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ATLANTA, July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) today announced the launch of its Small Business initiative with services to help businesses understand, monitor and strengthen their own credit performance as well as the credit health of the companies they're doing business with.  

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Through Equifax's new Small Business website (equifaxsmallbusiness.com), customers can purchase the Business Credit Report, to easily and cost-effectively check the credit reports of nearly 25 million firms, supplying smaller companies with the type of information to help reduce losses, establish business credit, and benefit from profitable business relationships.

The reports, available via credit card individually or in discounted multi-packs of five, help customers evaluate a potential partner or supplier as well as gain valuable insight into their own business credit score. Unlike others in the industry, Equifax has an exclusive partnership with the Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE), an organization made up of more than 400 small business financial institutions with a database on more than 24 million companies. This exclusive relationship allows Equifax to combine this unique information with its own distinctive data to offer the most comprehensive, relevant and predictive industry information in the United States.

"Equifax is dedicated to supporting this important segment of the business population by giving them easy access to the same comprehensive business credit data available to larger corporations," said Dan Csont, Chief Marketing Officer, Equifax Commercial Information Solutions. "With a minor investment, a small business can prepare itself for large opportunities and mitigate risk."

Equifax Business Credit Reports which are simple to obtain, easy to use and interpret include:

    --  A trade and lending summary showing a company's financial and
        non-financial obligations.
    --  A public records summary detailing any judgments, suits, liens, or
        business registration with secretaries of state.
    --  Three scores to help evaluate a company's credit risk, payment history
        and likelihood of business failure.

To help keep an ongoing, watchful eye on critical partner, supplier and customer relationships, Equifax also offers Business Credit Monitoring and Alert services. This service tracks a company's credit report and sends a daily email if significant changes occur to it.  Businesses also use the service to monitor their own business credit scores to help manage their own commercial credit.

Equifax Commercial Information Solutions provides the information and expertise necessary for companies to best understand and manage their dealings with business customers, prospects and suppliers. The company's exclusive relationship with the Small Business Financial Exchange, along with other proprietary sources, provides the best-in-class commercial credit risk data. Combined with highly predictive scoring and innovative technology, businesses can leverage this information to make quick, confident credit decisions and minimize potential losses.

About Equifax (www.equifax.com )

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 customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers.

With a strong heritage of innovation and leadership, Equifax continuously delivers 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 maximize their financial well-being.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax Inc. operates in the U.S. and 14 other 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.

About the Small Business Financial Exchange (www.sbfe.org)

Established in 2001, the Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE) is a non-profit association consisting of over 400 members who provide financing to small businesses. SBFE is the only member-controlled organization of its type and is a trusted advocate in promoting the needs of the industry.

SBFE's database houses information on over 24 million businesses.  It has set the highest standards for data quality, integrity of use, and information security for its database to protect its members and their customers' information.

Through its collective resources and relationships, SBFE makes possible innovative risk management solutions by providing aggregated industry intelligence and analysis to its members.

SOURCE Equifax Inc.