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TransUnion

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TransUnion, LLC
Company typePublic
NYSE: TRU
IndustryInformation Technology
FoundedFebruary 8, 1968
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Jim Peck
ProductsCredit Reports
ServicesCredit information
RevenueUS$1.3 billion (2014)
Number of employees
4,100[1] (2015)
Websitetransunion.com

TransUnion is an American company that provides credit information and information management services to approximately 45,000 businesses and approximately 500 million consumers worldwide in 33 countries.[2] It is also the third-largest credit bureau in the United States. Like major competitors Equifax and Experian, TransUnion markets credit reports directly to consumers. The company is based in Chicago, Illinois, and its revenue in 2014 was US$1.3 billion.[3]

History

TransUnion was originally formed in 1968 as a holding company for the railroad leasing organization, Union Tank Car Company. The following year, it acquired the Credit Bureau of Cook County, which possessed and maintained 3.6 million card files.[2] In 1981, a Chicago-based holding company The Marmon Group acquired TransUnion for approximately $688 million.[4][5] Almost thirty years later, in 2010, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Advent International acquired it from Madison Dearborn Partners[6] In 2014, TransUnion acquired Hank Asher’s data company TLO.[7] On June 25, 2015, TransUnion became a publicly traded company for the first time, trading under the symbol TRU.

TransUnion has evolved its business over the years to offer products and services for both businesses and consumers. For businesses, TransUnion has evolved its traditional credit score offering to include trended data that helps predict consumer repayment and debt behavior. This product, referred to as CreditVision, launched in Oct. 2013.[8]

Its SmartMove™ service facilitates credit and background checks for consumers who may be serving in a landlord capacity.[9]

In September 2013, the company acquired eScan Data Systems of Austin to provide post-service eligibility determination support to hospitals and healthcare systems. The technology was integrated into TransUnion’s ClearIQ platform that tracks patients demographic and insurance related information to support benefit verification.[10]

In November 2013, TransUnion acquired TLO LLC, a company that leverages data in support of its investigative and risk management tools. Its TLOxp technology aggregates data sets and using a proprietary algorithm to uncover relationships between data that were not possible before.[11]

In 2014, a TransUnion analysis found that reporting rental payment information to credit bureaus can positively affect credit scores. To benefit consumers, they initiated a service called ResidentCredit, making it easy for property owners to report data about their tenants to TransUnion on a monthly basis. These reports include the amount each tenant pays, the timeliness of their last payment, and any remaining balance the tenant currently owes. As a result, companies have started reporting rent payment information to TransUnion, including YapStone, Inc., Pangea Real Estate, and RentReporters.

As part of its fraud protection products, it also offers business a tool called DecisionEdge that aggregates the data needed to prevent fraud through a system that customizes the information needed to finalize a transaction.[12]

For consumers, TransUnion offers credit monitoring and identity theft protection tools. The company’s app offers a function called CreditLock that allows an individual to unlock and lock their credit to help protect against fraudulent activity.

In 2003, Judy Thomas of Klamath Falls, Oregon, was awarded $5.3 million in a successful lawsuit against TransUnion. The award was made on the grounds that it took her six years to get TransUnion to remove incorrect information in her credit report.[13]

In 2006, after spending two years trying to correct erroneous credit information that resulted from being a victim of identity theft, a fraud victim named Sloan filed suit against all three of the USA's largest credit agencies. TransUnion and Experian settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. In Sloan v. Equifax, a jury awarded Sloan $351,000. "She wrote letters. She called them. They saw the problem. They just didn't fix it," said attorney A. Hugo Blankingship III of Blankingship & Associates in Alexandria, Virginia.[14]

TransUnion has also been criticized for concealing charges. Many users complained of not being aware of a $17.95/month charge for holding a TransUnion account.[15]

In March 2015, following a settlement with the New York Attorney General, TransUnion, along with other credit reporting companies, Experian and Equifax, agreed to help consumers with errors and red flags on credit reports. Under the new settlement, credit-reporting firms are required to use trained employees to respond when a consumer flags a mistake on their file. These employees are responsible for communicating with the lender and resolving the dispute.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "TransUnion CSR REport 2015" (PDF). TransUnion. TransUnion. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b "TransUnion Company History". TransUnion. TransUnion. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  3. ^ "TransUnion SEC Filing (2014)". SEC. SEC. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  4. ^ Marmon Group
  5. ^ Cunningham, Lawrence. "Book: All One." Berkshire beyond Buffett: The Enduring Value of Values, ". New York Columbia Business School. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Advent and Goldman to buy TransUnion in $3B Deal". New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  7. ^ "TransUnion Closes Acquisition of TLO". Inside Arm. Inside Arm. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  8. ^ "How Borrowers Can Use TransUnion CreditVision to Get Better Loan Rates | GOBankingRates". GOBankingRates. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  9. ^ "Tenant Screening: Why Landlords Conduct Background Checks Before Accepting Your Offer -- Should You be Worried?". Realty Today. 2015-11-25. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  10. ^ "TransUnion acquires Austin's eScan Data Systems - Austin Business Journal". Austin Business Journal. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  11. ^ "Court gives approval for TransUnion-TLO merger". Venture Capital Post. 2013-11-23. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  12. ^ "TransUnion enhances fraud detection". IT-Online. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  13. ^ Block, Sandra. "Fixing errors in credit report is no small task", USA Today, 2005-08-27.
  14. ^ Baldas, Tresa. "Consumer Lawsuits Against Credit Bureaus Are Multiplying", The National Law Journal, 2006-08-16.
  15. ^ http://www.consumeraffairs.com/privacy/transunion.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ "http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/09/pf/credit-reporting-agencies-settlement/". CNN Money. CNN. Retrieved 13 May 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
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