ORLANDO, Fla. & BOZEMAN, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 29, 2024-- FICO, a leading analytics software company, is partnering with the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA) to help educate and train mortgage professionals on financial wellness and how to support their communities from a social impact lending perspective. The new collaboration is expected to incentivize more lenders to obtain NAMMBA’s Certified Community Lender (CCL®) certification.

NAMMBA’s Certified Community Lender™ certification is a rigorous training and certification program that sets the benchmark for excellence in social impact lending. This designation, awarded to less than 5% of mortgage professionals, signifies their commitment to high levels of education, ethical standards, and dedication to serve their clients' best interests.

FICO is playing a major role in educating lenders by providing its Score A Better Future™ credit education curriculum for all participants pursuing the CCL certification. It will also offer resources that can be used by mortgage professionals to better understand credit and how their clients can be best prepared and positioned to purchase a home. With CCL certification, loan originators will play a crucial role in promoting homeownership and fostering generational wealth in diverse communities.

"We are ecstatic to welcome FICO as an ELITE Partner in our mission to positively impact the mortgage industry. This collaboration will help us expand the reach of our Certified Community Lender program, ensuring that more loan originators are equipped with the knowledge and skills to serve underrepresented communities effectively. Together, we can drive significant progress towards increasing homeownership and building generational wealth among minorities, women, and the LGBTQ+ community," said Tony Thompson, CMB, Founder and CEO of NAMMBA.

The CCL® designation is earned after an 8-session online course that offers numerous benefits to certified professionals. These include access to mastermind calls for business development strategies, a course completion certificate, an annual NAMMBA membership, and marketing collateral to promote the certified brand.

With more than 50 million millennials eligible for homeownership during the next decade, along with significant opportunities arising from single women, communities of color, millennials, and the LGBTQ+ community, the need for well-trained, ethical, and socially conscious mortgage professionals has never been greater. The CCL® designation program meets this need by equipping loan originators with the tools and knowledge required to serve these diverse groups effectively.

"FICO is delighted to support NAMMBA in its endeavor to elevate the standards of mortgage professionals. By fostering a culture of continuous education and ethical practices, we believe that this partnership will not only enhance the capabilities of loan originators but also create lasting positive impacts within the communities they serve. We look forward to witnessing the transformative outcomes that will arise from this initiative to increase sustainable homeownership," said Julie May, vice president and general manager of Scores at FICO.

In addition to being an Elite Partner, FICO is also a Title Sponsor for NAMMBA CONNECT 2024 in Orlando, FL, from August 21-23, 2024, further emphasizing its commitment to transforming the mortgage industry and supporting diverse communities. Mortgage professionals who enroll in CCL training and complete the courses will have the opportunity to receive their CCL certification at the conference and attend a Score A Better Future breakout session on credit education. Click here for more information: https://www.nammba.org/fico-ccl-offer. For more information about the CCL® designation program or to enroll, visit NAMMBA.org/CCL.

About FICO

FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 200 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, insurance, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 100 countries do everything from protecting 4 billion payment cards from fraud, to improving financial inclusion, to increasing supply chain resiliency. The FICO® Score, used by 90% of top US lenders, is the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the US and has been made available in over 40 other countries, improving risk management, credit access and transparency.

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About NAMMBA

The National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA) is a national trade association dedicated to the enrichment and betterment of women and minorities who work in the mortgage industry. NAMMBA’s mission is to increase the engagement of minorities and women in the mortgage banking industry at the local, state, and national level. NAMMBA.org

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240729706211/en/

FICO Media Contact:
Julie Huang
Sr. Director, Corporate Communications
JulieHuang@fico.com

NAMMBA Media Contact:
Michael Muscarella
Associate Director of Creative Assets
michael.muscarella@nammba.org

Source: FICO