RISK-RELATED SCORING USING ONLINE SOCIAL FOOTPRINT

1 . A method comprising:

a computer system registering a user, wherein the registering includes creating a user profile for the user, the user profile including data corresponding to accessing a social networking account for the user at a social networking system;

the computer system extracting online social footprint data corresponding to the user from the social networking system using the social networking account, wherein the extracting includes obtaining data corresponding to a set of trusted connections identified by the user and obtaining data from the social networking system associated with the user; and

the computer system applying a predictive model to the user profile and the extracted online social footprint data to generate a risk-related score for the user, wherein the risk-related score corresponds to an evaluated risk associated with conducting a transaction with the user.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

the computer system providing the risk-related score and a set of actions for the user to increase the risk-related score for presentation to the user;

the computer system receiving updated data for the user in response to the user performing at least one of the set of actions; and

the computer system updating the risk-related score for the user by re-applying the predictive model using the updated data for the user.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the computer system providing the risk-related score for use by a third party in conducting the transaction with the user.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transaction comprises a loan between the user and a third party lending agent.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the computer system applying the predictive model to the user profile and the extracted online social footprint data to identify one of a plurality of treatment types for the user.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising the computer system initiating a treatment action of the treatment type in response to the user failing to meet a term or condition of the transaction.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying the predictive model includes evaluating a risk quality of at least one member of the social networking system associated with the user.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

the computer system determining that the user does not qualify for the transaction based on the risk-related score; and

the computer system providing a set of alternate transactions for presentation to the user based on the risk-related score.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying the predictive model includes lowering the risk-related score in response to detecting an inconsistency between the user profile and the online social footprint data.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the computer system generating a dashboard interface for presentation to the user, wherein the dashboard interface concurrently includes a first portion including the current risk-related score for the user, a second portion including data corresponding to the set of trusted connections, and a third portion including data corresponding to the online social footprint data.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the dashboard interface further includes a fourth portion for enabling the user to communicate with at least one other user using the online social footprint data and a user profile for the at least one other user.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying the predictive model includes identifying social reputation data for the user from the extracted online social footprint data, wherein the risk-related score for the user is adjusted based on the social reputation data.

13 . A system comprising:

a computer system including at least one computing device, wherein the computer system is configured to evaluate a user by performing a method comprising:

registering a user, wherein the registering includes creating a user profile for the user, the user profile including data corresponding to accessing a social networking account for the user at a social networking system;

extracting online social footprint data corresponding to the user from the social networking system using the social networking account, wherein the extracting includes obtaining data corresponding to a set of trusted connections identified by the user and obtaining data from the social networking system associated with the user; and

applying a predictive model to the user profile and the extracted online social footprint data to generate a risk-related score for the user, wherein the risk-related score corresponds to an evaluated risk associated with conducting a transaction with the user.

14 . The system of claim 13 , the method further comprising:

providing the risk-related score and a set of actions for the user to increase the risk-related score for presentation to the user;

receiving updated data for the user in response to the user performing at least one of the set of actions; and

updating the risk-related score for the user by re-applying the predictive model using the updated data for the user.

15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the transaction comprises a loan between the user and a third party lending agent.

16 . The system of claim 13 , the method further comprising the computer system generating a dashboard interface for presentation to the user, wherein the dashboard interface concurrently includes a first portion including the current risk-related score for the user, a second portion including data corresponding to the set of trusted connections, and a third portion including data corresponding to the online social footprint data.

17 . A computer system comprising:

a processing component including at least one processor;

a storage component operatively connected to the processing component, the storage component including at least one storage device; and

a program including at least one executable program module stored in the at least one storage device, wherein the program, when executed by the processing component, causes the computer system to perform a method comprising:

registering a user, wherein the registering includes creating a user profile for the user, the user profile including data corresponding to accessing a social networking account for the user at a social networking system;

extracting online social footprint data corresponding to the user from the social networking system using the social networking account, wherein the extracting includes obtaining data corresponding to a set of trusted connections identified by the user and obtaining data from the social networking system associated with the user;

applying a predictive model to the user profile and the extracted online social footprint data to generate a risk-related score for the user, wherein the risk-related score corresponds to an evaluated risk associated with conducting a transaction with the user; and

applying the predictive model to the user profile and the extracted online social footprint data to identify one of a plurality of treatment types for the user.

18 . The computer system of claim 17 , the method further comprising initiating a treatment action of the treatment type in response to the user failing to meet a term or condition of the transaction.

19 . The computer system of claim 17 , wherein the applying the predictive model includes lowering the risk-related score in response to detecting an inconsistency between the user profile and the online social footprint data.

20 . The computer system of claim 17 , wherein the applying the predictive model includes identifying social reputation data for the user from the extracted online social footprint data, wherein the risk-related score for the user is adjusted based on the social reputation data.