The Fair Isaac Corporation, the parent of the widely used FICO credit score, is emphasizing the ways some of its analytical tools can help credit unions and other card issuers better target their card offers.

Possible applications include helping a credit union predict how a member might perform on other loans if their credit card account becomes delinquent and how a credit union might better cross-sell other loan products to members who already carry its credit card.

"I think there may be a perception that we only work with larger clients," said Lynda Woodward, principal scientist for the consumer behavior firm. "But almost all of our tools are completely scalable and we can help any size institution meet its goals."

FICO tools can play an instrumental role in helping CUs avoid interest rate pitfalls in card issuance by helping them better predict a card member's behavior once he or she has a card.

Prior to the CARD Act, card issuers could afford to be more general in their card offers, steering members to cards based on more of their general credit scores, Woodward maintained. Now, credit unions and other card issuers can use FICO tools to more accurately price their card offers from the beginning, potentially saving a great deal of money.

"Now with the regulations preventing a card issuer from raising a cardholder's rates for at least six months, it's more important than ever for a card issuer to deploy the right interest rate for a car offer," Woodward said.