Equifax Contract with Ntde Extended Through Year 2000

Bad Debt Database for Telecommunications Companies

ATLANTA, July 15, 1996 -- The National Telecommunications Data Exchange (NTDE) has extended its contract with Equifax Telecommunications and Utilities Services for management of its unique commercial account bad debt database through the year 2000. The database helps telecommunications companies control commercial bad debt.

In the first ten months of NTDE operation, nearly 13 percent of the more than one million new service commercial applicants input to the exchange were identified as matching with disconnected unpaid commercial accounts. The database contains more than one million closed unpaid commercial accounts totaling more than $1 billion.

NTDE, a non-profit corporation, was founded by eight of the nation's largest long distance carriers in 1993 and began full operation last summer. The NTDE now has more than 60 members representing more than 90 percent of the dollar sales of the long distance telecommunications industry.

Ken Akins, executive director of NTDE, said, "The basic purpose of the Exchange is assessing, through shared information, the risk of taking on new commercial business. Since its inception, Equifax's NTDE database has proven to be of great value in identifying delinquent commercial accounts. With this contract extension, we are assured of the benefits of this valuable tool for years to come."

Akins sees a further expansion of NTDE and the Equifax database with the passage of the National Telecommunications Reform Act, signed earlier this year. "The benefits of membership in NTDE are available to any provider of telecommunications service to commercial accounts. The NTRA opens the door for many telecommunications companies to provide services they could not previously provide and NTDE may be a helpful asset," Akins said.

The guiding vision for the database is that telecommunications companies can increase their ability to perform risk assessment and reduce write offs by exchanging information about business customers who suddenly skip without paying final bills. In many instances, these business customers subsequently attempt to obtain service from another carrier; information from the Exchange surfaces the unpaid bills. Identifying these customers through the Exchange helps members to assess and minimize risk. The Exchang e also assists in locating former commercial customers whose service was disconnected for non-payment and who left an unpaid balance on their accounts.

"The extension of our contract with NTDE is a result of enthusiastic support by telecommunications carriers of all sizes who see the need for this Exchange, which has the potential to greatly reduce losses to the industry," said Thomas F. Chapman, executive vice president and group executive, Equifax Financial Services Group. "This unique Equifax database is the first of its kind in the industry and shows our commitment to partnering with customers who have challenges," Cbapman added.

Equifax and NTDE project teams built the database and developed a system of protocols that fits all subscribers. The database combines technology applied in Equifax's EXCHANGE, and POSITIVE ID services, new customized software and business name matching capabilities from Equifax National Decision Systems.

NTDE was originally established by founding members American Telephone and Telegraph Company, MCI Telecommunications Corporation, Sprint United Management Company, Allnet (Frontier) Communications Services Inc., Business Telecom, Inc., Cable & Wireless, Inc., LDDS (Worldcom) Metromedia and Wiltel (Worldcom) Inc. NTDE membership is open to all telecommunications companies. For more information, call 214-518-0019 or fax, 214-580-9089.

Equifax Utilities and Telecommunications Services is a division of Equifax Credit Services and provides a wide range of credit-related services to the telecommunications, utilities and cable TV industries. The parent company, Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX), committed to Global Information Leadership for the Information Age, is the leading provider of information services that help businesses grant credit, authorize and process credit card and check transactions, insure lives and property and control health care costs. Established in 1899 in Atlanta, Equifax today employs 14,000 people throughout North and South America, the United Kingdom and continental Europe. Revenues for the 12 months ended March 31, 1996, totaled $1.7 billion.