Equifax Agrees to Takeover TALX

ATLANTA – Credit bureau Equifax announced last night it has agreed to acquire TALX, the St. Louis-based provider of employment verification and related payroll services, for stock and cash valued at $1.4 billion. TALX provides a wide spectrum of products and services including employment and income verification, pay reporting, hiring, and employment tax management services. The Work Number service, created by TALX in 1995, is a leader in workplace verification and has over 142 million employment records. The deal fits into Equifax’s long term strategy of diversifying and acquiring new data sources. Under the terms of the deal, Equifax will acquire each share of TALX at $35.50 in cash or stock or a combination of each, and assume $191 million of TALX debt.