CU Direct Connect Develops Custom Automotive Risk Score with FICO to Support Lending Partners

CENTENNIAL, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

CU Direct Connect (CUDC), a leader in the Colorado automotive lending market that provides indirect auto-lending services to credit unions and auto dealers, announced the late Q3 availability of a custom auto-loan risk score, designed by FICO. This new score will help credit unions that are lending through CUDC's program, manage their risk with greater precision and safely extend their credit to more people.

Designed to complement the proven performance of the FICO® Score, the custom application score analyzes specific data elements from consumers' credit bureau files, information from the consumer's credit application, and deal information to more precisely distinguish good and bad credit risks for automotive loans. The overall goal is to help participating credit unions drive more profitable decisions. As CUDC expands into Wyoming, Arizona and other markets, this new custom score will allow CUDC credit unions to better manage credit risk on portfolios in new markets.

"The FICO Score has been the gold standard for assessing consumer credit risk in North America for 25 years," said Tim VanTassel, vice president of Credit Risk Lifecycle Solutions at FICO. "Adding our custom application score brings CUDC and its lending partners the sharpest possible prediction of a borrower's likely performance on an auto loan."

"By working with FICO to create a custom application score, we are taking a big step in supporting our credit union partners and their interests," said Blair Korschun, CUDC president and CEO. "By using this new score, the credit unions in the CUDC program can better manage risk associated with auto loans."

CUDC plans to launch the new score by late summer 2015. CUDC fully supports its credit union partners that are looking to drive better bottom line results by taking a smart, strategic approach to credit-risk evaluation and compliance. To learn more about the CUDC program and becoming a credit union or auto dealer partner, visit us online at www.CUDirectConnect.com.

About CU Direct Connect

Formed in 2002, CU Direct Connect (CUDC) is a credit union service organization (CUSO) providing state of the art vehicle lending and origination-funding platforms utilized by credit union members and auto dealer partners. CUDC enables any size credit union to generate auto loans and acts as a risk consultant to all partners. Based in Colorado, CUDC currently serves 39+ credit unions throughout Colorado, Wyoming, and Arizona for vehicle lending, which supports the hundreds of auto dealer partners currently enrolled in the CUDC program. CUDC, through its member credit unions, is collectively one of the largest auto lenders in Colorado and is actively expanding into new markets. For additional information, visit us online at www.CUDirectConnect.com.

About FICO

FICO 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. For more information, visit www.fico.com.

FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and in other countries.

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