Equifax Workforce Solutions Welcomes 3,000th Client to The Work Number Service, Coldwater Creek

Equifax Expands Delivery of Instant Employment Verifications to 225 Million Payroll Records

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equifax Workforce Solutions, a leading provider of human resource, data, analytics and verification services, today announced its 3,000th employer client for The Work Number®, the nation's premier employment and income data source. Coldwater Creek, Inc. (Nasdaq:CWTR), a leading specialty retailer of women's apparel, jewelry, and accessories, joins the ranks of a consistently growing list of employers that benefit from having a compliant process in place for handling inbound verifications of their workforces' employment information.

Through The Work Number service, Equifax Workforce Solutions removes the employer's burden of fulfilling verification requests received on employees as they engage in consumer activity. Rather than try to manage urgent and cumbersome inbound verification requests, Coldwater Creek, and all other clients provide payroll information each pay period so that Equifax Workforce Solutions can manage verifications on their behalf. This removes administrative costs and burdens, and more importantly helps protect employee information and mitigate risk to their organization concerning control over the release of sensitive data.

"We want to ensure that our employees are being served in the best way possible. Equifax offers our workforce the fastest and most secure employment verifications possible," said Katie Maurer, senior vice president, Human Resources at Coldwater Creek.

Dann Adams, president of Equifax Workforce Solutions added that, "Perhaps the biggest beneficiaries are the employees at Coldwater Creek. Whether buying a car, refinancing a mortgage, or applying for a credit card or assistance programs, employees can expect an expedited decision regarding access to the credit they deserve and assurances of a controlled release of information guided by the Fair Credit Reporting Act." 

Through The Work Number service, Equifax Workforce Solutions can instantly fulfill inbound verification requests due in large part to direct interfaces with organizations seeking to determine consumer eligibility.

"This milestone attainment for employers subscribing to The Work Number service is also great news for decision-makers who are dependent on third-party employment verifications as part of their eligibility determination process," says Michael Kuentz, senior vice president at Equifax Verification Services. "With instant access to over 225 million payroll records, credit lenders and government assistance decision-makers can better remove risk from their applicant process and help keep the economy moving forward."

Established in 1995, The Work Number service has seen steady, consistent growth, resulting in more than 70 percent of the Fortune 500 outsourcing their employment and income verification functions to Equifax Workforce Solutions. Use by small and mid-market employer organizations, including federal, state and local governments, has also been on the rise as the 3,000th employer client milestone was attained. Equifax Workforce Solutions remains committed to engaging a broader range of employers and verifiers to subscribe to the service to meet their business needs. 

Additional information on The Work Number service can be accessed at: www.TheWorkNumber.com.

About Equifax

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) is a global leader in consumer, commercial and workforce information solutions that provide businesses of all sizes and consumers with insight and information they can trust. Equifax organizes and assimilates data on more than 600 million consumers and 81 million businesses worldwide. The company's significant investments in differentiated data, its expertise in advanced analytics to explore and develop new multi-source data solutions, and its leading-edge proprietary technology enable it to create and deliver unparalleled customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers. Equifax Workforce Solutions (also known as TALX), an Equifax business unit, is a leading provider of human resource, data, analytics and verification services.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Equifax operates or has investments in 18 countries and is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500® Index.  Its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. In 2013, Equifax was named a Bloomberg BusinessWeek Top 50 company, was #3 in Fortune's Most Admired list in its category, and was named to the InfoWeek 500 as well as the FinTech 100. For more information, please visit www.equifax.com.

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CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT
         Demitra Wilson
         Equifax Workforce Solutions
         Phone: 404-885-8907
         E-mail: demitra.wilson@equifax.com

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Source: Equifax Inc.