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Researchers and startups say al kinds of weird data can predict your creditworthiness.  What kind of smartphone you have, who your friends are and how you answer survey questions may foretell how likely you are to pay back a loan. Don't expect this alternative data to displace the three-digit number most lenders use, though.  Credit scores still matter - a lot. Lenders use credit scores to decide whether you get loans and credit cards, plus the rates  you pay.  Scores are also used to determine which apartments you can rent, which cellphone plans you can get and, in most states, how much you pay for auto and homeowners insurance. The central problem with credit scores is that they can't be generated unless people actively use credit accounts.  Millions of people don't but they may still be creditworthy.  Alternative data is being used to sniff them out.   Some U.S. lenders, for example, factor in how often people change addresses, how they pay noncredit bills such as re