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Underwriting Strategies

Let PAG build a new underwriting model which could include scorecards, strategies and/or credit policy to help grow your business while taking on the least amount of risk possible.

Relevant Articles and Case Studies:

  • Predictive Data Analytics: The Key to Optimizing Your Underwriting Strategy

    Predictive Data Analytics: The Key to Optimizing Your Underwriting Strategy

    A regional fintech lending to mid-to-high risk consumers in 24 states recently asked us to help update its 2-year-old strategy for line assignments, risk-based pricing, and decisioning and expand beyond its use of generic data sources that were not performing to management expectations. We connected the client to four data providers to obtain retro data…

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  • Adjustment of initial line assignments and authorization strategies helps client achieve growth & loss targets

    Adjustment of initial line assignments and authorization strategies helps client achieve growth & loss targets

    Challenge: A PAG client in the US credit card market was not achieving its Year 1 growth and loss-rate projections on a new credit card product.  Balances were growing in the lower half of the credit spectrum and activation on higher FICO balances was not happening at a rate to offset the lower credit balance…

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  • Fintech kicks off card program using GOBLIN platform to merge four data streams

    Fintech kicks off card program using GOBLIN platform to merge four data streams

    Challenge: One of PAG’s clients – a medium-sized fintech with a long history of customer loyalty – wanted to enter the U.S. card market to leverage its strong customer relationships. The client also had good data history on their customers through its non-card products, but it was in multiple legacy systems and the data was…

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  • Profitability pressure forcing banks to review their underwriting strategies

    Profitability pressure forcing banks to review their underwriting strategies

    By David LaRoche Credit card issuers – whether they’re lending to a broad consumer base or to the customers of affinity partners – are facing challenges ranging from rising delinquencies, pressure from partners that don’t want to alienate their fans and customers with low approval rates, and a desire to mitigate risk. For the past…

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  • PAG helps Top 10 card issuer rebuild its outdated customer score model

    PAG helps Top 10 card issuer rebuild its outdated customer score model

    Company: Top 10 Credit Card Issuer – US Co-Brand & Branded Challenge:Company has greater than 30 co-brand partner portfolios and several branded portfolios. Over the last six years, their underwriting strategies were using an older version of FICO and a custom score built in 2013. They have a very light staff of risk-management analysts to…

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Managing Partner of U.S. Operations

Mr. LaRoche is a resourceful, results-oriented Executive with over 25 years of financial services experience; emphasizing collections risk management, dialer operations, MIS and reporting analytics, acquisition strategies, loss forecasting, credit policy, account management strategies, portfolio conversions, due diligence, and collections operations management. He also has over 15 years of direct risk management experience, with 3 years of collections line management experience possessing excellent analytical skills and the ability to manage diverse groups in strategies, modeling, collections, dialer operations, loss forecasting/loan loss reserve modeling, financial analysis, operations and loss avoidance.

David started his career in 1997 as a customer service representative for Travelers Bank. Since then, he has held the following senior positions:

  • Director, US Operations for Bridgeforce Consulting
  • Sr. Director and Call Center Leader for American Express
  • SVP. Collections Strategy and IT leader for Washington Mutual

Chief Risk Officer

Dale Hoops has over 25 years of experience within the financial services industry, with a focus on Risk Management, Collections, Fraud, Account Management Strategies, Loss Forecasting, stress testing, and economic analysis.

Dale started her financial services career in 1996 as a part time customer service representative and teller in a small financial center while attending the University of Richmond. Her career has included senior roles at Bank of America, Citi, and MBNA America. She has experience with multiple retail products, including consumer and commercial cards, private label and co-brand, deposits, vehicle lending, mortgage, and home equity. Her key strengths have been identifying opportunities for improvement through business analysis, strategy development, and risk governance.

In addition to her professional career, Dale has extensive leadership experience with non-profits with event planning, policy, budget, and audit management. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay, which serves 8,000 girls in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. She is the former President, Vice President, and Treasurer at a local Parent-Teacher Association, former community pillar chair for Bank of America’s LEAD for Women Delaware network, and served on the leadership team for the Field of Dreams Relay for Life event to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

Chief Data and Analytics Officer

Mr. Ridgeway has over 30 years of experience within the financial services industry, including Risk Management, Finance, Project Management, Compliance, MIS, IT & Operations. He has held senior roles at several of the top 5 Banks, including MBNA, Wells Fargo & Citibank. Dee has expertise in Risk oversight and a wealth of knowledge in the regulatory footprint (CFPB / OCC / FRB) in financial services. He has hands-on knowledge in the strategy world with numerous credit products including: credit cards, auto lending, mortgage and home equity, and unsecured lending. Dee is a co-founder of Predictive Analytics Group, worked as a Senior Consultant for Hoops Consulting, LLC., and owned & operated Mayflower Analytics LLC.

From a Risk Management perspective, Dee has experience in portfolio management in credit underwriting and loss mitigation during several growth cycles and economic contraction periods. He understands the needs and partners well with operational risk, modeling, and loss forecasting risk functions.

Dee is a SME on risk data strategy (data architecture, data management, and systems integration) and often creates a "passable bridge" between Risk and IT that translates business needs into executable business plans.

From an MIS, reporting, and portfolio analytics perspective, Dee has a proven track record of designing portfolio reporting that meets executive and end user needs that often have been labeled the "gold standard."

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CEO and Chief Strategy Officer

Mr. Hoops has over 25 years of experience within the financial services industry, including Credit Collections & Fraud Risk Management, Business Operations, Control &Compliance, Strategic Planning, Forecasting, and Marketing Analytics. He has served as a Chief Risk Officer for Barclaycard US Partnerships, a Global Scoring Head at Citibank, and a Site President for Wells Fargo Financial. Steve is a co-founder of Predictive Analytics Group and has owned & operated Hoops Consulting, LLC for the past 4 years.

Steve started his financial services career in 1993 as a part-time telemarketer while attending the University of Delaware for his Business Administration degree. Mr. Hoops has spent his 25-plus years within the industry building best-in-class operations with each company he has supported. His career has been highlighted by leading several large functions for several Tier 1 and Tier 2International Banks, including:

  • Credit Policy (CRO for $20B co-branded portfolio, Barclaycard US partnership)
  • Credit Policy (SVP for $28B retail Co-brand & Private Label portfolio, Citibank)
  • Loss Forecasting / Loan Loss Reserves ($30B Consumer portfolio, Citi-Financial)
  • Collections Risk Management ($70B Co-brand & Private label portfolios, Citibank)
  • Modeling ($30B Consumer Loan & sub-prime Mortgage portfolio, Citi-Financial)
  • Collection Operations (Head of 410 person operations center, $17B Auto, Personal Loan & Mortgage portfolio, Wells Fargo)
  • Credit Analytics (MBNA/Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank)