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Showing posts from December, 2018

UltraFICO may use bank habits to build credit cores for cardless

M illennials' aversion to credit cards can make it hard for them to build good credit scores.  A recently announced scoring system, the UltraFICO may someday help them and other consumers get loans and credit based on how they use their bank accounts.  People who don't overdraw and who keep a few hundred dollars in their accounts could get enough points added to their traditional FICO credit cores to qualify for approvals or better rates and terms.  Others who don't have FICO scores that allow them to get approved for credit.  These are big changes, because up to now consumer needed accredit history to generate credit scores.  Good credit score not only save people money on loans but can help them get apartments, cheaper insurance and better cellphone deals as well.  UltraFICO's creators - credit scoring company FICO, credit bureau Experian and financial technology company Finicity - say the score could help people who have little or no information on their credit repor

Marriott data breached

Hack that began as far back as 2014 could affect up to 500million The hotel chain asked guests checking in for a treasure trove of personal information:  credit card, addresses and sometimes passport numbers.  On Friday, consumers learned the risk.  Marriott International revealed that hackers had breached its Starwood reservation systems and had stolen the personal data of up to 500 million guests. The assault stated as far back as 2014, and is one of the largest known thefts of personal records, second only to a 2013 breach of Yahoo that affected 3 billion users accounts. The intrusion was a reminder that after years of headline-grabbing attacks, the computer networks of big companies are still vulnerable. The affected hotel brands were operated by Starwood before it was acquired by Marriott in 2016.  They include W hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, element, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, le Meridien and Four Points.  Starwood-branded time-share properties were also affected.