An estimated 30 to 40 million American households are financially underserved. They lack access to the financial products and services that enable them to save, build assets, and achieve financial prosperity.

Low-wage immigrants are a particularly hard-to-reach segment of the underbanked population.

A credit score affects virtually every aspect of a person’s financial life—from buying a home or starting a business to the interest rate on credit cards.

This paper outlines some of the major themes which emerged during Fourth Annual Underbanked Financial Services Forum, in 2009, inlcuding an exploration of the heterogeneity of underbanked market segments