CHICAGO, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Trans Union has filed an appeal with the
Commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission of the August ruling of the FTC
Administrative Law Judge that Trans Union's marketing lists are consumer
reports.
    "Trans Union's direct marketing lists are not consumer reports because
they do not disclose credit performance information," explains Oscar Marquis,
Trans Union's Vice President/General Counsel.  "Lists from our competitors
that go unregulated by the FTC disclose far more sensitive information."
    The case involves direct marketing lists that are based in part on
narrowly restricted information from Trans Union's database of consumer credit
information.  They are not based on confidential credit information.  Lists
used for prescreening consumers for credit solicitations are not in dispute.
    The decision of the Federal Trade Commission will likely take many months.
In the meantime, the Administrative Law Judge's order is not binding and Trans
Union's data and data products remain available to direct marketers.
    "As a responsible provider of data, we respect the privacy rights of
consumers and firmly believe that our marketing list business in no way
violates those rights," said Jan Davis, Trans Union's Group Vice President and
General Manager of PerformanceData.

    About Trans Union
    Trans Union is one of the nation's leading consumer credit information
companies, with owned and independent credit bureaus in all 50 states.  The
company provides a broad range of industries with products and services that
include credit reports, risk scoring models, target marketing systems,
pre-employment evaluation reports, skip tracing and search tools, customized
lists, transaction service, products that service both equity and first
mortgage lenders, as well as other information-based products.  Trans Union
also offers similar products through its international operations in Puerto
Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, Italy, Mexico and South Africa.
Offices have also recently opened in Chile, Kenya, Peru and Spain.

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