Lebanese CreditBank S.A.L. Will Grow Credit Portfolios Using FICO Origination Solutions

FICO (NYSE:FICO), the leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, today announced that CreditBank S.A.L., one of the top lenders in Lebanon, is using FICO originations solutions to accelerate growth while controlling risk. Early results from the implementation include a 50% reduction in manual underwriting.

In early 2011, the bank purchased FICO^® Capstone^® Decision Accelerator software for originations, along with custom predictive analytics for its auto loans, personal loans and credit cards lines of business. CreditBank S.A.L. is also using FICO business consulting. The bank chose FICO after a thorough vendor evaluation process, and worked on the sale with FICO and Cadmus International, a FICO sales agent in the Middle East.

"We wanted to introduce reliable risk management tools, backed up by international expertise and solid consultancy and advisory services,” said Hanadi Saad, head of retail operations at CreditBank S.A.L. "We needed an intelligent and time-tested decision engine so we could capture all of our underwriting strategies and workflow architectures to create fast, accurate and cohesive decisions based on industry best practice. FICO brought us the best tools, analytics and consulting.”

The bank will use the FICO solutions to make more consistent decisions across its lending portfolio by replacing underwriter judgment with automated decisions based on the bank’s policies and risk appetite, enabling CreditBank S.A.L. to grow its portfolios with confidence. At the same time, FICO^® Capstone^® Decision Accelerator gives the bank’s business and risk managers greater ability to quickly make changes to decision logic using a browser-based GUI, and test its decision strategies for each product.

"The retail banking market in Lebanon is very competitive, with more than 50 commercial banks serving 4.2 million people,” said Elie Khoury, deputy general manager for retail operations at CreditBank S.A.L. "Part of our strategy to win in this market is to make the best possible credit offer to every applicant across our 17 retail branches, using FICO’s analytics and software. FICO is the pioneer in credit scoring, and their experience over the last 50 years made them the ideal partner for us.”

"We see tremendous growth opportunities for Middle Eastern banks to expand using credit scoring, lending software and best practices,” said Mike Gordon, FICO vice president and managing director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "CreditBank have distinguished themselves as a leader of the new breed of lenders in this region.”

"Banks in the region have embraced the analytics and technology upsurge, and I am thrilled that CreditBank can now take advantage of best-in-breed solutions to efficiently grow their business," said Daniel Dib, managing director of Cadmus International.

About FICO
FICO (NYSE:FICO), formerly known as Fair Isaac, delivers superior predictive analytics solutions that drive smarter decisions. The company’s groundbreaking use of mathematics to predict consumer behavior has transformed entire industries and revolutionized the way risk is managed and products are marketed. FICO’s innovative solutions include the industry-leading solutions for measuring credit risk, managing credit accounts, identifying and minimizing the impact of fraud, and customizing consumer offers with pinpoint accuracy. Most of the world’s top banks, as well as leading insurers, retailers, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies, rely on FICO solutions to accelerate growth, control risk, boost profits and meet regulatory and competitive demands. Learn more at www.fico.com. FICO: Make every decision count^™.

For FICO news and media resources, visit www.fico.com/news.

Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Information
Except for historical information contained herein, the statements contained in this news release that relate to FICO or its business are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the success of the Company’s Decision Management strategy and reengineering plan, the maintenance of its existing relationships and ability to create new relationships with customers and key alliance partners, its ability to continue to develop new and enhanced products and services, its ability to recruit and retain key technical and managerial personnel, competition, regulatory changes applicable to the use of consumer credit and other data, the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions, continuing material adverse developments in global economic conditions, and other risks described from time to time in FICO’s SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2010 and its last quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2011. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes, FICO’s results could differ materially from its expectations. FICO disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

FICO, Capstone and "Make every decision count” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and in other countries.