Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamara Allen.
Hi Tamara, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey with Truth Credit Rent Bureau began during one of the most difficult periods of my life. While I was incarcerated, my identity was stolen and used across multiple states, including Texas, Illinois, Florida, and Louisiana. At the same time, I was dealing with serious financial hardship because I could not properly manage my banking and credit obligations from prison.
I had a financed Range Rover Sport through Navy Federal Credit Union, but despite personally mailing letters from prison, I struggled to get responses or meaningful assistance. Family members were not allowed to make payments on my behalf, and it felt like I had become invisible to the banking system simply because of my incarceration status. Watching my financial life unravel while having little ability to protect myself opened my eyes to how many incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people are excluded from basic financial support and credit protections.
That experience became the foundation for my mission. I began studying financial systems, consumer reporting, and credit access, which inspired me to pursue chartering a credit union under the NCUA focused on empowering formerly incarcerated individuals and their families through Ex Fel Federal Credit Union. Although we are currently in Phase I of the chartering process, the vision is expected to be realized between 2027 and 2028.
From there, Truth Credit Rent Bureau was born. The goal is to help consumers and businesses build stronger financial futures by reporting rent payments, utility bills, and everyday obligations such as cell phone payments to the credit bureaus. I wanted to create systems that recognize real-life financial responsibility — especially for people who are often overlooked by traditional institutions.
Today, my work is driven by the belief that financial dignity, credit access, and economic opportunity should not disappear because someone has faced hardship, incarceration, or systemic barriers.
The launch and development of the Truth Credit Rent Bureau app was also shaped by another personal financial crisis involving my husband’s accounts with Navy Federal Credit Union. During a critical period, his accounts were frozen, creating immediate hardship and disrupting access to funds needed for everyday living expenses and financial obligations. Experiencing firsthand how quickly families can become financially vulnerable reinforced my belief that consumers need stronger financial tools, transparency, and systems that work for ordinary people during times of crisis. That experience further motivated the creation of Truth Credit Rent Bureau as a platform designed to help individuals build and protect their credit profiles through recognition of consistent real-world payments such as rent, utilities, and mobile phone bill payments.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road. Building Truth Credit Rent Bureau has come with significant personal, financial, and legal challenges. One of the biggest struggles has been battling against Navy Federal Credit Union, represented by Akerman LLP, in disputes tied to frozen accounts, financial hardship, and issues that deeply impacted my family’s stability. The process has been aggressive, emotionally exhausting, and extremely time-consuming.
At the same time, I have continued pushing forward while preparing for the release of my husband, Jeremy Allen. Balancing family responsibilities, legal challenges, and building a mission-driven financial platform has required resilience and determination. Despite the obstacles, those experiences strengthened my commitment to creating solutions that help consumers and business owners protect their financial identities, build credit, and gain access to opportunities that many people are unfairly denied.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Truth Credit Rent Bureau is a consumer and commercial-focused financial technology platform created to help individuals and businesses build stronger financial futures through alternative credit reporting. Our mission is centered on recognizing real-life financial responsibility by reporting rent payments, utility bills, mobile phone payments, and other recurring obligations that are often overlooked by traditional credit systems.
What sets us apart is that our company was built from lived experience. Truth Credit was not created from theory — it was created from firsthand understanding of what happens when consumers and businesses are locked out of financial systems during hardship, incarceration, identity theft, or financial instability. We understand how damaging it can be when responsible people are not given the opportunity to build or protect their credit profiles simply because traditional systems fail to recognize their everyday payment history and financial efforts.
We specialize in helping consumers and businesses strengthen their credit visibility while also providing businesses, landlords, and property managers with modernized reporting solutions that support both operational growth and customer financial empowerment. By bridging the gap between consumer responsibility and commercial reporting opportunities, we aim to create a more inclusive and transparent financial ecosystem.
Our long-term vision also includes the development of Ex Fel Federal Credit Union, currently in Phase I of the NCUA chartering process, with a projected realization timeline of 2027–2028. The goal is to create financial empowerment and access for underserved communities, including formerly incarcerated individuals and their families.
What I am most proud of is that Truth Credit Rent Bureau stands for financial dignity, second and third chances ; innovation, and economic empowerment. Our brand is rooted in resilience, transparency, and advocacy for consumers and businesses that are often overlooked by traditional financial institutions. We want readers to know that Truth Credit is more than a business — it is part of a larger mission to help people and companies build credibility, strengthen financial standing, and create pathways toward long-term stability and opportunity.
What does success mean to you?
I define success by staying focused on purpose, impact, and resilience. For me, success is not measured only by financial growth, but by the ability to create meaningful change in the lives of consumers, families, and businesses that have been overlooked or underserved by traditional banking and credit systems.
Success means turning difficult life experiences into solutions that empower others. It means building platforms like Truth Credit Rent Bureau that help people strengthen their financial standing, protect their identity, and gain access to opportunities that can improve their future.
I also define success by perseverance — continuing to move forward despite obstacles, legal battles, personal hardships, or setbacks. Every challenge I have faced has reinforced my commitment to creating something that can leave a lasting impact beyond myself.
Pricing:
- $5 To Join but we’re in the redevelopment stage
Contact Info:
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/nxaxXazktzY
