Late Payments in Russia Hit Worst Level Since October 2010, According to FICO and NBKI Index

MOSCOW, March 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- FICO (NYSE: FICO), the leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, and the National Bureau of Credit Histories (NBKI), Russia's leading credit bureau, today released data showing that Russian borrowers' credit repayments for January 2013 were at the lowest level since October 2010. The FICO® Credit Health Index fell 10 points to 109 on the scale, 2 points lower than October 2012 and 6 points lower than January 2012.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111010/CG83314LOGO)

The FICO Credit Health Index measures the overall credit health of the country, based on the percentage of consumer loans and credit cards reported to NBKI that are delinquent by more than 60 days. Since January 2012, this "bad rate" has increased from around 7 percent to over 8 percent.

All regions have shown a continued quarter-on-quarter drop in the index since January 2012, with the exception of Centralnyi which remained constant compared to last quarter. The Dalnevostochnyi region suffered the largest fall since January 2012, 13 points. The Severo-Kavkazskii and Sibirskii regions fell by 10 points, and Uralskii by 8 points.

"The decline in repayments is largely due to the large number of new borrowers who are not as experienced at managing payments," said Alexander Vikulin, CEO of NBKI. "Over the last year, the number of consumers in the NBKI database grew by 28 percent, to more than 60 million. The fall in the Index is not due to weak risk management on the part of Russian banks, which is generally at a very high level. If you look at the relationship between past-due consumer debt and potentially unrecoverable consumer debt, it has not changed since last quarter."

"As the FICO Credit Health Index continues to decline, we advise lenders to actively communicate with borrowers who are missing payments," said Evgeni Shtemanetyan, who directs FICO's operations in Russia. "The Index has not fallen nearly as sharply as in 2008-2009, but it's clear that new borrowers need careful monitoring as well as credit education."

FICO and NBKI share this data with Russian lenders to improve their understanding of the market, and help them safely extend credit to consumers. More than half the top Russian banks use FICO® Scores delivered by NBKI.

About FICO
FICO (NYSE:FICO), formerly known as Fair Isaac, delivers superior predictive analytics solutions that drive smarter decisions. The company's groundbreaking use of mathematics to predict consumer behavior has transformed entire industries and revolutionized the way risk is managed and products are marketed. FICO's innovative solutions include the industry-leading solutions for measuring credit risk, managing credit accounts, identifying and minimizing the impact of fraud, and customizing consumer offers with pinpoint accuracy. Most of the world's top banks, as well as leading insurers, retailers, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies, rely on FICO solutions to accelerate growth, control risk, boost profits and meet regulatory and competitive demands. Learn more at www.fico.com. FICO: Make every decision count™.

For FICO news and media resources, visit www.fico.com/news.

About NBKI
National Bureau of Credit Histories (NBKI) is the largest credit bureau in the Russian Federation. It was created in 2005, and counts among its shareholders major commercial banks and international companies CRIF and TransUnion. Its main specialty is an integrated center that stores and processes comprehensive data for creditors' decision making. As of August 2012, NBKI consolidates data from more than 1,350 Russian creditors. The bureau provides the Russian market with modern high-tech solutions for risk assessment and control.

Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Information
Except for historical information contained herein, the statements contained in this news release that relate to FICO or its business are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the success of the Company's Decision Management strategy and reengineering plan, the maintenance of its existing relationships and ability to create new relationships with customers and key alliance partners, its ability to continue to develop new and enhanced products and services, its ability to recruit and retain key technical and managerial personnel, competition, regulatory changes applicable to the use of consumer credit and other data, the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions, continuing material adverse developments in global economic conditions, and other risks described from time to time in FICO's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2012 and its last quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2012. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes, FICO's results could differ materially from its expectations. FICO disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

FICO and "Make every decision count" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and in other countries.

SOURCE FICO