AUSTIN — By Matt Ress, AI Bee Reel Staff

February 14, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Romance died quietly tonight during a candlelit dinner at Le Credit Bistro. As a man reached for his date’s hand across the table, she pulled away to scan his credit report with a handheld QR reader. A red siren sitting on the white tablecloth immediately began spinning and flashing "DEBT DETECTED" while the waiter confiscated the bread basket.

"Love is blind, but lenders are not," said Brad Sterling, CEO of Score. "We brought this app back because true intimacy is sharing your Equifax login on the first date." The app, which was previously shut down for being too exclusive, has returned to allow everyone the opportunity to be publicly judged by strangers. Sterling added that nothing says "I love you" like a debt-to-income ratio under 15%.

"It saves so much time," explained Sarah Ledger, VP of Emotional Auditing. "Why ask about their childhood dreams when you can see they missed a payment in 2019?" She noted that most dates now end within four minutes, vastly improving efficiency. One user was seen trying to explain a medical bill to his date, but she had already engaged the "Low Yield" safety protocol and called an Uber.

At press time, the man was seen applying for a secured credit card to win back her affection, but was rejected by the dessert menu.

Inspired by the real story: A dating app called Score is relaunching to help people vet potential partners based on their credit history. Read the full story.