COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The benefits of financial education are clear -- higher economic growth, lower poverty rates and greater consumer confidence. This is why Experian and Credit Builders Alliance are hosting a two-day credit education training session for financial educators in Mississippi. The event is organized by the Mississippi State University Extension Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy and will be held March 1 - 2, 2017, at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center in the Jackson, Miss., area.

"Mississippi's average credit score is 645. It's the lowest ranking state in Experian's State of Credit report, falling 28 points below the national average," said Rod Griffin, Experian's director of public education. "We are committed to empowering the state's financial educators with high-quality education, which ultimately will help strengthen the community's understanding of personal finance management."

The workshop will highlight the basics of building credit, the importance of a good credit history and the value of credit reports. Additionally, the workshop will demonstrate how to promote access to responsible financial products and how to respond to consumer questions. Participants also will share information about local initiatives aimed at bringing underserved consumers into the financial mainstream.

"We want to alleviate poverty and bring prosperity to our communities. Credit is essential to attaining that goal. However, consumers need to know how to use credit responsibly," said Dara Duguay, executive director, Credit Builders Alliance. "These educators are on the front line of ensuring consumers are receiving accurate information. This is why we are so passionate about delivering training sessions with top credit experts throughout the country."

To learn more about the training, visit http://creditbuildersalliance.org/register.

For more information regarding Experian's education efforts, visit http://experian.com/consumereducation.

About Credit Builders Alliance
Credit Builders Alliance serves as a unique and vital bridge between our nonprofit members and the major credit reporting agencies (CRAs). Through this support, CBA helps people who are outside the financial mainstream build credit to achieve their goals and enjoy financial security for themselves and their families. Our core services, CBA Reporter and CBA Access, provide nonprofits with both the ability and critical technical assistance to report loan data to the CRAs and to pull low-cost client credit reports for the purposes of financial education, outcome tracking and underwriting.

About Experian
Experian(®) is the world's leading global information services company. During life's big moments -- from buying a home or a car, to sending a child to college, to growing a business by connecting with new customers -- we empower consumers and our clients to manage their data with confidence. We help individuals to take financial control and access financial services, businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lenders to lend more responsibly, and organizations to prevent identity fraud and crime.

We have 17,000 people operating across 37 countries and every day we're investing in new technologies, talented people and innovation to help all our clients maximize every opportunity. We are listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and are a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Learn more at http://www.experianplc.com or visit our global content hub at our global news blog for the latest news and insights from the company.

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts:

Kelsey Audagnotti
Experian Public Relations
1 714 830 7907
Kelsey.audagnotti@experian.com

Dara Duguay
Credit Builders Alliance
1 202 888 7588
dara@creditbuildersalliance.org

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SOURCE Experian