before the present methods and systems are disclosed and described , it is to be understood that the methods and systems are not limited to specific synthetic methods , specific components , or to particular compositions , as such may , of course , vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting . as used in the specification and the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . ranges may be expressed herein as from “ about ” one particular value , and / or to “ about ” another particular value . when such a range is expressed , another embodiment includes from the one particular value and / or to the other particular value . similarly , when values are expressed as approximations , by use of the antecedent “ about ,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment . it will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint , and independently of the other endpoint . “ optional ” or “ optionally ” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur , and that the description includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not . “ sourced ” means data retrieved from a specific entity . the present methods and systems may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and the examples included therein and to the figures and their previous and following description . provided herein are methods for generating true multi - cra model , which requires neither alignment nor translation to be applicable on all cras . an example of the methods is illustrated in fig1 . at block 101 , multiple source lists can be received . each cra can create an x - record source list of consumers with unique sequence number and identification information . the consumers can be randomly selected or from a pre - determined list . a source list refers to the universe of consumers to be used for model development . for example , when developing a custom risk model for a credit data customer , the source list can be a sample of consumers from the customer &# 39 ; s portfolio . for a generic risk model developed at a given cra ( mono - cra ), which is intended for use across applications ( including account management , acquisition , collections , etc .) and across customers in different industries ( e . g ., sub - prime credit card lenders to prime mortgage lenders ), the source list can be broad - based . as such , the source list can be a random sample of consumers with credit history . for a multi - cra risk model , as in the present methods , the process involves repeating the mono - cra generic risk model data retrieval at all participating cras . at block 102 , the source lists from the various cras can be merged . if , for example , three cras are involved in the methods the resulting source list would be 3 × records . merging of source lists as described herein may or may not be performed literally depending on list sizes and processing capacity , but each cra , at block 103 , will process all records received independently at block 101 regardless of originating cra . at block 103 , anonymized raw credit data corresponding to the merged source list is retrieved . this can involve generating credit data corresponding to the merged source list by each cra . credit data is retrieved corresponding to a first date , referred to as an observation date and credit data is retrieved corresponding to a second date , referred to as a performance date . the observation date occurs earlier in time than the performance date . this data retrieval results in observation data and performance data . fig2 , described below , provides more detail on steps involved in block 103 . at block 104 , the retrieved credit data is added to the merged source list . for example , the observation data and the performance data retrieved by each cra can be added to the merged source list . the time span between the observation date and performance date can vary . the time span can be , for example , 6 months , 12 months , 24 months , 36 months , and the like . the data representing the observation date is used as the predictive information for the development of the scoring model . the data representing the performance date is used as the performance information , or outcome . the model development process uses the observation data to predict the performance data , resulting in a scoring algorithm that assigns the relative likelihood of a consumer , based on the contents of their credit data , to achieve the defined performance under consideration . as an example , the model development process may show that consumers with aggregate bankcard balances of $ 5000 or greater ( as taken from the observation data ) are likely to become 90 days or more past due on one of their accounts on their credit file ( as shown in the performance data ). fig2 illustrates exemplary steps in a method for appending credit data . appending utilizes a pre - determined observation date and a pre - determined performance date . at block 201 , a cra can retrieve current credit data for each record of the source list in order to match the consumer ( record ). name and address can be sufficient , but ssn can ensure a more accurate match ; however , any search method can be used . matching is done to the consumer &# 39 ; s “ current ” credit file at the searching cra because the source list was generated from the “ current ” database of credit data at the other cras . furthermore , if using addresses , addresses from closer points in time can yield better match results . the “ current ” database can correspond to data as of the performance date and the “ archived ” database can correspond to data as of the observation date . once the consumer &# 39 ; s “ current ” credit file has been obtained , the consumers “ archived ” data records can be retrieved at block 202 . the “ current ” record can then be matched back to the consumer &# 39 ; s “ archived ” credit file at block 203 at the agreed upon observation date and performance date . this matching can be performed , for example , by using a proprietary cra file id key rather than name , address and ssn since a file id key is stable over time and can produce more accurate and comprehensive matching . “ archive ” matching may be done equally effectively sequentially forwards ( observation first , then performance ) or backwards ( performance first , then observation ), or to each archive independently . the use of data from these two points in time can allow a cra to determine if prior credit classification of a consumer was accurate . the resultant data is combined into a data set having observation and performance data appended at block 204 . each cra can perform this appending step independently , resulting in a source list with observation data and performance data generated by each cra being appended to a final source list . in the example of three cras , at the end of the process , a total of 9 xrecords can be made available : at block 105 , the performance data and observation data can be normalized . because data is available for the same consumers across multiple cras at the same time , it is possible to go through an empirical leveling of performance and attributes , as opposed to purely judgmental leveling done when common data is not available . leveling , or normalization , is a process that yields consistent and equitable performance and attribute definitions across multiple sources of information . simply put , this leveling ensures that when the same data is present for multiple sources ( here , two or more cras ) it is interpreted in the same manner keeping in mind that differences in the data itself may still be present . for details on leveling credit data , credit data attributes , and attribute definitions , see u . s . provisional patent application no . 60 / 781 , 450 , filed mar . 10 , 2006 , and u . s . utility patent application ser . no . 11 / 685 , 070 , filed mar . 12 , 2007 , titled “ methods and systems for characteristic leveling ” by conlin et al ., both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties . at block 106 , modeling samples , or populations , can be generated . one or more modeling samples can be generated based on the data created . these modeling samples , include but are not limited to , development , validation holdout (“ stacked ” or “ parallel ”), and validation (“ stacked ” or “ parallel ”). a “ stacked ” sample , can be a sample wherein the observation data and performance data aggregated at block 104 are utilized from each cra &# 39 ; s source list and then set together ( or stacked ). in this example , each source list represents one - third of the sample and observation data and performance data come from the same cra . this type of sample affords the ability to create a single , composite scoring algorithm because there is an equal representation of credit data by each cra . a “ parallel ” sample , can be a sample wherein the performance data aggregated at block 105 for each cra &# 39 ; s source list is crossed with the observation data in at block 104 for the corresponding consumers from each cra . so the same performance data for all source lists is “ paralleled ” in the sample three times , once with each cra &# 39 ; s version of the aggregated attributes . this type of sample affords the ability to test stability of score performance across cras for the same source list . in the example of three cras , samples can include : 2 . “ stacked ” validation ( holdout ) sample from the 3 × records ( not in the development sample ) comprising : cra a sourced performance data and cra a , b , c observation data cra b sourced performance data and cra a , b , c observation data cra c sourced performance data and cra a , b , c observation data fig3 illustrates another embodiment of the methods provided . the method for modeling data can comprise retrieving a source list from each of a plurality of credit reporting agencies at block 301 , each said source list comprising a list of selected consumers , merging each of the source lists into a merged source list at block 302 , retrieving credit data from each of the plurality of credit reporting agencies for each consumer in the merged source list at block 303 , adding the retrieved credit data to the merged source list at block 304 , normalizing the retrieved credit data across the plurality of credit reporting agencies at block 305 , and generating a modeling sample based on the normalized credit data at block 306 . retrieving credit data can comprise retrieving credit data for at least one pre - determined date from each of the plurality of credit reporting agencies . the at least one pre - determined date can comprise a first date and a second date , wherein the first date occurs earlier in time than the second date , resulting in first credit data associated with the first date and second credit data associated with the second date . adding the retrieved credit data can comprise associating the first credit data and the second credit data with the merged source list . normalizing the credit data can comprise ( a ) determining at least one characteristic of the credit data , each characteristic having a corresponding characteristic definition assigned by each of at least two of the plurality of credit reporting agencies , ( b ) reviewing the at least one characteristic and its corresponding characteristic definitions , wherein the reviewing step is performed by at least two of the credit reporting agencies , ( c ) auditing the at least one characteristic and its corresponding characteristic definitions , wherein the auditing step comprises determining similarities and differences between the characteristic definitions of the at least two respective credit reporting agencies , ( d ) modifying at least one characteristic definition of the at least one characteristic , wherein the modifying step is performed by at least one of the credit reporting agencies , and ( e ) repeating the steps of ( a ), ( b ), ( c ) and ( d ) until the characteristic definition from each of the respective credit reporting agencies provides substantially consistent results . the methods can further comprise filtering the normalized credit data according to a desired sample . the desired sample can be at least one of a stacked development sample , a stacked validation sample , or a parallel validation sample . fig4 illustrates exemplary samples that can be generated as a result of the methods . at block 401 , the normalized observation data and performance data are received . the data can be filtered at block 402 according to the desired sample type . block 403 represents a stacked development sample , block 404 represents a stacked validation sample , and block 405 represents a parallel validation sample . fig5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary operating environment for performing the disclosed methods . this exemplary operating environment is only an example of an operating environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of operating environment architecture . neither should the operating environment be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment . the methods can be operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations . examples of well known computing systems , environments , and / or configurations that may be suitable for use with the systems and methods include , but are not limited to , personal computers , server computers , laptop devices , and multiprocessor systems . additional examples include set top boxes , programmable consumer electronics , network pcs , minicomputers , mainframe computers , distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices , and the like . the processing of the disclosed methods can be performed by software components . the disclosed methods may be described in the general context of computer - executable instructions , such as program modules , being executed by one or more computers or other devices . generally , program modules include computer code , routines , programs , objects , components , data structures , etc . that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . the disclosed methods may also be practiced in grid - based and distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network . in a distributed computing environment , program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices . the methods may be practiced utilizing firmware configured to perform the methods disclosed herein in conjunction with system hardware . the methods and systems provided can employ artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning and iterative learning . examples of such techniques include , but are not limited to , expert systems , case based reasoning , bayesian networks , behavior based ai , neural networks , fuzzy systems , evolutionary computation ( e . g . genetic algorithms ), swarm intelligence ( e . g . ant algorithms ), and hybrid intelligent systems ( e . g . expert inference rules generated through a neural network or production rules from statistical learning ). the methods disclosed herein can be implemented via a general - purpose computing device in the form of a computer 501 . the components of the computer 501 can include , but are not limited to , one or more processors or processing units 503 , a system memory 512 , and a system bus 513 that couples various system components including the processor 503 to the system memory 512 . the system bus 513 represents one or more of several possible types of bus structures , including a memory bus or memory controller , a peripheral bus , an accelerated graphics port , and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures . by way of example , such architectures can include an industry standard architecture ( isa ) bus , a micro channel architecture ( mca ) bus , an enhanced isa ( eisa ) bus , a video electronics standards association ( vesa ) local bus , and a peripheral component interconnects ( pci ) bus also known as a mezzanine bus . this bus , and all buses specified in this description can also be implemented over a wired or wireless network connection . the bus 513 , and all buses specified in this description can also be implemented over a wired or wireless network connection and each of the subsystems , including the processor 503 , a mass storage device 504 , an operating system 505 , modeling software 506 , credit related data 507 , a network adapter 508 , system memory 512 , an input / output interface 510 , a display adapter 509 , a display device 511 , and a human machine interface 502 , can be contained within one or more remote computing devices 514 a , b , c at physically separate locations , connected through buses of this form , in effect implementing a fully distributed system . the computer 501 typically includes a variety of computer readable media . such media can be any available media that is accessible by the computer 501 and includes both volatile and non - volatile media , removable and non - removable media . the system memory 512 includes computer readable media in the form of volatile memory , such as random access memory ( ram ), and / or non - volatile memory , such as read only memory ( rom ). the system memory 512 typically contains data such as credit related data 507 and / or program modules such as operating system 505 and modeling software 506 that are immediately accessible to and / or are presently operated on by the processing unit 503 . the computer 501 may also include other removable / non - removable , volatile / non - volatile computer storage media . by way of example , fig5 illustrates a mass storage device 504 which can provide non - volatile storage of computer code , computer readable instructions , data structures , program modules , and other data for the computer 501 . for example , a mass storage device 504 can be a hard disk , a removable magnetic disk , a removable optical disk , magnetic cassettes or other magnetic storage devices , flash memory cards , cd - rom , digital versatile disks ( dvd ) or other optical storage , random access memories ( ram ), read only memories ( rom ), electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ), and the like . any number of program modules can be stored on the mass storage device 504 , including by way of example , an operating system 505 and modeling software 506 . each of the operating system 505 and modeling software 506 ( or some combination thereof ) may include elements of the programming and the modeling software 506 . credit related data 507 can also be stored on the mass storage device 504 . credit related data 507 can be stored in any of one or more databases known in the art . examples of such databases include , db2 ®, microsoft ® access , microsoft ® sql server , oracle ®, mysql , postgresql , and the like . the databases can be centralized or distributed across multiple systems . a user can enter commands and information into the computer 501 via an input device ( not shown ). examples of such input devices include , but are not limited to , a keyboard , pointing device ( e . g ., a “ mouse ”), a microphone , a joystick , a serial port , a scanner , and the like . these and other input devices can be connected to the processing unit 503 via a human machine interface 502 that is coupled to the system bus 513 , but may be connected by other interface and bus structures , such as a parallel port , game port , or a universal serial bus ( usb ). a display device 511 can also be connected to the system bus 513 via an interface , such as a display adapter 509 . a computer 501 can have more than one display adapter 509 and a computer 501 can have more than one display device 511 . for example , a display device can be a monitor , an lcd ( liquid crystal display ), or a projector . in addition to the display device 511 , other output peripheral devices can include components such as speakers ( not shown ) and a printer ( not shown ) which can be connected to the computer 501 via input / output interface 510 . the computer 501 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computing devices 514 a , b , c . by way of example , a remote computing device can be a personal computer , portable computer , a server , a router , a network computer , a peer device or other common network node , and so on . logical connections between the computer 501 and a remote computing device 514 a , b , c can be made via a local area network ( lan ) and a general wide area network ( wan ). such network connections can be through a network adapter 508 . a network adapter 508 can be implemented in both wired and wireless environments . such networking environments are commonplace in offices , enterprise - wide computer networks , intranets , and the internet 515 . for purposes of illustration , application programs and other executable program components such as the operating system 505 are illustrated herein as discrete blocks , although it is recognized that such programs and components reside at various times in different storage components of the computing device 501 , and are executed by the data processor ( s ) of the computer . an implementation of modeling software 506 may be stored on or transmitted across some form of computer readable media . computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer . by way of example , and not limitation , computer readable media may comprise “ computer storage media ” and “ communications media .” “ computer storage media ” include volatile and non - volatile , removable and non - removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions , data structures , program modules , or other data . computer storage media includes , but is not limited to , ram , rom , eeprom , flash memory or other memory technology , cd - rom , digital versatile disks ( dvd ) or other optical storage , magnetic cassettes , magnetic tape , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a computer . while the methods and systems provided have been described in connection with preferred embodiments and specific examples , it is not intended that the scope be limited to the particular embodiments set forth , as the embodiments herein are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive . unless otherwise expressly stated , it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order . accordingly , where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order , it is no way intended that an order be inferred , in any respect . this holds for any possible non - express basis for interpretation , including : matters of logic with respect to arrangement of steps or operational flow ; plain meaning derived from grammatical organization or punctuation ; the number or type of embodiments described in the specification . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present methods and systems without departing from the scope or spirit . other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice disclosed herein . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only , with a true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims .