Equifax Selected to Manage New Consumer Database for Nation's Telecommunications Industry

Atlanta, September 15, 1997-- Equifax Inc. has been chosen to create and manage the first national telecommunications industry database of unpaid consumer telephone accounts for the newly formed National Consumer Telecommunications Data Exchange (NCTDE). The NCTDE is designed to assist telecommunications carriers in reducing the amount of uncollectibles from consumer customers and to better evaluate credit risk.

The Equifax selection was the result of a highly competitive bidding process. Equifax has operated a national database of disconnected unpaid commercial telephone accounts for a sister organization, the National Telecommunications Data Exchange (NTDE), since August, 1995, and has recently had its contract for that service extended through the year 2000. NTDE has more than 60 members representing more than 90 percent of the dollar sales of the commercial long distance telecommunications industry.

Thomas F. Chapman, Equifax president and chief operating officer, said, "NTDE has been tremendously successful for the commercial accounts business of the nation's long distance carriers. The application of Equifax's advanced technology and database management expertise to residential accounts through NCTDE solidifies Equifax's leadership position in providing information solutions to the telecommunications industry."

NCTDE members will input information on residential accounts disconnected for non-payment into the Equifax NCTDE database. Members can identify and locate those accounts when checking new applications for service against the NCTDE database. This enables the members to collect unpaid balances, recoup losses and set appropriate deposits for new service.

Information in the database will be available only to contributing members of NCTDE. The founding members are AT&T Corp.; BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.; Citizens Utilities Company; Frontier Communications Services, Inc.; IXC Communications Inc.; MCI Telecommunications Corporation; NYNEX Long Distance Company; Sprint Communications Company, L.P.; and Worldcom, Inc. Membership in NCTDE, which is a not-for-profit organization, is open to any telecommunications carrier (as defined by the Telecommunications Act of 1996) with consumer telecommunications accounts.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that the NCTDE had received approval for its proposed activities from the DOJ Anti-Trust Division, pursuant to DOJ's business review procedures.

The NCTDE database is subject to the provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, as are the databases of the other 11 regional residential exchanges Equifax manages throughout the country for regional telephone companies and utilities. Consumers are supported by a specialized team of information consultants at the Equifax Information Service Center.

"We expect NCTDE to be fully operational in December, 1997," said Ken Akins, executive director of the NCTDE. "The organization will grow like the commercial exchange as more telecommunications carriers see the benefit of sharing their consumer unpaid account information." For more information on NCTDE, contact Mr. Akins at 972-518-0019.

Equifax is a world leader in providing financial information and processing solutions, with global operations in consumer and commercial credit information services, payment services, software, modeling, analytics and consulting and direct-to-consumer services. The company serves many industries including banking, finance, retail, telecommunications, utilities and health care. Equifax was founded in 1899 in Atlanta and today has 10,000 employees around the world. It operates globally in 17 countries, with sales in 40 countries. Equifax (NYSE: EFX) revenues for the 12 months ended June 30, 1997, were just under $1.3 billion.

Note to editors. Photo of signing ceremony featuring representatives of all member companies is available from Equifax Public Relations.