Across the country, consumers are moving out of the subprime credit score category

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Number of consumers with Equifax credit scores below 620 declines in 24 of the
top 25 metro areas
ATLANTA, Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of consumers with subprime
credit scores is shrinking across the country, according to new data from
Equifax. The total number of consumers with Equifax credit scores below 620 fell
2.1%, or by about 1 million consumers, in the third quarter of 2012 versus the
third quarter of 2011. The overall share of consumers with Equifax credit
scores under 620 fell by 0.7% (from 25.9% to 25.2%) during that same period.

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The trend is playing out to varying degrees in different metropolitan areas,
with Chicago seeing the largest decline in consumers with Equifax credit
scores below 620. In the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha metro area, 1.5 million consumers
had a credit score of 619 or below in the third quarter of 2012, a 9 percent
decline from the same quarter in 2011.

On the other end of the spectrum, Houston is the only metro area among the top
25 that had an increase in consumers with Equifax credit scores below 620, with
a 0.6 percent increase in the number of consumers in the lowest category when
compared to the same period in 2011. However, when accounting for population
growth in Houston, the percentage of the Houston population with subprime
credit scores fell by 0.5 percent.

Credit scores below 620 are considered subprime for the purposes of this report.
A consumer with an Equifax score below 620 likely will have a harder time
securing credit from a bank or other lender and may have to pay a higher
interest rate if a loan is secured.

"Consumer credit scores are improving in most major metropolitan areas," said
Trey Loughran, president of the Personal Solutions division at Equifax. "The job
market is improving and time is starting to heal the wounds of the Great
Recession."

The geographic differences can be attributed to a number of factors, including
employment, population shifts and demographic changes. For instance, in
Chicago, the unemployment rate declined 1.5 percentage points to 8.8 percent -
the fifth best improvement in unemployment among the largest 25 metro areas.
Also, there are significant improvements in early housing-bust markets such as
San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and
Miami, where people's credit scores are starting to recover after foreclosures.

"It is nice to see that over 1 million people across the country have moved out
of the below 620 range," said Loughran. "We are seeing a trend of consumers
being careful and disciplined about their use of existing credit while also
being cautious about using new accounts they have opened."

Top 25 Metro Markets: Number of Consumers with Equifax Credit Scores Below 620
Q3, 2012 vs. Q3, 2011

Total 619 & Below Total 619 & Below % Change
Top 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas Q3, 2011 Q3, 2012
1 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island NY-NJ-CT-PA 3,306,563 3,248,660 -1.8%
2 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County CA 3,326,552 3,149,559 -5.3%
3 Chicago-Gary-Kenosha IL-IN-WI CMSA 1,688,835 1,536,648 -9.0%
4 Washington-Baltimore DC-MD-VA-WV CMSA 1,545,133 1,528,358 -1.1%
5 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose CA CMSA 984,035 920,594 -6.4%
6 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City PA-NJ-DE-MD CMSA 1,178,359 1,164,211 -1.2%
7 Dallas-Fort Worth TX CMSA 1,418,294 1,373,994 -3.1%
8 Boston-Worcester-Lawrence MA-NH-ME-CT CMSA 848,824 837,057 -1.4%
9 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria TX CMSA 1,288,945 1,296,214 0.6%
10 Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint MI CMSA 1,160,113 1,137,517 -1.9%
11 Atlanta GA MSA 1,289,238 1,275,933 -1.0%
12 Miami-Fort Lauderdale FL CMSA 1,137,305 1,102,803 -3.0%
13 Phoenix-Mesa AZ MSA 850,651 819,090 -3.7%
14 Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton WA CMSA 602,351 596,029 -1.0%
15 Minneapolis-St. Paul MN-WI MSA 438,838 428,367 -2.4%
16 San Diego CA MSA 509,449 482,219 -5.3%
17 Denver-Boulder-Greeley CO CMSA 434,798 428,726 -1.4%
18 Cleveland-Akron OH CMSA 520,970 518,758 -0.4%
19 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL MSA 647,248 642,954 -0.7%
20 St. Louis MO-IL MSA 493,859 486,388 -1.5%
21 Portland-Salem OR-WA CMSA 404,681 400,684 -1.0%
22 Pittsburgh PA MSA 375,265 369,091 -1.6%
23 Las Vegas NV-AZ MSA 512,930 490,759 -4.3%
24 Sacramento-Yolo CA CMSA 371,947 348,953 -6.2%
25 Orlando FL MSA 528,232 521,646 -1.2%

About Equifax

Equifax Personal Solutions empowers consumers with the confidence and control to
be their financial best. Find out more about Equifax's innovative suite of
credit monitoring and identity theft protection products designed to enable
consumers to maximize their financial well-being at www.equifax.com. Get smart
information on everything from credit to retirement, all in one place at the
Equifax Finance Blog, www.blog.equifax.com.

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.

SOURCE Equifax

Patti Ghezzi, +1-404-290-1996, pghezzi@thewilbertrgroup.com or Michele
Cacdac-Jones, +1-678-795-7885, michele.cacdac-jones@equifax.com