Equifax received in-principle approval for a license to operate a credit information company under The Credit Information Companies Act, 2005, in April 2009 and is working with its prospective joint-venture partners to prepare final submissions to receive a permanent license.

Bhatia will join Equifax's operations in Mumbai and assume leadership of the company upon formation and requisite approvals.

Bhatia is a Chartered Accountant with over 24 years experience in the banking and financial services industry.

Atlanta-based Equifax offers consumer and business credit intelligence, portfolio management, fraud detection, decisioning technology, marketing tools, and other services. The company operates in the U.S. and 14 other countries throughout North America, Latin America and Europe.

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Equifax Credit Score Card is absolutely FREE--consumers are not required to provide their credit card information in order to receive it and are under no obligation to purchase other Equifax products. Consumers can get their FREE Equifax Credit Score Card at www.equifax.com/creditscorecard. Access to the product is available through the Equifax Member Center for 30 days.

Equifax's suite of identity protection, credit monitoring and personal finance products are designed to help consumers take control of their credit, protect the power of their identity and maximize their financial well being. Learn more about Equifax at www.equifax.com or connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/equifax.

About Equifax (www.equifax.com)

Equifax empowers businesses and consumers with information they can trust. A global leader in information solutions, we leverage one of the largest sources of consumer and commercial data, along with advanced analytics and proprietary technology, to create customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers.

With a strong heritage of innovation and leadership, Equifax continuously delivers innovative solutions with the highest integrity and reliability. Businesses - large and small - rely on us for consumer and business credit intelligence, portfolio management, fraud detection, decisioning technology, marketing tools, and much more. We empower individual consumers to manage their personal credit information, protect their identity, and maximize their financial well-being.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax Inc. operates in the U.S. and 14 other countries throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. Equifax is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500(R) Index. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EFX.

SOURCE Equifax Inc.

http://www.equifax.com

Silent Seconds: Resounding Impact

While home price depreciation shows signs of slowing, secondary mortgage market investors still have reason to be concerned about the impact of borrower equity. According to a recent study conducted by Equifax Capital Markets, the combined loan to values (CLTVs) on current loans are worse than many realize. While home prices have dominated headlines, the increased prevalence of second liens has gone underreported. In July 2009, 25% of borrowers with current Alt-A loans had closed-end seconds compared to 10% of borrowers in July 2005.

The Equifax study analyzed the state of non-agency securitized mortgage borrower health from Q3 2005 to Q3 2009 by leveraging borrower credit information, FHFA home price data and loan-level data. To conduct its analysis, Equifax statisticians isolated the population of non-agency securitized mortgages and studied the performance of these loans across key default risk trends.

CLTVs: Are You Aware of All Subordinate Liens?

CLTVs worsened dramatically in 2008. According to Equifax research, the average CLTV for current Alt-A loans increased from 75% in July 2005 to 107% in July 2009. This is driven by home price declines and a dramatic increase in the prevalence and size of second liens. What's striking is the substantial impact of second liens reported on the borrowers' credit files - liens that are not reported in loan-level data.

Figure 1 - CLTV for Current Prime and Alt-A Loans Over Time http://www.equifax.com/PR/capmarket/Figure_01.jpg

Behind the Loan: Surprising Findings About Borrower Debt Load

By analyzing credit line utilization and balance trends on non-mortgage loans, Equifax research uncovered some compelling findings. While a significant number of sub-prime mortgage borrowers have typically had high utilization of their revolving credit lines, Alt-A and Prime borrowers caught up in July 2009. 22% of Alt-A borrowers with a current mortgage loan utilized 80% or more of their total revolving credit in July 2009, up from 10% in July 2005.

Figure 2 - Percent of Current Securitized Mortgage Borrowers with High Revolving Credit Utilization

http://www.equifax.com/PR/capmarket/Figure_02.jpg -

HELOCs represent a significant portion of borrowers' revolving debt. According to Equifax data, HELOCs remain prevalent within current Alt-A and Prime loan borrowers. Specifically, 45% of prime and 33% of Alt-A borrowers with securitized mortgage loans that are current had a HELOC in July 2009.

Figure 3 - Current Securitized Mortgage Borrower HELOC Trends

http://www.equifax.com/PR/capmarket/Figure_03.jpg

Industry Expertise

"As home prices moderate, comprehensive and up-to-date information on second liens, including whether they exist as well as their balance and payment status, will become more critical for investors to know in order to accurately value non-agency mortgage-backed securities and whole loans," said Steve Albert, vice president, Equifax Capital Markets.

Equifax Capital Markets

Equifax's suite of Capital Markets solutions empowers lenders and investors to make buy/sell decisions with the most up-to-date borrower and property value information available. Leveraging unique data with advanced analytics and risk projection strategies, Equifax provides unique, forward-looking information to help investors manage through this highly sensitive credit environment. For more information about Equifax Capital Markets, visit www.equifax.com/capitalmarkets.

SOURCE Equifax Inc.

http://www.equifax.com

Bhatia is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a wealth of experience, and is recognised and respected as one of the leading bankers in the country. He has over 24 years experience in the Banking and Financial Services industry and has worked with leading, successful banks such as Citibank, HDFC Bank and Barclays Bank. He has rich experience and exposure to all facets of retail and commercial banking.

"We are very pleased and fortunate to have someone with Samir's experience and capabilities assume leadership of this key initiative," said Trey Loughran, Equifax Senior Vice President of Corporate Development with responsibility for Equifax's India business. "Samir brings a combination of a deep understanding of the needs of our Banking and Financial Services customers and an entrepreneurial mindset of building a growth-focused business from the ground up."

Bhatia started his career with Citibank where he held several positions in financial control, credit, risk management and corporate banking. He then moved on to become one of the founding members of HDFC Bank, one of India's most successful new-generation private banks. During his 12 years with HDFC Bank, Bhatia developed and led the Corporate Bank and the Emerging Markets Group. He was also Managing Director, India and Indian Ocean with Barclays Global Retail & Commercial Bank and was instrumental in setting up the bank from the drawing board and growing it to over 125 branches in 48 cities, and 2000+ employees.

"Equifax is a global leader in Credit Information Services. It is a highly respected company with a diverse and sophisticated set of products which can add tremendous value to the Indian credit institutions," said Bhatia. "I am extremely excited to be working with Equifax and its esteemed joint venture partners to build and grow this important business in India".

About Equifax (www.equifax.com)

Equifax empowers businesses and consumers with information they can trust. A global leader in information solutions, we leverage one of the largest sources of consumer and commercial data, along with advanced analytics and proprietary technology, to create customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers.

With a strong heritage of innovation and leadership, Equifax continuously delivers innovative solutions with the highest integrity and reliability. Businesses - large and small - rely on us for consumer and business credit intelligence, portfolio management, fraud detection, decisioning technology, marketing tools, and much more. We empower individual consumers to manage their personal credit information, protect their identity, and maximize their financial well-being.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax Inc. operates in the U.S. and 14 other countries throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. Equifax is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500(R) Index. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EFX.

SOURCE Equifax Inc.

http://www.equifax.com