LENDERS MUST BE PREPARED FOR REGULATORS TO TAKE MORE ACTION IN 2013

Equifax urges better affordability assessment as FSA issues £1.2m fine
to mortgage provider for failing to treat customers fairly

www.equifax.co.uk

London, December 2012 – Leading credit information and analytics expert, Equifax, has responded to the news that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has issued a fine of £1.2 million to a mortgage provider for failing to treat customers fairly. Laurence Hamilton, Marketing & Performance Director, Equifax believes this latest action signals an increase in scrutiny by the regulator, which is only likely to get stronger in 2013 and beyond

“Whilst this latest FSA action relates to failings that occurred from October 2004 to the end of 2009, the lack of demonstrable affordability assessment is something that the industry knows the FSA, and its successor the FCA, will be examining much more closely in the future” said Laurence Hamilton. “The FSA found that the mortgage provider was unable to always demonstrate that the mortgages it sold were affordable and this, undoubtedly, has to be a key focus for lenders now.

“The FSA, in the MMR released in October, has called for making proof of income to assess consumer affordability central to lending practices going forward. The majority of providers in the mortgage market already follow best practice in collecting income data to meet this requirement. But we believe this latest action by the FSA highlights the importance of verifying income data to meet responsible lending regulation.

“Equifax analysis* has proved that verified income provides an immensely powerful indicator of affordability, with the potential to improve credit risk performance by up to 5 times. The challenge for credit providers is accessing verified income data as an integrated component of new credit application assessment.

“Income data is already being collected by mortgage providers. We are, therefore, working with these and other consumer finance organisations to facilitate sharing of this valuable intelligence to give them the ability to verify, instantly and reliably, information provided on an application form. Our new suite of products enables organisations to comply with the new regulations as well as improve lending performance, by giving them access to the widest possible pool of income data.”

Equifax is working with all sectors of the consumer finance industry to enable sharing of declared and verified income, which is accessible as an integrated component of application and customer management processes, eliminating the need for additional income proof.

“Having this data integrated into risk management processes means demonstrable compliance can be achieved through enhanced customer service levels,” concluded Laurence Hamilton. “Plus, the significant improvement in performance that can potentially be achieved through the use of verified income data goes to the heart of reducing bad debt risk.”

*Equifax conducted analysis of a sample database of consumers where verified income data was and wasn’t available to prove the increased power of verified income data in assessing affordability.

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For further press information, please contact: Wendy Harrison, Cecile Stearn, Jenny Thorneywork or Clare Watson at HSL on 020 8977 9132 / Fax: 020 8977 5200 or Email:equifaxbtobteam@harrisonsadler.com

About Equifax

Equifax is a global leader in consumer, commercial and workforce information solutions, providing businesses of all sizes and consumers with information they can trust. We organize and assimilate data on more than 500 million consumers and 81 million businesses worldwide, and use advanced analytics and proprietary technology to create and deliver customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Equifax operates or has investments in 18 countries and is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500® Index. Its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. For more information, please visit www.equifax.com.