Reaching the Underserved: Strategies to Scale Financial Inclusion

Credit One Bank is redefining financial inclusion by intentionally serving the millions of Americans with credit scores below 670—those traditional banks often reject. Michael Coleman, the bank's CMO, reveals that 56% of financial institutions have tightened credit access precisely when people need it most, creating a crisis of opportunity. Rather than treating these consumers as high-risk liabilities, Credit One builds trust through pre-approved offers, transparent fee structures, and a powerful blend of credit education and emotional empathy. Their innovative campaigns like 'Credit Wreckers' and 'You're the Credit One for Me' use humor and pop culture to destigmatize poor credit and teach financial literacy in digestible, social-media-friendly formats. The result? A 20-million-account institution where card members don’t just get a line of credit—they gain financial momentum, homeownership, and even new cars, proving that serving the underserved isn’t just ethical—it’s a scalable, profitable business model. Coleman argues the real barrier isn’t risk, but mindset: institutions must shift from avoiding risk to managing it, and from viewing credit as a transaction to seeing it as a partnership in people’s lives.