Movenbank's Brett King Explains 'Credibility Scores'

As we transact, we give life to the inner "rock star" or "accountant" in us, says Brett King, chief executive of mobile finance start-up Movenbank.

A core feature of the company will be CRED, a "credibility score" that combines traditional credit data and social media information. Movenbank, which has attracted much industry chatter ahead of its launch, will track consumer transactions in real time and give feedback based on a customer's spending personality, King explained in an interview Thursday.

CRED is still not available to the public, but Movenbank's chief executive says that more than 5,000 "alpha" customers have "gotten their first taste" of how the program will work, including insights into their own spending.

"The first thing we did was a financial personality quiz. We got a flavor of how these customers behave in connection with their money," King says. "By us understanding how individual customers make those decisions differently, we can communicate with them differently."

There are a variety of spending personalities, including, for example, both accountants and rock stars, he says.

"The accountant personality, they like to have a lot more control" around their spending. That might include keeping much closer tabs on where their money is going or even setting up a so-called personal "savings tax" where the consumer automatically socks away a little bit in savings every time he makes a purchase, King says.

But "the rock star, he's really not like that," King adds, describing a more free-wheeling spender. But, King notes that "if you tell him how he's spending money, he gets an awareness of that" and can potentially adopt new habits.

By gathering information on consumer transactions and their financial history, King says, CRED will help customers avoid the hassle of filling out endless applications for new Movenbank products. It will also help the company tailor product pitches to potential customers.

Movenbank launched a consumer information website today about CRED. There, potential customers can learn more about how the program will work, King says. Ultimately, customers who tell their friends about the product on social media will earn extra points for their score.

The company also announced late Aug. 9 that it had completed its initial round of funding with $2.41 million from a variety of backers.

King says he expects to have the mobile banking platform up and running for the public by early next year.