Experian-Scorex and Standard & Poor's Risk Solutions Host Basel II Accord Seminar

Experian-Scorex Releases Banking Participant Survey Results

ATLANTA, May 6, 2004 -- Experian-Scorex(R), a global decision solutions company, and Standard & Poor's Risk Solutions, a provider of integrated tools and services to help financial institutions strengthen their internal rating systems, jointly hosted a recent Basel II seminar in New York to update U.S. banks regarding the Basel II Accord. Additionally, Experian-Scorex has released survey results generated from this event. Among the attendees were representatives from the world's largest banks.

The one-day program showcased Basel experts who addressed the challenges and opportunities that Basel II presents. The seminar also provided case studies, commercial lending and roundtable discussions, networking opportunities, software demonstrations and a preview of advanced reporting tools.

Seminar participants were asked to complete a survey regarding their Basel II compliance efforts. The survey revealed that 36 percent of the represented banks began working on Basel II in year 2000 or earlier. One hundred percent of those surveyed reported that their organizations had created a team for implementing the accord, and 83 percent believe their organizations will be fully compliant by the 2007 deadline. When asked which issues were most challenging along the path to compliance, 65 percent identified the area of data management. Forty-eight percent of participants expect that internal risk management at their institution will be greatly improved following Basel II implementation, while 48 percent think that it will be somewhat improved.

"This survey indicates that a majority, 88 percent of banks represented, will be adopting the Advanced Internal Ratings Based (IRB) approach," said Walt Ramsey, president, Experian-Scorex North America. "It also indicates that Basel is being embraced by more than just the top ten banks that are required to comply. Small and mid-tier banks acknowledge the benefits beyond compliance such as better risk management practices, improved lending ability and overall efficiency," Ramsey added.

The Basel II Accord is issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, and addresses capital adequacy requirements within the banking industry. The new accord follows an approach that more precisely represents the inherent risks banks face. The first deadline for Basel II compliance is January 1, 2007 for the top ten U.S. banking institutions.

About Standard & Poor's Risk Solutions

Providing a rich variety of advanced tools and services, Standard & Poor's Risk Solutions (http://www.risksolutions.standardandpoors.com) helps clients worldwide to develop, enhance, and validate their credit assessment processes, collect and analyze data, model credit risk and train staff. Risk Solutions leverages Standard & Poor's experience in credit assessment to help you manage your credit activities with confidence. For more information about Risk Solutions or to be added to our mailing list, please contact us at risksolutions@standardandpoors.com and include full contact information.

About Experian-Scorex

Experian-Scorex provides solutions that enrich customer data and allow organizations around the world to proactively manage their relationships with their clients. As one of the world's foremost decision support companies, Experian-Scorex's solutions deliver billions of customer focused decisions annually and enables connectivity to over 60 credit reference databases world-wide. Experian-Scorex's solutions seamlessly integrate data with scoring, software, analytics, and consultancy, making it uniquely qualified to offer innovative business intelligence solutions that allow organizations to manage risk and increase profitability in areas such as customer acquisition and customer management. Experian-Scorex, with 28 offices world-wide, works closely with businesses across diverse industries in more than 50 countries, including financial services, telecommunications, insurance, retail, automotive and utilities. Its global headquarters are in Monaco and Nottingham, UK, and its North American headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.experian-scorex.com.

Experian-Scorex is an Experian (R) company. For more information, visit Experian's Web site at http://www.experian.com.

For further information please contact Addrian Brooks, Public Relations of Experian-Scorex, +1-714-830-5578, addrian.brooks@experian.com.

SOURCE Experian-Scorex

Web Site: http://www.experian.com