Equifax Insurance Acquires Controlling Stake In CDB Infotek

ATLANTA, September 4, 1996 -- Equifax's Insurance Services Group, continuing to expand its position as the premier source of risk management information, announced it had acquired a controlling stake in CDB Infotek, a California-based public records firm.

Equifax's Insurance Services Group is acquiring a 70% ownership position in the Santa Ana company with the remainder still held by founder, President and CEO Rick L. Rozar and his management team.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1978, CDB Infotek is one of the nation's leading providers of on-line public records information, including civil and criminal legal records in the nation's courthouses, public tax and bankruptcy records, real estate records and new business filings. The firm primarily serves the insurance, legal, investigative, government and financial communities.

CDB Infotek has grown substantially in recent years. It has made several acquisitions since 1995, including Prentice Hall On-Line, Charles E. Simon & Co. and Innovative Data Services. CDB Infotek reported 1995 annual revenues of $32 million.

"This combination forms a tremendous team," said Derek V. Smith, Equifax Executive Vice President & Group Executive, Insurance Services Group. "The integration of key public records data in a real-time environment is critical to the success of our strategy to provide risk management and fraud prevention services to industries world-wide. Our investment in CDB Infotek allows us both to expand the services we offer existing customers as well as move more aggressively into new markets."

"CDB Infotek is excited by the opportunity to join forces with Equifax and pursue our mutual vision as a team," commented Rozar, who will remain with CDB as its president & CEO. "We both are committed to using information to help organizations better manage risk and prevent fraud. We believe the investments CDB has made in technology, database growth and market penetration during the last several years will continue to propel us forward."

The Equifax Insurance Services Group is currently the largest provider of risk management information to the insurance industry in the United States. The group continues to transform and expand its offerings beyond its core insurance marketplace with the development of decision-support systems; investment in new products and services, such as employment background screening, laboratory testing services and drug screening, and the delivery of risk mitigation programs across all industries.

"As the medical, social and personal risks we face continue to increase, I believe individuals and companies will need to be better informed and prepared to mitigate those risks," observed Smith. "The key risk management tool is information. Joining forces with companies like CDB Infotek positions Equifax Insurance Services for substantial growth opportunities by helping our customers better manage risk through informed decisions."

Equifax Inc., (NYSE: EFX), committed to Global Information Leadership in the Information Age, is the leading provider of information services that help grant credit and authorize, process credit card and check transactions and control healthcare costs in addition to insuring lives and property. 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 June 30, 1996, totaled $1.7 billi on.