Press Release

London 20th September 2007 – Every bride dreams of her perfect wedding but to what lengths are couples going in order to have a day to remember?

With the average cost of a wedding now reported to be approximately £18,000, a survey* carried out by Equifax, the leading instant online credit information provider, has revealed that of those couples surveyed who plan to pay for their wedding on credit, 50% of them will use an existing card, the other half by personal loan. This is despite 29% of those saving for a wedding already having over £5,000 short term debt.

As Neil Munroe, External Affairs Director, Equifax explains this could be potentially very risky. “Losing track of how much you are spending and the potential for unforeseen costs are common problems with weddings. Early planning and budgeting are the key to post-wedding day financial bliss.”

Bride to be Kim Shillaker, 28, from Teddington, who is getting married in August this year, has discovered how wedding costs can quickly mount up. “A budget was not planned out for our wedding and I am not too sure how much in total has been spent so far on the wedding. But I have spent more than expected on my wedding dress. My advice to others is to consider buying a second hand dress or buying with the view to selling your dress after the wedding, this is what I plan to do.”

Kim and her partner have been fortunate as the couple have received financial assistance from both sets of parents, however they are paying for their honeymoon which they are funding through their savings.

Although they are continuing to save right up to the wedding, the couple have also recently moved and have been hit by several rises in interest rates. This has had a knock-on effect on how much the couple can spend on the wedding and Kim thinks she will be using her credit card to pay for some items, such as the wedding rings. Kim says “The rings are something we are unable to compromise on as they will last a lifetime.”

Munroe concludes “Kim is like many brides who really don’t want to have to compromise on any aspect of their wedding. However many couples are not fully aware of the impact their increasing debt can have on their future. It is much better to end the honeymoon without a financial hangover.”

*Survey of 556 Equifax customers February 2007

For further press information please contact: Claire Foster, Kate Clements or Wendy Harrison at HSL on 020 8977 9132 / Fax: 020 8977 5200 or Email: claire@harrisonsadler.com

About Equifax

Equifax empowers businesses and consumers with information they can trust. A global leader in information solutions, we leverage one of the largest sources of consumer and commercial data, along with advanced analytics and proprietary technology, to create customised insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers.

Customers have trusted Equifax for over 100 years to deliver innovative solutions with the highest integrity and reliability. Businesses – large and small – rely on us for consumer and business credit intelligence, portfolio management, fraud detection, decisioning technology, marketing tools, and much more. We empower individual consumers to manage their personal credit information, protect their identity and maximise their financial well-being.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax Inc. employs approximately 5,000 people in 14 countries throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. Equifax is a member of Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500® Index. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EFX.

 Equifax. Information That Empowers.