Fair, Isaac's LiquidCredit Goes Live in Japan; Fair, Isaac and Fujitsu FIP Power Japan's First Web-Based Credit Decisioning Service.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2001

A strategic partnership formed last July between Fair, Isaac and Company, Inc. (NYSE:FIC) and Fujitsu FIP Corporation is about to pay off for Japan's 800+ consumer lending organizations as the first Web-enabled credit decisioning solution is brought to market by the two companies.

The new service integrates LiquidCredit(TM), Fair, Isaac's Web-based credit decisioning solution, into Japan's largest network service, which is provided by Fujitsu FIP. The service is now in full-scale use at one of Japan's largest financial institutions for consumer loan application risk management.

LiquidCredit was launched last year in the U.S. by Fair, Isaac to extend the power of its "gold standard" analytics to the Web. The service has been widely adopted by lenders who seek instant, cost-effective and highly reliable decisioning for a range of consumer credit products. Fair, Isaac's strategic partnership with Fujitsu FIP in Japan represents the first international introduction of LiquidCredit.

"Our success in the U.S. with LiquidCredit is now creating demand from other dynamic consumer credit markets throughout the world," said Tom Grudnowski, CEO of Fair, Isaac. "Japan is one of the world's most active consumer credit markets -- second only to the U.S. in card issuing. We expect this new Web-enabled service to provide significant value to Japanese lenders who seek more precise, real-time decisioning support. Fujitsu's partnership in this venture has provided immeasurable help to us in taking this service from idea to deployment in less than five months," Grudnowski said.

The Fair, Isaac/Fujitsu FIP partnership combines the world's leading pioneer in decision technology and credit scoring with Japan's largest network service provider. The partnership's resulting Web service was created to give Japan's banks and other financial institutions a more profitable means to extend credit into consumer markets. The service offers Japan's 800+ consumer credit grantors instant, cost-effective credit decision support for a variety of consumer credit and loan products.

Fair, Isaac Decision System(TM) provides the software and scoring models to deliver the decisioning within the Web-based solution. The components, which are marketed under Fair, Isaac's LiquidCredit brand, are integrated into Fujitsu FIP's netsourced offering, allowing clients to access the service via the Internet to gain instant support in making decisions for credit card, retail card or installment loan portfolios.

"We are not at all surprised that many of Japan's major lenders have expressed interest in our new service," said Takao Ikeda, president of Fujitsu FIP. "The need to determine credit decisions instantly, both on the Web and in traditional channels, makes the service we are offering with Fair, Isaac that much more important to lenders," Ikeda explained. He added that the two companies intend to enhance the service even further to provide other broad risk management solutions to new and existing clients.

Grudnowski said he believes the new service will enable Japanese lenders to process more than one million credit applications in Japan over the next three years. "While many of Japan's regional financial institutions want to expand their consumer lending business, they have not, until now, had access to a Web-based solution that would enable them to effectively and efficiently process consumer credit applications. LiquidCredit will enable them to do just that."

The new service will enable smart credit decisions within seconds and allow lenders to avoid costly up-front implementation and maintenance, since it is provided via the Internet. As part of its agreement with Fujitsu FIP, Fair, Isaac is providing four product and service components to Japanese financial institutions, including analytic consulting, underwriting strategy and operations consulting, scoring services and an automated decision-support software system.

About Fujitsu FIP

Fujitsu FIP Corporation, founded in 1977, ranks among Japan's largest system integrators and total solutions providers based on their value-added network, the largest in Japan. Their main areas of services are processing, outsourcing, Internet, system development, system integration and equipment services. FIP serves the banking, insurance, education, telecommunications, healthcare and government sectors. With 30 years as a system developer and processor for the credit industry, FIP-built credit systems, banking systems, securities systems and insurance systems form much of Japan's information technology infrastructure.

About Fair, Isaac

Fair, Isaac is a global provider of customer analytics and decision technology. Widely recognized for its pioneering work in credit scoring, Fair, Isaac revolutionized the way lending decisions are made. Today the company helps clients in multiple industries increase the value of customer relationships. Fair, Isaac has made the Forbes list of the top 200 U.S. small companies eight times in the last nine years. Headquartered in San Rafael, Calif., Fair, Isaac has 21 offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.fairisaac.com, email [e-mail] or call 800/999-2955.

Note to Editors: Fair, Isaac, LiquidCredit and Fair, Isaac Decision System are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair, Isaac and Company, Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. Other product and company names herein may be the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.