Experian welcomes the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) decision to grant authorisation to the Australian Retail Credit Association (ARCA) in relation to the Principles of Reciprocity and Data Exchange, effective 25 December 2015.

10 December 2015, Sydney, Australia — Experian welcomes the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) decision to grant authorisation to the Australian Retail Credit Association (ARCA) in relation to the Principles of Reciprocity and Data Exchange, effective 25 December 2015.

The PRDE is a set of important industry-developed data exchange rules to support the move of Australia’s credit reporting towards a Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR) system. The PRDE facilitates sharing of credit reporting information among signatories by setting up a reciprocal data exchange which has been developed through extensive industry consultation.

David Grafton, Managing Director Credit Services and Decision Analytics at Experian said “This has been a significant endeavour on behalf of ARCA and its members, including Experian, and we are pleased that the ACCC has finalised its part in reforming the credit reporting system in Australia. The authorisation of the PRDE represents a significant milestone in achieving a reciprocity framework to standardise the exchange of credit information between credit reporting bureaux and credit providers, ensuring fair and appropriate access to critical decision-making data within Australia’s credit reporting system.”

Experian has been a long-standing advocate for both the economic and public policy benefits associated with the comprehensive credit reporting environment. We have over many years and in many jurisdictions, worked closely with our customers and the regulators to develop a data sharing framework that is not only demonstrably fair, but is also beneficial to consumers, the credit industry and the economy as a whole. Prior to joining Experian, Grafton was a founding Director of ARCA and a key proponent of the PRDE framework.

According to Grafton, the authorisation of the Principles of Reciprocity and Data Exchange will provide a level playing field as all credit provider organisations (large or small) have an incentive and obligation to share information like-for-like, improving the overall transparency, consistency and fairness in the credit reporting system.

“The PRDE is critical to realising the benefits of comprehensive credit reporting. It creates an open, transparent and standardised system for dealing with the new credit reporting data. This will create confidence in the integrity of the credit reporting system, and provide incentives for credit providers and credit reporting bureaus to participate in CCR,” said Grafton.

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Key Experian Contacts:
Lidia Lal
Solutions Marketing Manager
Experian Australia & New Zealand
407 624 216
lidia.lal@au.experian.com

About Experian

We are the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to our clients around the world. We help businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. We also help people to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.  In 2014, we were named by Forbes magazine as one of the ‘World’s Most Innovative Companies’.

We employ approximately 17,000 people in 39 countries and our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2015, was US$4.8 billion.

To find out more about our company, please visit http://www.experianplc.com or watch our documentary, ‘Inside Experian’.

About ARCA:
ARCA represents lenders and credit reporting bodies in Australia and has developed the Principles in a process involving its members and industry since July 2013. This follows reforms to the Privacy Act which expand the type of consumer credit information that can now be shared.

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