s Trial Disclosures
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Building Consumer Credit InBrief: A Winning Strategy for Financial Institutions and Consumers
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2011 Underbanked Market Sizing Study
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A Complex Portrait- An Examination of Small-Dollar Credit Consumers
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Justine PETERSEN Case Study
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Improving Consumer Outcomes Through Better Disclosure for Prepaid Cards
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New Underbanked Market Data from Core Innovation Capital and the Financial Health Network
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The Future of Financial Services
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Making the Shift from Financial Education to Financial Capability
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Results from the Financial Health Network’s Inaugural Industry Scan
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The Financial Health Network Third Secured Credit Cards InBrief
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Financial First Encounters: An Examination of the Fractured Financial Landscape Facing Youth Today
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The Financial Health Network Second Secured Credit Cards InBrief
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The Financial Health Network First Secured Credit Cards InBrief
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How Should We Serve the Short-Term Credit Needs of Low-Income Consumers?
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The Impact of Innovation – MACED Learning Brief
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The Impact of Innovation – the Financial Health Network Learning Brief Overview
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The Impact of Innovation – CBA Learning Brief
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InBrief on the Underbanked Consumer Study: Characteristics of Latino Un- and Underbanked Consumers
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Preferences and Usage of Financial Services Providers inBrief
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Highlights from the 3rd Annual Underbanked Financial Services Forum
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The Financial Health Network Underbanked Consumer Study Fact Sheet
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A Fundamental Need: Small-Dollar, Short-Term Credit
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Nonprofit Distribution of Prepaid Cards
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The Predictive Value of Alternative Credit Scores
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Reaching Deeper: Using Alternative Data Sources to Increase the Efficacy of Credit Scoring
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Expanding Financial Services to Underbanked Consumers
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Unbanked to Homeowner
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Stored Value Cards: Challenges and Opportunities for Reaching Emerging Markets
Connect With Thought Leaders
Interested in connecting with the Financial Health Network for a media interview, speaking opportunity, research or consulting request? Reach out and we’ll connect you with the right expert.