Equifax and IXI Corporation Partner to Give Financial Institutions Deeper View of Customer Base

New Segmentation Solutions Help Businesses Mitigate Risk, Respond to Market Change

ATLANTA, and MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) and IXI Corporation have formed a partnership in which they will jointly develop solutions powered by leading credit and direct-measured asset data to provide a 360 degree view of a household's financial position. Equifax and IXI clients will now gain access to segmentation solutions that provide deep insight into a household's financial profile and capacity to pay - a valuable tool in navigating challenging market conditions. With these insights, financial institutions can better segment and target customers to manage risk, drive increased return-on-investment through cross-sell and up- sell opportunities, and more confidently navigate today's uncharted markets.

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"Amidst the ongoing credit crisis and fluctuating market environment, financial institutions are under increased pressure to reassess the way they balance consumer risk against the need to achieve greater transparency within their portfolios," said Dann Adams, president, U.S. Information Solutions, Equifax. "The combined strength of IXI's industry-leading asset data and Equifax's superior credit data and technology gives financial institutions a deeper view of their customers - enabling them to respond to market demands and make better, more profitable decisions."

Currently, financial institutions leverage Equifax credit data, technology and analytics to assess and respond to consumer requests for credit, which gives them information on a customer's propensity to pay. At the same time, financial companies rely on IXI and its proprietary database of nearly $10 trillion in direct-measured assets, to give them information on a customer's ability to pay. Through the Equifax and IXI partnership, financial institutions can determine a customer's likelihood to pay - a powerful tool to help firms strengthen their marketing efforts while improving risk management and protecting their assets.

"This unique collaboration will redefine financial services marketing," said Tom Dailey, president and chief executive officer, IXI Corporation. "Our Member-Firms rely on IXI for breakthrough solutions utilizing our proprietary asset data, and discretionary spending and income measures. Together with Equifax, we will drive new financial decisioning that mitigates risk by offering wealth assessments that include credit capacity and ability to pay portions of the financial wallet."

Financial institutions will gain access to a range of superior data and tools that further help them make better decisions. The new solutions will link measures of a household's credit with IXI's proven ZIP+4 based average assets and investment tendency measures in order to enable firms to achieve a better understanding of their customers' financial position.

For more information about the Equifax and IXI relationship, visit www.equifax.com or www.ixicorp.com.

About Equifax Inc. (www.equifax.com)

Equifax empowers businesses and consumers with information they can trust. A global leader in information solutions, employment and income verification and human resources business process outsourcing services, we leverage one of the largest sources of consumer and commercial data, along with advanced analytics and proprietary technology, to create customized 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, HR/payroll services, and much more. We empower individual consumers to manage their personal credit information, protect their identity and maximize their financial well-being.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax Inc. employs approximately 7,000 people in 15 countries throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. Equifax is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500(R) Index. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EFX.

About IXI Corporation (www.ixicorp.com)

IXI enables its clients to segment and target consumer households and neighborhoods based on wealth, income, spending, share of wallet, and share of market.

Through our exclusive consortium of more than 95 leading U.S. financial institutions, IXI measures nearly $10 trillion in U.S. consumer assets and investments, comprising over 42% of all U.S. invested assets. For more than 15 years, IXI has utilized its patented process for collecting and classifying consumer asset data to create its proprietary financial assets database.

IXI works with the nation's leading financial services firms to segment their customers and prospects by affluence, product propensity, purchase behavior, and other characteristics. Our financial services clients use IXI's asset-based solutions to efficiently identify customers and prospects that are most likely to represent a profitable business relationship, minimize risk, identify growth markets, and deliver the right message to the right customer.

IXI is a privately held company headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

SOURCE Equifax Inc.