The U.S. population of underbanked consumers earn approximately $1.1 trillion in annual income, with underserved individuals accounting for nearly half of that total.

According to recent statistics released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., there are an estimated 28 million no-file and 44.7 million thin-file consumers in the United States, representing 19.4 percent of all households. These combined populations earn approximately $1.1 trillion in annual income, with underserved individuals accounting for nearly half of that total.

Experian and eBureau are deepening their reach into the growing population of unbanked and underbanked consumers with the launch of Emerging Credit Score.

"The unbanked and underbanked consumer population presents an expanding market opportunity for financial services institutions, particularly in today's economic environment," said Zaydoon H. Munir, senior vice president, Experian. The new system attempts to offer an "alternative credit score" for thin-file and no-file consumers by evaluating the purchase and payment histories of consumers with little or no credit history.