LONDON, March 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax, a leading provider of consumer credit and business risk management services, has acquired Workload Financial Business Consultants Limited, the UK's leading provider of strategic intelligence to wealth and investment financial product providers.

Formed in 1988, Workload operates a shared investment product data exchange with information provided by over 90 of the UK's leading financial services companies. Workload provides these organisations with business-critical market intelligence in order to drive sales, product design and distribution strategies.

At a time when financial services, telecommunications and retail companies are seeking to gain market advantage through effective customer management, this acquisition allows Equifax to provide the broadest possible insight into consumer behaviours and market opportunities.

"I am tremendously excited about the addition of Workload to the Equifax business," explained Shawn Holtzclaw, Managing Director, Equifax. "It adds real value to the Equifax proposition. Adding their extensive wealth and asset data, including information on ISAs, bonds, unit trusts, pensions and mortgages to our own data, means we can give consumer-facing businesses in a wide range of markets a greater overall insight into the financial status and capabilities of customers and prospects. This will enable us to deliver improved customer acquisition, retention and growth for our clients."

The acquisition of Workload is part of Equifax's global strategy to continue to develop its market-leading wealth intelligence business. Equifax Inc acquired U.S. wealth data specialist, IXI, at the end of 2009 and Workload extends this expertise.

"This partnership gives us a fantastic opportunity to build and improve on the services which we currently provide to our increasingly sophisticated client base," said Mark Hamill, Managing Director, Workload. "Working with the Equifax team we will be able to help companies improve all aspects of their business growth strategies."

"Workload has built a respected and successful business with a blue chip client base that mirrors Equifax's own client profile," concluded Holtzclaw. "I am hugely confident that the combination of our two organisations - the data and the analytical expertise - will create a compelling and innovative proposition that, to date hasn't been seen in the UK market."