One of the country's top credit-reporting agencies, Equifax is one of Georgia's most profitable companies. The company was founded by Cator Woolford and Guy Woolford in 1899 and is headquartered in Atlanta . Copyright (c) 2022 Company-Histories.com. Resend Activation Email. "[45], According to an October 2017 report from Motherboard, around December 2016, a security researcher examining Equifax's servers found that an online portal, created for Equifax employees only, was accessible to the open Internet. Equifax Inc. Other services offered by Equifax include selling credit monitoring to their customers as well as fraud prevention services. Founded by brothers. With his brother Guy, Cator Woolford started the Retail Credit Company, the precursor to Equifax. Failed to delete memorial. Consolidation in the credit bureau industry continued throughout the 1980s, as Equifax and its two largest competitors, TRW Inc. and the Trans Union Corporation, divided up the nation's smaller credit bureaus amongst themselves. Over the years the company has produced several profitable data-gathering and transaction-processing progeny, including Certegy, which became a separate entity in 2001, and ChoicePoint, which became a separate entity in 1997. In the following year, the company's capacity grew 40 percent, to cover all 50 states. [46], "I didn't have to do anything fancy," the researcher told Motherboard, explaining that the site was vulnerable to a basic "forced browsing" bug. Name. Its headquarters are located on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta. It has employed more than 32,000 workers globally, and it is traded at the New York Stock Exchange under the name EFX. This legislation gave consumers rights regarding information stored about them in corporate databanks. Equifax is headed by Mark L. Feidler as the chairman of the board, Mark W. Begor, as the CEO, and John W. as the vice president as well as the CFC. Equifax disclosed the breach on September 7, 2017, after determining the means and scope of the breach. In addition to formation of a technology division, brought about by the consolidation of the company's activities in that field, Equifax also acquired Telecredit, Inc., a Los Angeles credit bureau that provided check and credit card authorization services, for $457 million in 1990. By the end of the company's second decade of existence, Retail Credit was thoroughly established as a significant partner in the life insurance business. Nevertheless, after the company pledged to monitor its procedures more carefully, the government halted its investigation. Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. Try again later. Equifax is 124 years old. In 1934, he co-founded the short-lived Correct Address Company, with Edwin K. Large . Guy Woolford was also inclined to make lasting contributions to his community. In October 2010, Equifax announced it was acquiring Anakam, an identity verification software company headquartered in San Diego, California, which invented and pioneered SMS (text-message based) two-factor authentication. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. In Canada, Equifax purchased Collective Credit Bureaus Ltd. and Creditel of Canada Limited, a credit reporting agency. Weve updated the security on the site. On two occasions, the agency was fined by the Federal Trade Commission, and this was for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. They were originally founded in 1898, 70 years before the creation of the Trans Union. To use this feature, use a newer browser. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. The company sold stock to the public for the first time in 1965. The company claims to have discovered evidence of the cybercrime event on July 29, 2017. This number contains a $380,500,000 consumer restitution fund, part of the class action lawsuit. Cator Woolford got his start in the credit bureau business as a grocer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Its customers included retailers, government agencies, healthcare providers, insurance firms, and credit unions, among many others. Equifax has been operational for over a decade, during which time it has experienced immense success. [6], Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. (to see if you were a victim of this hack, please. The business soon became very successful. You can always change this later in your Account settings. The company responded that such findings were never used in credit-rating evaluations but were limited to its insurance and consumer investigations businesses (which were later spun off). Oops, we were unable to send the email. In May 1989 Equifax formed a strategic alliance with the fifth largest credit bureau, CSC Credit Services, a division of the Computer Sciences Corporation; the yield was 65 additional bureaus, bringing Equifax's total number of bureaus to more than 300. Expanded into Insurance-Related Business in 1901. Today, Equifax has a workforce of about 14,000 employees throughout 19 countries, and reports revenue of $3.14 billion per year. Another achievement is being named a Top Technology Provider, Top Workplace, and it was the winner of the InformationWeek Elite 100, among many others. [76], In 2014, Equifax and Heartland Bank were sued by Kimberly Haman of the St. Louis area for reporting she was dead. Cator Woolford, John Kallassy Get Updates for Jobs and News Equifax Jobs Nearby Equifax Jobs Equifax Similar Companies Show More Find Jobs from Similar Companies Personalize your job search. In the fall of 1901, the company dispatched a salesman to the Northeast to drum up business in the home offices of the nation's largest insurance companies. In mid-1992 Equifax agreed to provide consumers with a toll-free number and to begin investigating disputes within 30 days. In 2003, the FTC took Equifax to court for the same reason and settled its lawsuit with the company for a fine of $250,000. Equifax Similar Companies Jobs Equifax History FAQs How Old Is Equifax? "With his brother Guy, Cator Woolford started the Retail Credit Company, the precursor to Equifax. Finally, we can read about how these great companies came about with Company Histories.. Equifax, one of the nations top three credit-reporting agencies, along with Experian and TransUnion, holds information on more than 400 million credit holders across the country. In 1950, 140 locations were providing services. By the mid-1960s, nearly 300 branch offices had been opened along with almost 1,400 sub-offices, employing roughly 7,400 inspectors. Call toll free: 1-877-842-5215, Top Four Ways To Financial Freedom In 2023, 5 Secret Facts About Credit That You Never Knew, Best Credit Card Practices Ahead of the Holidays, Ways to Use Your Credit Card That Nobody Talks About, 1898: Equifaxs roots begin in this year as a Tennessee-based grocery story. CFO of Equifax John Gamble is the Chief Financial Officer at Equifax and is responsible for all financial functions, including corporate finance, investor relations, accounting, audit, tax and treasury, as well as global procurement, real estate, and the Equifax shared service center in Costa Rica. Add to your scrapbook. Merchants paid $25 a year to use the book and subsequent credit reports; grocers paid less. Founded by brothers Cator and Guy Woolford, each got their start in the credit business as grocers, where they compiled lists of customers based on their creditworthiness. In the first full year of U.S. military involvement, the company lost 1,200 workers. Cator actually got the idea from his grocery business, where they collected customers' names and evidence of credit worthiness. 28. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. This changed in 1999 when the agency started offering services to credit consumer sectors. You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. Riley, Michael, Anita Sharpe, and Jordan Robertson, "The New Equifax Boss Wants to Make Amends. Equifax Inc. is an American multinational consumer credit reporting agency headquartered in Atlanta, . In addition to consumer and commercial credit information services, Equifax has a diversified array of operations including payment services, software, modeling, analytics, consulting, and direct-to-consumer services. Retrieved Aug 19, 2013, from https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/equifax/. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Equifax is headed by Mark L. Feidler as the chairman of the board, Mark W. Begor, as the CEO, and John W. as the vice president as well as the CFC. In addition to credit and demographic data and services to business,[5] Equifax sells credit monitoring and fraud prevention services directly to consumers. In 1975 the company changed its name to "Equifax"reportedly to counteract its tarnished reputation. These activities had long taken place at a different location under separate management; three years later, Retail Credit further severed its connection when the Exchange was sold to businessman L.S. "[80] Equifax selected the law firm DLA Piper to work on the case in D.C. Insurance companies paid much more highly for the information they needed; Retail Credit quickly expanded operations into this lucrative area. Please try again later. After several visits to the city, the Woolfords rented an office consisting of a single room on the fifth floor of the Gould Building, at 10 Decatur Street, and had the words "Retail Credit Company" printed on the door in large black letters. Cator Woolford got his start in the credit bureau business as a grocer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Likewise, Equifax gained the capability to provide additional types of information to clients. It started in Atlanta, Georgia, under the name of Retail Credit Company. The following year the company also opened a branch office in Cincinnati. Please enter your email and password to sign in. [18], Equifax was the subject of more than 57,000 consumer complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from October 2012 to September 17, 2017, with most complaints relating to incomplete, inaccurate, outdated, or misattributed information held by the company. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Here's What You Can Do", "Want that $125 from Equifax? Its stock value consistently outperforms the market, and the company often explores new ventures, although with varying degrees of success. Equifax is the oldest and largest credit bureau in existence today. There was an error deleting this problem. Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, Statutory and Executive Boards and Commissions, Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. Nestled on 39 acres of mature hardwoods, the Cator Woolford Gardens are situated on one of the few remaining intact historic estates in Metropolitan Atlanta and are located just a few miles from the heart of downtown. With the company's sales running at $350,000, the Woolfords decided to incorporate. For instance, in 1908 the company began issuing reports for automobile liability insurers. Equifax is one of the three largest consumer credit reporting agencies in the United States alongside TransUnion and Experian. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Market Value. We see them around but we don't know what goes on behind the scenes. The settlement was for those who were affected by the data breach, and it cost Equifax over $700 million. The trouble-plagued ChoicePoint made headlines in 2005 for leaking consumers confidential information to identity thieves. Try again later. The vulnerability in which Chinese hackers leveraged was CVE-.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}2017-5638,[22] the hackers managed to stay in Equifax systems undetected for approximately 134 days. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); You have entered an incorrect email address. In a ten-year period, 104 smaller credit bureaus had been added to the Equifax network alone. . Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. The company experienced rapid growth, and by 1920 it had opened offices all over Canada and the United States, and by the 1960s, the agency was one of the leading credit bureaus. The Retail Credit Company continued to expand, going public in 1965 and (with other credit agencies) coming under Federal Trade Commission oversight in 1971. As consumers, we often take for granted all the hard work that goes into building a great company. Stock, Director Heather Wilson, Director John McKinley, Director & 6 others Equifax Competitors Credit Information Bureau 2000, Mumbai, $19.1M Canopy 2015, London, $12.4M Applied Data Finance 2014, New York City, $202M Aire 2014, London, $33.3M Equifaxs credit-scoring software is offered through many subsidiaries, and its customers include retailers, insurance firms, health-care providers, utilities, government agencies, banks, and other financial institutions. Also in the late 1970s, Equifax began strengthening consumer credit reporting operations by purchasing small, local credit reporting agencies and by affiliating with others. By the end of the company's second year, the staff had expanded to eight and the volume of sales was growing steadily. In addition, the agency sells fraud prevention and credit monitoring services to their customers. In 1941, when the war began for the United States, the company was providing 7.5 million reports a year; many of its inspectors, however, were drafted into the military and other employees left the enterprise to engage in war-related endeavors. Delayed Data. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. In addition, the company modified the processes for correcting mistakes in its files, making it easier for consumers to set the record straight. Late in 1991, the company bought out its British partner to form Equifax Europe. The increased competition resulted in a serious slump in Retail Credit's life insurance and credit reporting activities in 1921. By taking these steps to mollify the public, Equifax hoped to ward off federal legislation that would mandate costly measures to increase fairness. Milton Old School Baptist Church Cemetery, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/73468528/cator-ringgold-woolford. The agency agreed to a global settlement in January 2020 with different institutions like the Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, and 50 U.S. states and territories. All rights reserved. To make amends, Equifax announced in August 1991 that it would cease using credit information to compile lists for the purposes of direct marketing. Exited Healthcare and Insurance, Expanded Internationally, in Mid-to-Late 1990s. Woolford's former estate in Druid Hills is now the site of the Frazer Center and the Cator Woolford Gardens. Equifax collects and also aggregates information on more than 88 million businesses and more than 880 million individuals worldwide. You shouldn't count on it", "If you made a claim for $125 from Equifax, you're not getting it after court awards nearly $80 million to attorneys", "Equifax acquires Ansonia expanding leadership in commercial credit data solutions", "WSJ News Exclusive | Equifax Sent Lenders Inaccurate Credit Scores on Millions of Consumers", "Equifax issued wrong credit scores for millions", "Equifax sued over erroneous credit scores sent for "millions" of Americans", "Equifax to acquire Brazilian credit bureau Boa Vista Servios for $596m", "Freezing Credit Will Now Be Free. Renamed REACH in 1989 and the Frazer Center in 1999, the vision to offer research-based education, vocational support, and therapeutic intervention to children and adults with developmental disabilities remains intact. The U.S. entry into World War II had a serious impact on Retail Credit's business. Your support helps us commission new entries and update existing content. New Georgia Encyclopedia, last modified Aug 19, 2013. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/equifax/, Reese, K. (2006). [42] Equifax also provides commercial credit reports containing financial and non-financial data on businesses of all sizes. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Cator Woolford got his start in the credit bureau business as a grocer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. [42][43][44], In 1999, Equifax began offering services to the credit consumer sector in addition, such as credit fraud and identity theft prevention products. Thanks for your help! Having already moved into check verification and credit card processing in the early 1990s, Equifax diversified again in 1992 through the acquisition of Health Economics Corporation, which moved the company into the field of healthcare information. Or cator woolford equifax investments in 24 countries in the credit bureau business as a grocer in Chattanooga,.! 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