Equifax Insurance Acquires Professional Test Administrators

ATLANTA, May 24, 1996 -- Equifax Insurance Services today announced it had acquired Professional Test Administrators Inc., one of the nation’s leading providers of management services for employee drug screening.

The privately held Professional Test Administrators is headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., and specializes in helping corporations administer the various components of an effective drug-screening program for both job applicants and existing employees.

The company will become part of Equifax Insurance’s Occupational Health Services unit, extending Equifax’s ability to offer a complete package of occupational services to the corporate world. Equifax Occupational Health Services was formed a year ago and currently provides drug-screen collection services through its paramedical force.

Equifax is purchasing 100 percent of the stock of Professional Test Administrators. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"Employers today are facing increased safety and health risks in the workplace," noted David J. Cook, assistant vice president, Equifax Insurance Services. "Our customers want a partner to assist them in finding better solutions to identify and mitigate their risk."

"The combination of Equifax Insurance Services and the services that PTA provides will enhance our ability to offer single-source access to drug testing and other information they need to manage workplace risk," he added.

Professional Test Administrators was founded in 1989 by CEO Jim Johnston and President C.N. Hesselberg. Both men will continue with Equifax after the transaction.

"We made this decision to become part of Equifax Insurance Services due to their similar vision of providing the customer with high-quality, cost-effective solutions," said Johnston. "The market is changing rapidly and our customers are looking for a wider range of solutions. The ability to package PTA’s administrative skills with the broad array of services offered by Equifax provides us an incredible opportunity to better serve the needs of current and future customers."

Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX), committed to Global Information Leadership in the Information Age, is the leading provider of information services that help grant credit, authorize and process credit card and check transactions, insure lives and property and control healthcare 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.