"Everyone has had a financial bump in the road at some point in their life, but I don't think they should be punished for that," say Tim Rooney, CEO of "Fintech for Good" Award-winner, Salad Money.
Salad is a social enterprise and community development finance institution (CDFI) which focuses on lending and tailored financial education, support and signposting for NHS and Public Sector workers.
Many people are punished by widespread use of credit scores to make decisions in the consumer credit market. Tim, formerly of Big Issue Invest, has been with Salad since it launched and describes "empirical evidence that credit scores don't work for people in the sub and near prime sector as defined by the credit scoring industry. "
A much better way of assessing affordability and appropriateness is through Open Banking, he explains. So what is Open Banking? How does it lead to all sorts of positive outcomes for far more applicants than Salad's customers alone? Tim explains.
With at research showing millions of people in the UK “risk being excluded from accessing affordable financial services because of flaws in credit scoring,” Salad Money is much needed. About 40% of its borrowers have a CCJ, but reliably repay their loans. Nearly half have children in their households. Many would automatically be turned down by lenders which use credit scores, leaving them with limited options when they need credit, which 9 out of 10 in the UK do from time to time. Tim goes through the why, who, how and even what next for Salad Money with Heidi.
What next?