Equifax collects and also aggregates information on more than 88 million businesses and more than 880 million individuals worldwide. The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. [16] Certegy effectively became a subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial as a result of this reverse acquisition merger (See Certegy and Fidelity National Information Services for further information).[16]. Photograph of Cator Woolford, who, with his brother Guy, started the Retail Credit Company, the precursor to Equifax, in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2000, Equifax, along with Experian and TransUnion, was fined $2.5 million for blocking and delaying phone calls from consumers trying to get information about their credit. Not long after, the government accused the company of rating employees based on how much negative information they could find about consumers. [50] The data from the breach has yet to be seen on black markets or the dark web by security experts, making it difficult to identify the origin of the breach. Equifax Inc. is the largest consumer credit bureau in the United States, providing information about consumers to clients in several industries, including insurance, finance, credit card, banking, retail, and telecommunications. [71] In her lawsuit, Miller alleged Equifax had merged her credit reports with another person with a different Social Security number, date of birth, and address. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Our History: From Cator Woolford Gardens to Our Disabilities Programs Our History Frazer Center is tucked away on 39 acres of old-growth forest in the heart of Atlanta. After a month the task had grown so large that two additional men were hired to assist the Woolfords, and one week later a woman was employed as well. Equifax Inc (NYSE:EFX) 196.37. It has employed more than 32,000 workers globally, and it is traded at the New York Stock Exchange under the name EFX. 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. Market Value. Merchants paid $25 a year to use the book and subsequent credit reports; grocers paid less. The agency handles information on more than 88 million businesses and 880 million individuals globally. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. 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. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. [11] RCC also investigated insurance claims and made employment reports when people were seeking new jobs. . 2); Equifax Ventures, Inc.; Financial Institution Benefit Association, Inc.; Financial Insurance Marketing Group, Inc.; First Bankcard Systems, Inc.; Global Scan Ltd. (U.K.); Global Scan (USA), Inc.; Goldleaf Technologies, Inc.; High Integrity Systems, Inc.; The Infocheck Group Ltd. (U.K.); Infolink Ltd. (U.K.); Light Signatures, Inc.; Market Knowledge, Incorporated; Stewardship, Inc.; Tecnicob S.A. (France); Transax Australia plc (U.K.); Transax France plc (U.K.); Transax (Ireland) plc; Transax Ltd. (New Zealand); Transax plc. Once the home of Cator Woolford, a principal founder of what is now known as Equifax, the Italian-style gardens serve as a wedding and event venue infused with decades of classic beauty and Southern charm. Nevertheless, after the company pledged to monitor its procedures more carefully, the government halted its investigation. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. The enterprise was newly christened the Retail Credit Company, Inc., on December 29, 1913. 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. In an effort to focus on payment services, credit reporting, and risk management services, Equifax sold its healthcare information business in 1996, just four years after entering the field; then in the following year Equifax spun off its insurance information services group, which had been a part of the company for nearly as long as credit reporting had been. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). [47], According to Bloomberg, a person familiar with the breach believed this early-March intrusion may have been carried out by the same party that breached Equifax's computer systems again in May. Here's Why You Should Go for It", "Think You've Got Your Credit Freezes Covered? [14] Equifax formerly offered digital certification services, which it sold to GeoTrust in September 2001. Armed with a form showing the information that would be provided about each potential customer, the salesman pulled in a large number of new clients. [68], The company has been fined by the Federal Trade Commission on two occasions for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA"). 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. In April 1988 the company established a marketing services division, whose first project was to develop a direct-mail program to sell home mortgages for a Midwestern insurance company. Reese, Krista. Equifax was founded in 1898 by two brothers, Cator and Guy Woolford. 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. Revenues had reached a record $1.62 billion by 1998, but the outlook was somewhat clouded by the economic uncertainties that had begun with the Asian financial crisis of 1997. By the end of the decade, however, Retail Credit had opted to reenter the consumer credit reporting business. The change symbolized the company's growing capabilities and prepared the way for further diversification of its activities, from operations centered in the insurance industry to wider marketing functions. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. [15] Also in 2001, Equifax spun off its payment services division, forming the publicly listed company Certegy, which subsequently acquired Fidelity National Information Services in 2006. Thanks for your help! [85][86] Equifax ultimately reached a settlement with regulators for up to $700 million. The company claims to have discovered evidence of the cybercrime event on July 29, 2017. As a trustee of the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, Woolford helped to acquire land that would become a buffer for the Fernbank Forest. He established the Thomas Guy Woolford Charitable Trust, which is today administered by SunTrust Banks (now Truist). We have set your language to The agency has recorded a very big growth over the years, and they have total assets worth $7.23 billion. Resend Activation Email. In addition to credit and demographic data and services to business,[5] Equifax sells credit monitoring and fraud prevention services directly to consumers. For many years, Equifax has operated mostly on the business-to-business sector, where it sold consumer credit and insurance reports. In the following year, the company's capacity grew 40 percent, to cover all 50 states. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. As an Equifax executive explained in Business Week, "People see the use of this information as a privacy problem if it goes beyond credit purposes." The company handles or facilitates more than ten million electronic transactions per day for 300,000 customers worldwide. In the first full year of U.S. military involvement, the company lost 1,200 workers. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. In 1899 Cator and Guy Woolford, two brothers from Woolford, Maryland, began operations as the Retail Credit Company in Atlanta. Once the estate of Cator Woolford, founder of the company now known as Equifax, these lovely grounds include the beautiful Cator Woolford Gardens. [citation needed] Business customers include retailers, insurance firms, healthcare providers, utilities, government agencies, as well as banks, credit unions, personal and specialty finance companies and other financial institutions. Frazer Center is tucked away on 39 acres of old-growth forest in the heart of Atlanta. Over the years, the agency has faced several challenges, their biggest one being security failings. 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. In mid-1992 Equifax agreed to provide consumers with a toll-free number and to begin investigating disputes within 30 days. Copyright 2018 Key Credit Repair. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Miller contacted Equifax repeatedly in writing and over the telephone, but Equifax refused to delete dozens of false collection accounts from Miller's credit report. The company continued expansion by opening new branch offices throughout the decades following the war. [27][28], In July 2019, The New York Times, the New York Post and other media reported Equifax had agreed to pay approximately $650 million to settle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to resolve investigations by several state attorneys general, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the FTC, and a consumer class-action lawsuit related to the data breach. Failed to report flower. Following these failings, Equifax has faced several lawsuits as well as fines over the years. Two brothers, Cator and Guy Woolford, created the company. "[49], Several consumers filed lawsuits in small-claims court against Equifax due to the breach, while Equifax later came to a $575 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to offer either a cash payment or credit monitoring for those affected by the breach. He was co-founder of Atlanta Retail Credit Company (now Equifax) and used part of his fortune to build this estate and mansion in the historic Ponce de . Once the home of Cator Woolford, a principal founder of what is now known as Equifax, the Italian-style gardens serve as a wedding and event venue infused with decades of classic beauty and Southern charm. Equifax disclosed the breach on September 7, 2017, after determining the means and scope of the breach. They were originally founded in 1898, 70 years before the creation of the Trans Union. Likewise, Equifax gained the capability to provide additional types of information to clients. The company sold stock to the public for the first time in 1965. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. In 1934, he co-founded the short-lived Correct Address Company, with Edwin K. Large . Woolford was sympathetic to Roosevelts illness, and he became one of the founders of the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation (later, Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation). Oops, we were unable to send the email. 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). By 1986 the company's files covered 150 million people in 28 states. Cator Woolford Gardens, situated in the Frazer Center, was originally designed for Cator Woolford, one of the founders of Equifax Inc. Make sure that the file is a photo. Equifax was forced to confront growing consumer hostility in the early 1990s, as watchdog groups contended that credit bureaus' files were often inaccurate and were used in inappropriate ways. [4] Equifax collects and aggregates information on over 800 million individual consumers and more than 88 million businesses worldwide. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Nestled on 39 acres of mature hardwood forest, Cator Woolford Gardens at the Frazer Center is located on one of the few remaining intact historic estates in Metropolitan Atlanta, just a few miles from the heart of downtown.The Gardens were originally created as part of the estate of Cator Woolford, one of the principal founders of Retail Credit Company (now, Equifax, Inc.). Again, charges were droppedby that time (1982), national computer databases made information that was once available only regionally accessible nationwide. Milton Old School Baptist Church Cemetery, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/73468528/cator-ringgold-woolford. The settlement includes up to $425 million to help people affected by the data breach. 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 early 1930s Retail Credit, having 81 branch offices at its disposal, began studying cost-effective means of getting back into the commercial credit report business. There was a consent decree. Equifax is the oldest and largest credit bureau in existence today. learn how over 7,000 companies got started! Try again later. [57][58] In July 2019, Equifax settled with the Federal Trade Commission for $700 million. Your support helps us commission new entries and update existing content. In 1934, he co-founded the short-lived Correct Address Company, with Edwin K. Large . 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. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Miller's lawyer, Justin Baxter, explained that the false reporting damaged Miller's reputation, she was denied credit, and her private information was given to businesses Miller had no relationship with. The number grew to 258 over the next ten years. Oops, something didn't work. Equifax purchased eThority, a business intelligence (BI) company headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, in October 2011. eThority is partnering with TALX, a St. Louis-based business unit of Equifax, and remained in Charleston. 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 researcher requested anonymity out of professional concerns. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? [42] Equifax and other credit monitoring agencies are required by law to provide US residents with one free credit file disclosure every 12 months; the Annualcreditreport.com website incorporates data from U.S. Equifax credit records. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. As one of the key players in the increasingly electronic world of commerce, however, Equifax was likely to survive the thrive. In 1979 the company took a big step in that direction, acquiring Elrick & Lavidge, a Chicago firm that performed marketing surveys, and merging it into the company's Marketing Information Services subsidiary. 1986: The company amasses data on more than 150 million consumers in 28 states. 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. In 1934 Retail Credit purchased a Brooklyn credit agency, Retailers Commercial Agency, Inc. Retail Credit moved to professionalize operations in the 1930s, relying less and less on part-time correspondents for information and more often utilizing full-time, company-trained inspectors. In 1991 Equifax also abandoned a planned joint database project with Lotus Development Corporation that would have made available to small businesses a wide array of demographic information at microneighborhood levels; a consumer outcry and negative media attention led to the project's demise. [46] Moreover, the employee portal was reportedly not the same server targeted in the later breaches, which Motherboard speculates may suggest multiple breaches by more than one party may have occurred. 2015 mmwoodruff (Atlas Obscura User) The Cator Woolford Gardens, a 39-acre park just a few miles outside of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, are one of the last remaining historic estates anywhere in . Retail Credit Company's information holdings and willingness to sell its information attracted criticism in the 1960s and 1970s. [citation needed] Equifax sells businesses credit reports, analytics, demographic data, and software. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Equifax has an annual revenue of over $3.1 billion. 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. 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). Towards this end, the company opened five new insurance-related offices in that year. In June 1901 Retail Credit branched out into another industry, as it began providing so-called "moral hazard" information on potential policyholders to the Equitable Life Assurance Society. In 1904 a fourth office was opened in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2015, Equifax was ranked number 13 on the American Banker FinTech Forward list. Principal Operating Units: North American Information Services; Payment Services; Equifax Europe; Equifax Latin America; Knowledge Engineering. 1898: Equifax's roots begin in this year as a Tennessee-based grocery story. By 1920, the company had offices throughout the United States and Canada. [87], 2016 advance-warnings of insecure systems, 2017 withdrawal of vulnerable mobile apps. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. [79], On November 4, 2017, it was reported that a group of five Oklahomans had sued the company, claiming that Equifax "violated laws which require financial institutions to protect the security of their customers' personal information. The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. [12] It is alleged that the hearings prompted the Retail Credit Company to change its name to Equifax in 1975 to improve its image. Cator Woolford (1869-1944) moved to Georgia and formed a credit bureau there with his brother Guy. Equifax, one of the largest credit-reporting agencies in the country, collects data on more than 400 million credit holders nationwide. There is intrinsic vulnerability in collecting and storing personal financial information, and we need to have a meaningful discussion on how to protect and limit access to it. These purchases were subsequently challenged by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which claimed that they reduced competition. One of the country's top credit-reporting agencies, Equifax is one of Georgia's most profitable companies. [60][61][62][63] At that time, only 3 out of 65 top anti-malware products provided protection against the particular malware, meaning that many visitors were at risk of having their computers infected when visiting the Equifax website. Guy Woolford was also inclined to make lasting contributions to his community. [57][58] For roughly half the US population, both of the latter pieces of data are known to be in possession of criminals, following Equifax's MayJuly 2017 security breach. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. , Maryland, began operations as the Retail credit had opted to reenter the consumer reporting. 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