Equifax's Debt Wise(TM) is the first-ever debt payment plan product powered by a credit report ATLANTA, July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Equifax (NYSE:EFX) today launched Debt Wise(TM), an innovative product that uses information from the Equifax Credit Report(TM) to empower consumers to free themselves from debt--faster. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060224/CLF037LOGO) Debt Wise effectively eliminates one of the biggest hurdles for many debt laden consumers -- getting started. Subscribers can create their personal debt payment plan online in as little as 10 minutes, in the privacy and comfort of their own home. The product's Fast Pay Plan Wizard makes it easy. The wizard automatically imports debts from a subscriber's Equifax Credit Report so that they can easily select which debts to include in their plan. Debt Wise aligns those debts in an optimal order and then applies a debt stacking strategy so that the subscriber can see how to pay them off faster -- without paying more in monthly payments than they already do. And because Equifax already protects the personal credit information of more than 200 million U.S. adults, subscribers never need to disclose the user names or passwords associated with their financial accounts to an unknown third party in order to create their plan. "On average, households with credit active consumers owe 24% of their annual income in debt, but are only spending 13% of their disposable income repaying debt," says Steve Ely, President, Equifax Personal Information Solutions. "At that rate, consumers are not even treading water, they're drowning in debt! That is why it is so important that consumers have a game plan for getting out of debt -- a plan that they can actually stick to." Debt Wise is a powerful, easy, and secure way for consumers to create a plan to pay off their debts faster; plus have their progress automatically tracked and receive alerts to let them know if they are on or off plan. By sticking to their plan, consumers may be able to pay off their debts faster and potentially save a lot of money in interest payments. For less than $.50 per day, Debt Wise combines the power of the Equifax Credit Report with the ingenuity of debt stacking to help consumers take control of their debt with features like: -- Fast Pay Plan Wizard that makes setting up a plan simple, straightforward and flexible by automatically importing debts from the Equifax Credit Report and enabling subscribers to decide which debts to include in their payment plan. -- Monitoring and Monthly Alerts that help subscribers know if they are on or off plan and when an account is paid off. Plus alerts within 24 hours of key changes to their Equifax credit file. -- 4 FICO Scores every 12 months so subscribers can check their credit score, as it may change over time. -- Commitment Calculator tool to simulate how paying additional amounts towards debts could accelerate one's debt freedom date. -- Spend Smart Tools that provide ideas on ways to save money and spend wisely. -- Identity Theft Insurance of up to $25,000 with no deductible *. Debt Wise is a part of Equifax's suite of products designed to help consumers understand their credit, protect their identity, and maximize their financial well-being. For more information about Equifax Debt Wise, visit http://www.equifaxdebtwise.com/. About Equifax Inc. (http://www.equifax.com)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 understand 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. *Insurance underwritten by member companies of American International Group, Inc. The description herein is a summary only. It does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for complete details of coverage and exclusions. Debt Wise does not provide debt management advice, credit counseling, financial planning or counseling, and will not act as an intermediary between subscribers and their lenders/creditors. Subscribers must continue to pay their lenders/creditors directly in accordance with their terms. Debt Wise will not improve or repair subscribers' credit history or score, or debt-to-income ratio. Debt Wise is not available in NV, UT, or DC. See equifaxdebtwise.com for important additional information. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060224/CLF037LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Equifax Inc. CONTACT: Demitra Wilson of Equifax Inc., +1-678-795-7885, Web Site: http://www.equifax.com/

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