ATLANTA, August 5, 1998 -- -- Equifax today announced that its software and consulting has enabled Centro de Intercambio Automatizado, S.A. (CIASA) to establish the first Automated Clearing House (ACH) network with same-day settlement in Panama. The banking organization has purchased and installed GOLDNET electronic banking software from Equifax’s Goldleaf Technologies, making Panama the first Central American country to implement an ACH network on a national scale.

Those banks already on the network represent one-fifth of the banks in Panama. Members of the Centro de Intercambio Automatizado, S.A (CIASA) using GOLDNET include international banks like Citibank, Chase, National Bank of Paris and BankBoston, as well as Panamanian banks like Banco General, Banco del Istmo and Banco Continental.

Lee A. Kennedy, Equifax executive vice president, said, "Equifax is continuing to build its business throughout Latin America. Bringing this state-of-the-art automated clearing house capability to banks in Panama through our Goldleaf Technologies software is another example of Equifax working with international customers to improve their capability to serve their economy."

GOLDNET software is already in use in the U.S. and at the Central Bank in Aruba. The software is a "spoke and wheel" design, operating much like the system used by banks in the U.S. In Panama, the center of the "wheel" is GOLDNET SERVER located at CIASA, with each bank using GOLDNET CLIENT. A unique feature of the way the system is being implemented in Panama is that it provides "same day settlement" of clearinghouse operations. The standard is "next day settlement."

Panama has developed their rules so that they comply with the National ACH Association (NACHA) with which all banks in the U.S. must comply. Within CIASA, files and transactions for cross border payments between Panama and the U.S. will be correctly formatted.

"Implementing the ACH network in Panama is just the first step," Kennedy continued. "We are already preparing to introduce Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) transactions including full electronic bill paying capability."

Equifax’s worldwide information, transaction processing, consulting and knowledge businesses are designed to bring buyers and sellers together, thus changing the shape of global commerce. Equifax serves the banking, financial, retail, credit card, automotive, telecommunications/utilities, government and health care industries. It is a leading supplier of business information solutions in Canada, the UK and Latin America. Equifax operates in 17 countries with sales in 42 countries. Founded in 1899 in Atlanta, Equifax (NYSE: EFX) today has about 12,000 employees around the world. Revenues for the 12 months ended June 30, 1998, were nearly $1.5 billion. Visit the company’s Internet web site at http://www.equifax.com.

Statements in this press release that relate to future plans, objectives, expectations, performance, events and the like are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Future events, risks and uncertainties, individually or in the aggregate, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Those factors could include worldwide and U.S. economic conditions, changes in demand for the company’s products and services, risks associated with the integration of acquisitions and other investments, and other factors discussed in the "forward-looking information" section in the management’s discussion and analysis included in the company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997.