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Research and Applications

PERC is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding Information Solutions for Development Challenges worldwide. Going beyond the standard think tank model of solely carrying out research and producing reports, our staff develops real-world applications and works with policy makers at all levels to bring about the change we seek.

Find out more: About PERC

Serving the Missing Middle

PERC's mission is to serve the Missing Middle, the almost four billion people above the global poverty line who do not have access to affordable mainstream credit, by utilizing a new type of economic development: information-led development.

Find out more: Information-Led Development, Who are the missing middle?

Overcoming the Catch-22

Up to 70 million Americans are excluded from the financial mainstream because of the Credit Catch-22: you need to have a history of debt to get credit. PERC's Alternative Data Initiative has already helped many Americans overcome this Catch-22 and access affordable mainstream credit.

Find out more: Alternative Data Initiative

Smart Disaster Recovery

PERC has developed metrics for the Louisiana Recovery Agency and the World Bank to track small business recovery from natural disasters.

Find out more: Gulf Coast Economic Renewal

Helping Our Community

PERC is volunteering with the Durham Affordable Housing Coalition (DAHC) and area volunteers to develop applications and solutions to help the DAHC and other nonprofits better serve their missions, such as stemming the stream of foreclosures in the Durham, North Carolina.

Find out more: PERC Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Center

Donate to PERC

You can help support PERC's mission of global asset building by donating via Paypal. PERC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization incorporated in the state of North Carolina. All donations are tax deductible.


Latest Publications

NCLC Supports the “3 Ps” of Lending: Pawn Shops, Predatory Lenders and Pay Day Lenders

NCLC Supports the “3 Ps” of Lending: Pawn Shops, Predatory Lenders and Pay Day Lenders
November 2009

Credit Access

Optimal Consumer Credit Bureau Market Structure in Singapore

Optimal Consumer Credit Bureau Market Structure in Singapore
May 2009

This paper examines the relationship between market structures and regulatory framework of the credit information sharing, and the performance of the financial sector.

Credit Reporting Customer Payment Data

Credit Reporting Customer Payment Data
April 2009
Credit Reporting Customer Payment Data

This study examines the impact and benefits that accrue to consumers, lenders, and utilities and telecommunications firms when telecoms and utilities report customer payment information to credit bureaus.

Upcoming Events

Mar 10, 2010 - Las Vegas, Nevada

Dr. Michael Turner will present at the National Association of Credit Management's Credit Congress 2010. Dr. Turner's presentation will take place on Monday, May 17 as a part of the International Utility Group Conference . For more information, or to register please see NACM's conference website at http://creditcongress.nacm.org/.

Projects: ADI
Apr 14-16, 2010 - Miami, Florida

Dr. Michael Turner will serve on the keynote panel on April 16, 2010 at FICO World 2010 (formerly called InterACT). The panel, on Regulatory Revolution, will discuss the relationship between governments and financial services, caused (or exacerbated) by the economic crisis.

This panel is part of FICO's annual conference on decision management. For more information, visit their website at http://www.fico.com/en/Company/Events/FICO-World/Pages/default.aspx.

Projects: ADI
Oct 13-15, 2010 - Mombasa, Kenya (Africa)

As part of PERC's mission to expand financial opportunity to individuals and small businesses worldwide, Dr. Michael Turner will speak to financial service providers from all over Africa regarding the value of comprehensive credit reporting at Compuscan Conference 2010 in Mombasa, Kenya. For more information, visit Compuscan's website at www.compuscan.co.za.

Projects: ADI

Got something to add?

PERC is working to build the best online resource for alternative data and information-led development on the Web. If you feel we missed any important resource, please e-mail Jaki Bradley at bradley@perc.net.

PERC's areas of expertise include:

Information-led Development

PERC is a global leader in information-led development, the use of robust sets of information to enable economic development and asset building on a massive scale. See the project page for more information.


Alternative Data

Since 2003, PERC scholars have lectured policy makers on six continents -- from the World Bank to the United States Congress -- on the use of non-financial payment information, such as energy utility and rental payments, for credit scoring and asset building, also known as alternative data. For more information on this signature issue, please see the project page.


Financial Impacts of Disaster

PERC has pioneered the use of credit file and other data sets to track the economic effects of natural disasters and other exogenous shocks, as well as evaluating recovery efforts. Most recently, PERC examined economic recovery in the Gulf Coast after the 2005 hurriances.


Consumer Credit Access in the United States

Dataflows and Global Development

Projects in this category consider the interplay between technological and educational endowments, regulatory regimes, and economic development. Projects in this category have examined the relationship between a variety of factors—from cross-border data flows to credit reporting systems—and how these factors affect developing and developed world economic performance.

Data Security

Worldwide Sourcing

These activities are focused on the phenomenon of worldwide sourcing (better known as offshore outsourcing) and examining its economic impact domestically and abroad. PERC places particular emphasis on how cross-border data flows, data security practices, and legal frameworks for data protection may affect worldwide sourcing patterns.


Media Concentration and Convergence

Data Privacy

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Click here to view our ADI sign-on letter
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Please visit PERC's coalition for credit standards in the APEC region, the Asia-Pacific Credit Coalition.

Media comment or questions?


All inquiries should be directed to:

Jaki Bradley
Special Projects Manager
+1 919 338 2798 x 803
bradley@perc.net

Want to talk to us?

p: +1-919-338-2798
f: +1 (919) 640-8881

For more information, e-mail Jaki Bradley at bradley@perc.net.