The consumer's risk is reduced because it is distributed over many sites, and the sites get a proportional cut of the subscriptions.

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But they are a good indicator of a company's ability to assess consumer creditworthiness and risk.

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"There's not a huge risk for the consumer except to maybe have to cancel a credit card, " he said.

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Additionally, eBay pointed to Bill Me Later's credit risk analysis, which has outperformed the consumer credit industry average.

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Mr. HENDRICKS: Theoretically, if they come out with a better model that dissects you more as a consumer and gives them more precision in figuring out whether you're a good credit risk, that's what would be in it for them.

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MGM's willingness to risk software piracy is seen as an indication of its wish to pioneer direct-to consumer systems for Hollywood films.

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