Equifax Canada and FICO Introduce BEACON 9.0 Credit Score

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 3, 2012) - Equifax (NYSE:EFX), a global leader in information solutions, and FICO (NYSE:FICO), a leading provider of predictive analytics and decision management technology, today introduced the BEACON® 9.0 Score for lenders and other businesses in Canada. BEACON 9.0, offered by Equifax, is the newest FICO® Score version in Canada. It was developed using recent Equifax credit data which, for the first time, includes mortgage data.

The BEACON 9.0 Score offers lenders a substantial improvement in predictive power compared to prior BEACON scores. Internal FICO development studies show a double-digit percentage lift in predictive performance for certain credit product types and population segments. BEACON 9.0 features innovative methods for assessing lines of credit and consumers who are new to credit, as well as a refined methodology for evaluating a consumer's repayment performance across all accounts to derive an even more accurate risk profile. These features are designed to help lenders reduce losses within existing portfolios and identify more profitable prospects for credit offers. In addition to offering increased risk assessment precision, the BEACON 9.0 Score maintains consistency with prior BEACON Scores in such key areas as the minimum scoring criteria, 300-900 score range, reason codes and odds to score relationship, making it as easy as possible to adopt and use.

"BEACON 9.0 is the most powerful BEACON score in the Canadian market," said James Wehmann, executive vice president of Scores at FICO. "It is based on the FICO^® 8 Score blueprint, and shows up to six times more lift than that offered by a typical redevelopment. The superiority of BEACON 9.0 over previous versions will enable Canadian lenders to generate greater profits without increasing risk exposure, at a time when both considerations are critical."

"BEACON has served our Canadian customers well," said Lou Karabetsos, vice president, Product Management & Delivery Services, Equifax Canada. "Together with FICO, we've ensured that Canadian lenders have continuous access to BEACON for making better business decisions by more effectively measuring risk."

About the FICO^® Score

With over 10 billion FICO^® Scores used worldwide to empower lenders to make credit decisions, the FICO^® Score has become the standard measure of credit risk worldwide. FICO^® Scores are used today in more than 20 countries on five continents, as well as all of the top 50 U.S. financial institutions and both the 25 largest U.S. credit card issuers and auto lenders. The latest FICO^® Score version, the FICO^® 8 Score, has already been adopted by more than 7,500 lenders.

About Equifax

Equifax empowers businesses and consumers with information they can trust. A global leader in information solutions, employment and income verification and human resources business process outsourcing services, 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.

Customers have trusted Equifax for over 100 years to deliver 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, HR/payroll services, 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® Index. Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EFX. For more information, please visit www.equifax.ca/consultinganalytics.

^® Beacon and ^® Equifax are registered trademarks of Equifax Canada Inc.

About FICO

FICO (NYSE:FICO) delivers superior predictive analytics solutions that drive smarter decisions. The company's groundbreaking use of mathematics to predict consumer behavior has transformed entire industries and revolutionized the way risk is managed and products are marketed. FICO's innovative solutions include the FICO® Score - the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the United States - along with industry-leading solutions for managing credit accounts, identifying and minimizing the impact of fraud, and customizing consumer offers with pinpoint accuracy. Most of the world's top banks, as well as leading insurers, retailers, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies, rely on FICO solutions to accelerate growth, control risk, boost profits and meet regulatory and competitive demands. FICO also helps millions of individuals manage their personal credit health through www.myFICO.com. Learn more at www.fico.com. FICO: Make every decision count^™.

For FICO news and media resources, visit www.fico.com/news.

Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Information

Except for historical information contained herein, the statements contained in this news release that relate to FICO or its business are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the success of the Company's Decision Management strategy and reengineering plan, the maintenance of its existing relationships and ability to create new relationships with customers and key alliance partners, its ability to continue to develop new and enhanced products and services, its ability to recruit and retain key technical and managerial personnel, competition, regulatory changes applicable to the use of consumer credit and other data, the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions, continuing material adverse developments in global economic conditions, and other risks described from time to time in FICO's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2011 and its last quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2012. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes, FICO's results could differ materially from its expectations. FICO disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

FICO and "Make every decision count" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and in other countries.