Equifax Credit Bureau

Equifax began just before the dawn of the 20th century as the old Atlanta credit bureau. Called "Retail Credit Company" in those days, it eventually bought almost all the other bureaus throughout the American south and at one point even employed Welcome Wagon ladies to spy for them. Nicely coifed women bearing coupons and other gifts would greet the new neighbors and then make careful notes for headquarters regarding demeanor, employment, race, religion, national origin, whether the smell of alcohol was detected, and other subjective items deemed in those days to correlate with credit risk. By the time the first version of the Fair Credit Reporting Act was passed in 1971, "Retail Credit" deeply desired to shed its besmirched name and reputation, so its bland new corporate moniker Equifax was installed and history was duly forgotten.

Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374

Visitors who read this page also viewed these pages:

• Experian, Equifax & Trans-Union - The three major credit reporting agencies.
• Reading Credit Reports - How to read a credit report from a credit reporting agency.
• Credit Reporting Agencies - Basic information everyon should know about the three major credit reporting agencies.