Specialty financing and associated portfolios certainly are far from elementary, which is why the topics are now going to be examined within the world of higher academics.

FLOCK Specialty Finance has partnered with Kennesaw State University to create a new research lab that will analyze and interpret traditional and alternative consumer borrowing data to improve customer experience in consumer credit financing and enhance risk modeling in the buying and selling of debt portfolios.

The FLOCK Specialty Finance Lab is part of The Graduate College at Kennesaw State University led by associate dean Jennifer Priestley, who also serves as director of the Analytics and Data Science Institute. The Institute supports advanced study and research in the area of data science and analytics and provides training and graduate study grounded in a rigorous curriculum that is further enriched by opportunities for students to work on data-centric research challenges facing major private sector organizations. 

“Applied research addressing real business issues is the hallmark of the 21st century Ph.D. program,” Priestley said. “The rapid growth of the specialty finance industry provides our faculty, staff and students with exactly the kind of challenge in which fact-based, data-driven research can make an enormous difference.

FLOCK Specialty Finance’s alliance with our Institute is a smart way to advance the evolution of its marketplace,” she continued.

FLOCK Specialty Finance is involved in middle market financing for charged off consumer debt, select subprime performing market sectors and other complementary receivables segments.  The firm’s dedication to delivering value-added information tools and analytics to its clients along with flexible, nimble funding is the driver of this new partnership with Kennesaw State University.

“We selected the Analytics and Data Science Institute as our partner in this effort because of its focus on applied analytical research and access to Ph.D. students in Data Science,” said Michael Flock, founder and chief executive officer of FLOCK Specialty Finance. “The partnership will help us better evaluate the debt portfolio financing and will help our partners improve performance in their existing portfolios. 

"Equally important, Dr. Priestley and her team of Ph.D. students help our industry better understand the impacts of public economic data, seasonality and other macro trends on our debt portfolios and on consumers’ ability to repay outstanding debt,” Flock added.

This first year of the alliance is expected to generate a unique scoring approach to improve customer experience in auto financing.  Early results from this initial project focused on subprime auto financing may be available by fall.