ATLANTA, December 14, 1998 -- With holiday spending and purchases in abundance this time of year, Equifax wants the country’s youngest consumers to get off to a good start with spending and payment habits during a time when it’s easier to lose financial control. Equifax has taken the lead in educating young people about financial responsibility.

Since 1996, Equifax has reached out to high school students throughout the nation with its Youth Enlightenment Series (Y.E.S.), a five-hour course designed to educate high-school juniors and seniors about responsible financial management. Equifax is committed to education and wants future consumers to be knowledgeable and fiscally savvy. This is why Equifax decided to take the initiative and volunteer its expertise and resources to educate the next generation of consumers on how to take charge of their financial future.

"Credit provides a tremendous opportunity and is a valuable tool in today's society. But it is imperative that high school students learn that credit carries a heavy responsibility with it," said Thomas F. Chapman, Equifax president and CEO. "Used wisely, credit is a major element of the fiscal wellness of these young people. Y.E.S. gives them the knowledge they need and a prescription for staying fiscally healthy."

Some startling statistics to consider:

• By the year 2000, it is projected that 17 percent of all purchases will be made via credit card - up from 12 percent currently (Credit Statistics).
• Only 11 percent of high school students learn about managing money primarily at school (1997 Personal Financial Survey).
• In 1997, U.S. teens spent $84 billion, up from $75 billion in 1996 (Rand Youth Poll).

Designed to be "teen friendly," the Y.E.S. curriculum was written by educators, and is a four-module, in-class comprehensive course. Classes are lively, informative and interactive, with emphasis on teamwork. Y.E.S. instructors teach teens how to save, prioritize spending, establish credit and how to re-establish good credit when things go wrong. The program is available, by request, to high school teachers across the country at no cost with submission of a teacher request form.

Equifax introduced the program in 1996 as a pilot program to 13 metropolitan Atlanta high schools. To date, Equifax has expanded Y.E.S. to more than 350 schools in 27 states, reaching more than 30,000 high school students. Requests from high schools, as well as colleges and universities, are increasing as word of the program quickly spreads from teacher to teacher.

"The enthusiasm with which Y.E.S has been embraced by students and educators is testimony to the program's solid core of information and practical experience," said Bill Cheeks, vice president of consumer education at Equifax. "We believe the Y.E.S. program is an important part of high school curricula that will properly equip students for a lifetime of consumer credit responsibility."

Many city and county school officials who participated in its development and witnessed its results have recognized Y.E.S. as an innovative breakthrough education program. This year, Equifax was one of only 13 companies that received an "Excellence in Education" award from the Georgia Department of Education. The award was a result of Equifax’s commitment to public education in the state of Georgia.

EQUIFAX (NYSE: EFX) is a worldwide leader in shaping global commerce by bringing buyers and sellers together through its information, transaction processing, consulting and knowledge-based businesses. Equifax serves the banking, financial, retail, credit card, telecommunications/utilities, transportation and healthcare industries and government. Founded in 1899, Atlanta-based Equifax today has 14,000 employees in 18 countries and sales in more than 45 countries. Revenues for the 12 months ended September 30, 1998, were more than $1.5 billion. For more Equifax information, visit the company’s website 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.