TOWSON, Md., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- CreditXpert Inc. today introduced new capabilities for lenders to help applicants qualify for better rates and terms. Loan officers can now use CreditXpert Credit Wizard(TM) to enter a target credit score improvement and automatically identify, if possible, the most cost-effective steps to achieve it.

"As mortgage rates climb, lenders are looking for better ways to do business. The Target Score feature will help lenders approve some applicants who would normally be declined and qualify other applicants for better rates," explains David G. Chung, interim president and vice president of business development, CreditXpert Inc. "This is not score manipulation. It's about helping lenders close more loans and helping consumers better qualify so that they save money over the life of those loans."

CreditXpert Inc. estimates that an applicant could save, for example, approximately $11,650 on a 30-year, fixed, jumbo mortgage of $400,000 by qualifying for a lower rate. This is based on a typical profile, containing a mortgage, two automobile loans, and over $9,000 of credit card debt. CreditXpert Credit Wizard(TM) determined that the applicant could obtain the nine-point credit score improvement needed to qualify for the next lower rate by spending a total of $1,185 on paying down balances on a retail card and a bank card - the minimum outlay to achieve this point gain. While such applicants have good credit, they may still fall short of qualifying for the best rates and terms available.

"Today's announcement adds a new dimension to lending," Mr. Chung says. "CreditXpert Credit Wizard(TM) remains the only tool of its kind that automatically identifies the best actions to maximize someone's credit. Now, lenders can utilize the software to achieve specific results, approve more applications, and close more loans."

About CreditXpert Inc.

CreditXpert Inc. provides highly personalized credit management tools to help lenders more effectively originate loans and manage customer relationships, and to help consumers understand, manage, and improve their credit and the credit decision process. Based on an advanced hybrid of artificial intelligence, statistical techniques and analytical methods, CreditXpert(R) provides the most accurate predictions and the greatest explanatory power available today.

CreditXpert products and services are offered through credit reporting agencies, consumer finance information providers, credit counseling agencies, mortgage brokers, and lenders. By offering these valuable personal finance tools, CreditXpert helps clients increase revenues, build stronger customer relationships, and retain more customers. CreditXpert Inc. has championed credit disclosure and analysis - and its benefits to both consumers and lenders - since it pioneered the first credit analysis service in September 2000.

For more information, visit http://www.creditxpert.com or call 800/500-8553.