TRW Inc. has overhauled its credit bureau to provide more accurate information to banks, company officials said.
The unit, TRW Information Systems and Services, sells various kinds of consumer and business information, including data on loan and credit card applicants, to financial institutions.
By October, Bain Capital Inc. and Thomas H. Lee Co. of Boston are expected to finalize a $1.1 billion purchase of the unit. They plan to rename it Experian Information Solutions Inc.
Executives at TRW Information Systems said the system upgrade, completed in May, makes it easier to find information on any of its five major data bases: consumer credit, consumer demographics, business credit, business- to-business marketing, and real estate information.
"This new operations system will reduce the likelihood of mixed files, or getting information about two similarly named people in the same report," said George J. Jurkowich, vice president of communications at TRW.
A significant change is that instead of tying data only to names, the system categorizes information by identification number. TRW also plans to offer more custom applications, such as instant credit reference programs.
"The data will be sliced in different ways that will suit different customers," said D. Van Skilling, chief executive of TRW Information Systems.
TRW seeks to help banks adapt to new ways of doing business, he said.
"Electronic commerce is clearly coming, and we think that we will be well positioned when it takes place," said Mr. Skilling. "Ultimately, individuals will be able to order credit reports over the Internet."
The top 20 financial institutions request about half of TRW's consumer credit reports, with the most active seeking up to 25,000 credit reports daily.
