BANKTOTHEFUTURE.COM SELECTS EQUIFAX FOR ID VERIFICATION

Innovative ‘CrowdFunding’ platform, supported by Sir Richard Branson, protects its member lenders, borrowers and investors from fraud risks for new business finance channel

www.equifax.com

London,September 2012 - Leading consumer credit information specialist, Equifax, is playing an integral role in the innovative new social investing platform, BankToTheFuture.com, launched this month to give entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs a new source of funding. Equifax consumer risk data and ID verification solutions are being used with BankToTheFuture.com’s own social data to protect its lenders, borrowers and investors from the risk of fraud.

BanktotheFuture.com is currently the only CrowdFunding platform using Equifax to make sure entrepreneurs and investors are who they say they are. And by combining Equifax data with information sourced by BankToTheFuture.com from social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+, this innovative approach recently got the attention of Sir Richard Branson. Sir Richard said: “There’s a real opportunity for positive change in the industry. I like the goals of BankToTheFuture.com, where everything is transparent and people can see what happens with their money.”

BankToTheFuture.com chose Equifax because of the company’s market leading consumer credit risk management experience. Equifax has also a strong track record of working with the developing social funding market and is particularly excited about the emergence of ‘CrowdFunding’ being offered by BankToTheFuture.com and other new entrants.

Peer-to-peer and social lending sites that have launched in the last few years offer consumers an alternative to traditional lending channels. Now CrowdFunding offers an important alternative for small businesses, enabling them to gain investment or borrow from a ‘crowd’ of lenders and investors interested in their business, rather than waiting for one lender able to offer the required amount of money.

BankToTheFuture.com facilitates CrowdFunding, CrowdLoans and CrowdInvestment and is committed to helping SMEs, start-ups and entrepreneurs. It brings together those looking to invest in business and those businesses requiring finance, allowing them to arrange finance between themselves and bypassing traditional loan systems. BankToTheFuture.com’s new partnership with Equifax means its members will be protected by quality risk data and ID verification to help reduce the risk of fraud and potential debt.

“The success of our service depends on us being able to provide a safe trading environment for our members, and our partnership with Equifax offers us that security”, explains Simon Dixon, CEO of BankToTheFuture.com. “Equifax has the experience and expertise to work with us to build new models that meet all the requirements of this new and growing market. Working closely with us, Equifax has created an innovative solution that is flexible enough to adapt to our needs as the business grows and changes in the future.

“BankToTheFuture.com offers start-ups and smaller businesses new sources of funding, backed by a robust verification system powered by Equifax. We are already benefiting from Equifax’s high level of service, and look forward to working together to develop new products in future to meet the needs of the growing business.”

Shawn Holtzclaw, Managing Director of Equifax adds: “The exciting CrowdFunding market is growing rapidly, giving businesses more choice to gain access to credit. But, of course, it is crucial to minimise the risk to those who choose to get involved in this new funding channel. Our new partnership with BankToTheFuture.com reflects Equifax’s commitment to this sector, exploiting the expertise and data that has been proven in traditional lending markets. It also demonstrates our ability to create tailor-made risk management solutions for organisations identifying new market opportunities.”

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For further information on BankToTheFuture.com, please contact Simon Dixon at: simon@banktothefuture.com or on 07501 085915.

For further press information on Equifax, please contact: Wendy Harrison, Cecile Stearn, Jenny Thorneywork or Clare Watson at HSL on 020 8977 9132 / Fax: 020 8977 5200 or Email: equifaxbtobteam@harrisonsadler.com

About Equifax

Equifax is a global leader in consumer, commercial and workforce information solutions, that provides businesses of all sizes and consumers with insight and information they can trust. Equifax organizes and assimilates data on more than 500 million consumers and 81 million businesses worldwide, and uses 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.

A Step By Step Guide to Gaining Funding or Investment at BankToTheFuture.com

• All pitches have to aim to create some new value and look to build jobs in the future.
• People need to sign up to pitch or invest and complete their profile in full, with their social media profiles which then gives them a social capital score, including Equifax credit and ID data, which BanktotheFuture.com verifies against. Sign up at www.banktothefuture.com
• They then need to answer a few questions about what they want to achieve and what they want to do with the money and BanktotheFuture.com will follow up with an interview or accept / reject.
• BanktotheFuture.com only accepts if they feel that person has the social capital to do well in that type of funding and is willing to put the effort in to create a good pitch video.
• Entrepreneurs have 90 days to raise the finance for their pitches through BanktotheFuture.com
• The minimum investment is £10, the maximum is unlimited.
• In the case of lending (as of 2013), their business needs to be trading for a minimum of two years, with good cashflow and a good credit rating.