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First-time consumer credit defaults improve in Q2 2021

25 August 2021: Jaco van Jaarsveldt explains that the rate people defaulted on their loans for the first time has decreased in the second quarter of the year according to our Consumer Default Index (CDI).

The role of the credit bureaus in South Africa

27 July 2021: Annelene Dippenaar, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Experian Africa, explains the role of credit bureaus in South Africa and how the operate under the various legislations such as the National Credit Act (NCA) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). 

Business debt conditions show signs of improvement in Q1 – Experian data

24 June 2021: Jaco van Jaarsveldt, Chief Decision Analytics Officer at Experian Africa, explains that business conditions are moving in the right direction as the economy recovers from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Consumer debt surges to R1.9 trillion in South Africa

15 June 2021: The rate people defaulted on their loans for the first time increased in the first quarter of the year, according to Experian South Africa’s Consumer Default Index (CDI).

Understanding your credit score and how it works

31 May 2021: Annelene Dippenaar, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Experian Africa, explain why it's important to understand your credit score, how it works and how to build a good credit score.

The importance of alternative data in a tough lending environment

11 May 2021: Jaco van Jaarsveldt, Chief Decision Analytics Officer at Experian Africa, explains the difference between traditional and alternative credit data and scores as well as the impact that COVID-19 has had on the traditional criteria when assessing risk.

Be wary of credit repair scammers on the prowl

26 March 2021: Last year was a challenging year for us all. It’s been just over 12 months since the Minister of Health announced the first confirmed COVID-19 case in South Africa. As lockdown posed many restrictions, scammers have come up with innovative ways to deceive people, and we’ve seen an increase in some posing as ‘credit repair agents’.

Rate of first-time consumer credit defaults improves in Q4

24 March 2021: Insights from Experian South Africa show the rate that people defaulted on their loans fell at the end of last year, primarily due to a combination of the impact of payment holidays and lenders tightening their criteria.

Experian South Africa data incident update

1 September 2020, Johannesburg: Experian continues to investigate the isolated incident in South Africa involving a fraudulent data inquiry. As a part of this investigation, we have identified files which we believe contain Experian data relating to the incident on the internet. We continue to investigate these files and will take all steps available to us to reduce further dissemination if possible. We can confirm that a criminal case was opened last week in South Africa and the matter is now in the hands of law enforcement.

Experian South Africa curtails data incident

19 August 2020: Experian South Africa is continuing to investigate an isolated incident in South Africa involving a fraudulent data inquiry.

Consumer debt in South Africa increases to R1.5 Trillion

1 July 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the Experian Consumer Default Index reaching its highest level in five years with R20.73bn defaulted for first time over the period Jan 2020 to Apr 2020.

Payment holidays – what does this mean for consumers and their credit report?

22 June 2020: To help ease the financial pressures experienced during this time, most banks have introduced payment holidays for consumers and SME’s experiencing challenges that meet the specific banks’ applicable criteria. 

Why retail credit is so important for the South African market – the impact of COVID-19

22 June 2020: Through tracking and analysis of the emerging patterns in the credit and related industries, we see early indicators of what is to come over the next few months.

Credit Management Insights 2020

Consumer Default Index Q4

28 February 2020: Latest Consumer Default Index Q4

Challenging businesses to think differently about customer engagement

01 February 2020: Experian's 2020 Global Identity & Fraud Report explores inconsistencies between businesses' views of their ability to meet their customers' needs, and customer experiences with those businesses.

Experian’s Business Debt Index

Johannesburg, 12 December 2019: The Experian Business Debt Index (BDI) improved moderately in Q3 from Q2, rising to a reading of -0.18, from -0.35 in Q2.

Consumer Debt in South Africa

Johannesburg, 27 November 2019: Experian South Africa has released its Consumer Default Index (CDI) for Q3, which saw the overall index increase from 3.76% in the second quarter to 3.93% in September 2019, amounting to R1.72 Trillion in outstanding debt.

Experian, Absa and Township Fleva join forces to drive financial inclusion

Johannesburg, 20 November 2019: Joining forces, Experian South Africa, Absa and Township Fleva, today launched project Spana, an annual programme developed to provide small business loans to local entrepreneurs in Gauteng townships.

10 Top Tips to be More Credit Conscious

Johannesburg, 16 October 2019: What does it mean to be financially responsible? As a general rule, you need to live within your means and your expenses should not exceed your income. A big part of this is to manage your credit responsibly and to keep on top of your payments – the way you manage credit can impact your ability to get future loans, like finance for a car, a bond for a house or even a cell phone contract.

Access to Consumer Credit Information for the Purpose of Employment or Recruitment

Johannesburg, 15 October 2019: Subscribers who access consumer credit information for employment vetting purposes should take note of the recent Circular 4/2019 issued by the National Credit Regulator setting out the requirements for data access.

When an enquiry is performed in terms of Regulation 18(4)(g) for the purpose of employment, it may only be done for a position that requires honesty in dealing with cash or finances and the job description of such position needs to be clearly outlined. It is thus the responsibility of the credit bureau to ensure the compliance of our subscribers with Regulation 19(12) of the Act.

Growing 'confidence gap' hampers fraud detection and resilience

Johannesburg, 19 September 2019: There is a growing ‘confidence gap’ between how well businesses across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) believe their fraud prevention performance is optimised and the reality, according to new commissioned research by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Experian.

Click here to access the report

Debt Relief Interventions for Overly Indebted Consumers Signed into Legislation

Johannesburg, 26 August 2019: In an effort to aid overburdened low-income citizens, on 15 August 2019, President Ramaphosa signed the National Credit Amendment Act, 7 of 2019 which brings about debt relief interventions for overly indebted consumers.

Experian SA acquires Compuscan and Scoresharp

Johannesburg, 1 May 2019: Experian today completed its historic acquisition of Compuscan and Scoresharp. The combined organisation will spur financial inclusion across the African region, bringing more people into the credit economy and helping create a better tomorrow for millions of people.