Does Knowing Your FICO Score Change Financial Behavior? Evidence from a Field Experiment with Student Loan Borrowers

A-Tier
Journal: Review of Economics and Statistics
Year: 2021
Volume: 103
Issue: 2
Pages: 236-250

Authors (3)

Tatiana Homonoff (New York University (NYU)) Rourke O'Brien (not in RePEc) Abigail B. Sussman (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

One in five consumer credit accounts incurs late fees each quarter. Evidence on the efficacy of regulations to improve behavior through enhanced disclosure of financial product attributes is mixed. We test a novel form of disclosure that provides borrowers with a personalized measure of their creditworthiness. In a field experiment with over 400,000 student loan borrowers, treatment group members received communications about the availability of their FICO Score. The intervention significantly reduced late payments and increased borrowers' FICO Scores. Survey data show treatment group members were less likely to overestimate their FICO Scores, suggesting the intervention may correct for overoptimism.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:tpr:restat:v:103:y:2021:i:2:p:236-250
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-02-02