Just how healthy is your credit card portfolio
TMG portfolio analytics expert helps community financial institution issuers benchmark, then surpass, industry standards for successful credit card programs
DES MOINES, IA (June 28, 2016) — Nearly every credit cards team manager understands the importance of capturing and analyzing data. They’ve heard all the big-data buzz. Yet, challenges to gaining in-house data analytics and portfolio review capabilities remain. TMG’s Vice President of SmartGrowthTM Jennifer Davis geared her morning session of the 2016 TMG Executive Summit to credit unions and community banks facing those challenges, particularly when it comes to growing their credit card programs.
To begin her session, Davis shared a list of industry benchmarks that can indicate a program’s health or its need for additional focus in particular areas. To compare their own metrics against these benchmarks, TMG clients in the audience were encouraged to source TMG’s SmartLook. The web-based data analytics tool provides TMG’s credit- and debit-issuing clients with a visual representation of their portfolios’ performance over time.
Davis suggested cards team managers configure their data strategies to consistently gather and monitor data. As a starting point, Davis said, cards teams should be monitoring the following closely at least on a quarterly basis:
In addition to sharing industry benchmarks for healthy credit card programs, Davis detailed options available to those issuers that have partnered with TMG for payments processing. Namely, she outlined how financial institution staff can take advantage of TMG’s SmartGrowth team of professionals. These individuals help credit unions and community banks analyze, understand and grow their credit card programs. Goals range from creating operational efficiencies and managing risk to developing new credit card products and executing targeted promotions with robust, data-driven campaigns.
“SmartGrowth offers everything from operational reviews and strategic consulting to campaign management,” said Davis. “Our portfolio solutions target your specific areas of concern for a customized action plan to achieve your goals and build a best-in-class card program.”
Davis included in her presentation a series of success stories, including:
The reboot of a dormant credit card program: The financial institution was considering a sale of its credit card program, but engaged the SmartGrowth team instead. The team identified several areas for potential improvement, including a new product offering, reduced staff workload and staff training. As a result, the issuer saw a 650-percent increase in new account openings (year-over-year).
Excellent start for a new credit card program: The financial institution set a goal of working with the SmartGrowth team to grow its new portfolio to $9 million and achieve customer penetration of 5 percent. In fact, they achieved $13 million and achieved 6 percent penetration. Davis attributed the success to improvements in compliance strategy, underwriting criteria and targeted marketing efforts — each executed under the guidance of the SmartGrowth team.
About TMG
TMG is dedicated to creating customized, technology-driven card processing and payment solutions for credit unions and community-based financial institutions across North America. Innovations in fraud management, loyalty programs, alternative payment systems and analytic reporting, and the competitive advantages they create, have helped TMG forge a new standard in offering cutting-edge credit, debit, ATM, prepaid card products and a P2P payment solution. For more information, visit www.tmg.global.
