Overview
Non-Prime Credit Card Segments 2011:
An Opportunity Waiting To Happen
Boston, MA -- This report highlights opportunities in three heterogeneous credit card prospect segments which exist outside prime territory: subprime, consumers with an established credit track record indicating a higher risk of credit default, thin file consumers with credit bureau files insufficient for traditional credit scoring and underwriting, and no file/no hit consumers with no identifiable records at the major bureaus.
While most credit card issuers continue to favor prime-plus consumers as they continue to recover from the recession, appetites for non-prime consumers are beginning to increase.
Highlights of the report include the following:
-Credit standards are beginning to loosen, as card issuers continue to work through elevated charge-off levels.
-Issuers return to non-prime segments is likely to be highly selective, focusing on new segmentation approaches and using new analytics and data types.
-Six types of tools will support issuers return to these segments:
Scores adapted to decisioning the thinnest files
Forward-looking data to evaluate performance under future economic conditions
Alternative (non-bureau) consumer data
Tools for matching disparate data to minimize thin files and no-hits
Tools to identify consumers who have made strategic (mortgage) defaults
Credit education/rehab services that may generate attractive prospects.
"Make no mistake, we are not about to experience a massive new wave in subprime credit card account issuing. Issuers are exploring new strategies to selectively identify better risk consumers who have been through understandable economic difficulties, and they are also looking for better ways of identifying the hidden gems among those consumers with little credit track record," Ken Paterson, Director of the Credit Advisory Service and author of the report comments. "Selectivity and super-segmentation might be better terms for describing the interests of issuers as they seek new ways to grow responsibly."
One of the 7 Exhibits included in this report.
The report is 23 pages long and contains 7 exhibits.
Members of Mercator Advisory Group have access to this report as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead, presentations, analyst access and other membership benefits.
Please visit us online at www.mercatoradvisorygroup.com.
For more information and media inquiries, please call Mercator Advisory Group's main line: (781) 419-1700, send E-mail to info@mercatoradvisorygroup.com.
For free industry news, opinions, research, company information and more visit us at www.PaymentsJournal.com.
Follow us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/MercatorAdvisor.
About Mercator Advisory Group
Mercator Advisory Group is the leading, independent research and advisory services firm exclusively focused on the payments and banking industries. We deliver pragmatic and timely research and advice designed to help our clients uncover the most lucrative opportunities to maximize revenue growth and contain costs. Our clients range from the world's largest payment issuers, acquirers, processors, merchants and associations to leading technology providers and investors. Mercator Advisory Group is also the publisher of the online payments and banking news and information portal PaymentsJournal.com.
Learn More About This Report & Javelin
Related content
Co-Branded Credit Cards 2024: Top Issuer Market Review
Co-branded credit cards, a significant segment of the U.S. consumer credit market, are poised for further growth. These products are not just popular but also essential, attracting...
Disbanded Co-Brands: When Credit Card Joint Ventures Fail
The robust credit card co-brand market represents more than 300 million U.S. cards. However, the relationship requires partnership and cooperation between all parties, and successf...
Credit Card Issuance by Small Issuers: Strategies, Risks, and Options
Community banks, credit unions, and banks of all sizes face an imperative of having a presence in payment cards. With almost 600 million credit cards in the United States and 230 m...
Make informed decisions in a digital financial world