Press Release

CONTROLLING DEBT COLLECTION RISKS

Equifax delivers data batch enhancements to its powerful tracing tool - Locate

London, 8th January 2009 - Leading credit information and debtor management solutions provider, Equifax, has responded to the growing pressure on consumer lenders and collections businesses with a series of enhancements to its unique tracing tool - Locate. Enhancements to Locate Batch, which is an integral component of Equifax's Debtor Management Solutions, enable organisations to tailor collections activity to their specific business requirements as well as providing online access to reporting data to monitor collections performance. As the numbers of debtors increase, these enhancements will play a crucial role in maintaining efficiency for collections teams under pressure.

Equifax Locate utilises a database of over 500 million up-to-date and live records derived from an extensive range of data sources, in order to reveal addresses linked to an individual through a single search. This includes a unique ranking system that gives users a clear indication of why a traced address has been supplied, giving them the confidence that only addresses that fit their trace policy are returned.

The latest enhancements are to the batch facility in Locate, including a new web-based interface enabling collections teams to store and maintain their tracing and collections criteria. Control statistics available online also provide organisations with a rapid means of assessing each of their batch results. Plus greater flexibility is offered by accepting CSV and XML input file formats.

J2 Solutions, recent winner of the inaugural Tracing Agency of the Year Award 2008 uses Equifax Locate as an integral part of its business and is looking forward to making use of the latest enhancements. "Equifax is our preferred supplier and we have been users of Equifax Locate since its launch", confirmed Gary Jones, Managing Director. "With Locate we have found a user-friendly product that allows for full auditability of our transparent tracing processes and this is vital in order to manage performance and processes in the current economic climate."

Neil Munroe, External Affairs Director, Equifax, confirmed the importance of the new enhancements to Equifax Locate: "The increased batch customisation offers Equifax Locate users even more control than ever before. Clients such as J2 Solutions will be able to set their own rules, which is crucial at a time when the risks of bad debt are ever-present. These enhancements are truly unique, offering our clients total control of their process, helping them recover outstanding debts quickly and significantly enhance cash-flow at limited cost."

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For further press information please contact: Wendy Harrison, Jenny Staniforth, Cecile Stearn or Margot Tomkinson at HSL on 020 8977 9132 / Fax: 020 8977 5200 or Email: wendy@harrisonsadler.com