The file
Equifax logo
Logo: Equifax,Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. A trademark of its owner.
company

Equifax

Atlanta-based consumer credit reporting agency, one of the three biggest in the U.S.

Entries
12
On the record
7
Stories
1
Latest entry
Jan 17, 2025

The record

Compiled by the MrScandal desk from the documents below ยท Desk editor Laima ฤ’rkลกฤทe-Kreicberga ยท Nov 9, 2026

Equifax is an Atlanta-based data and credit reporting company that traces its brand heritage to 1899 and trades on the New York Stock Exchange as EFX, according to its website, which lists Mark W. Begor as chief executive. Its regulatory record predates the 2017 breach: in January 2017 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ordered restitution and a penalty over how it marketed credit scores to consumers.

Equifax's own administrators found in July 2017 that attackers had reached its online dispute portal over the internet, according to the Government Accountability Office, which counted at least 145.5 million people whose data was exposed. The company announced the breach that September. The SEC later charged two former employees with insider trading, alleging they traded on their conclusions about the breach before it became public.

A federal court gave final approval to the consumer class settlement in January 2020, with Equifax denying wrongdoing and no finding against it, and the settlement took effect in January 2022 once appeals were resolved. The CFPB returned in January 2025 with a $15 million penalty order over how Equifax handled consumer disputes and over inaccurate credit scores it sold after test code entered a production environment.

Roles and honours on the record

  • since 1899 Global data, analytics and technology company headquartered in Atlanta, with brand heritage dating to 1899; NYSE ticker EFX source
  • as of 2026 Chief Executive Officer Mark W. Begor source

Every entry, newest first

Last entry Oct 3, 2023
  1. Ruled

    FCA imposes ยฃ11,164,400 penalty on Equifax Ltd over UK consumer data security. Equifax agreed to pay at least $575M over 2017 data breach

  2. Ruled

    Georgia federal judge awards $77.5M to class attorneys in the Equifax breach case, per CNBC. Equifax agreed to pay at least $575M over 2017 data breach

  3. Ruled

    Former Equifax U.S. CIO Jun Ying sentenced to four months in prison for insider trading, per the Justice Department. Equifax agreed to pay at least $575M over 2017 data breach

  4. Ruled

    UK Information Commissioner's Office fines Equifax Ltd ยฃ500,000 over the 2017 breach, per TechCrunch. Equifax agreed to pay at least $575M over 2017 data breach

Stories in this file

Equifax: SETTLEDBusiness ยท 6d ago

๐Ÿ’ธ Equifax agreed to pay at least $575M over 2017 data breach

A $300M consumer fund, $175M for states, a $100M CFPB penalty. The FTC alleged Equifax failed to secure its network, and the deal settled it. ๐Ÿ“Œ

The record, entry by entry

  1. 2017-01-03 Official The CFPB ordered Equifax and Equifax Consumer Services to pay more than $3.8 million in restitution and a $2.5 million civil penalty, saying they misled consumers about the usefulness and cost of their credit scores and enrolled them in costly recurring payments. CFPB enforcement action, Docket 2017-CFPB-0001
  2. 2017-07 Official Equifax administrators found that attackers had gained unauthorized access over the internet to its online dispute portal. The GAO later put the number of people whose personal information was exposed at no fewer than 145.5 million. GAO report GAO-18-559, published August 30, 2018
  3. 2017-09 Official Equifax announced that it had experienced a data breach affecting the personal information of approximately 147 million people, the court-approved settlement website says. Equifax Data Breach Settlement, court-approved settlement website
  4. 2018-03-14 Filed The SEC charged Jun Ying, a former chief information officer of an Equifax U.S. business unit, with insider trading, alleging he sold shares for nearly $1 million before the breach was disclosed and avoided more than $117,000 in losses. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced criminal charges the same day. SEC press release 2018-40
  5. 2018-06-28 Filed The SEC charged Sudhakar Reddy Bonthu, a former Equifax software engineering manager, alleging he bought put options after concluding the company was the breach victim and netted more than $75,000. He agreed to a permanent injunction and to return the gains with interest, subject to court approval. SEC press release 2018-115
  6. 2020-01-13 Ruled The court granted final approval to the class action settlement resolving consumer lawsuits over the breach. Equifax denied any wrongdoing, and no judgment or finding of wrongdoing was made. Equifax Data Breach Settlement, court-approved settlement website
  7. 2022-01-11 Official The settlement became effective after appeals were resolved, starting the clock on seven years of free identity restoration services for class members. Equifax Data Breach Settlement, court-approved settlement website
  8. 2025-01-17 Official The CFPB issued an order with a $15 million civil money penalty, finding that Equifax mishandled dispute reinvestigations, let deleted information be reinserted and sold inaccurate credit scores after test code entered a production environment. CFPB enforcement action, Docket 2025-CFPB-0002

Documents

Sources behind this file

  1. FCA Final Notice to Equifax Limited ยท Regulator, Oct 3, 2023
  2. New York Times report on settlement claims ยท Report, Jan 22, 2020
  3. CNBC report on the $77.5 million attorney fee award ยท Report, Dec 19, 2019
  4. FTC press release on the Equifax settlement (archived copy) ยท Regulator, Jul 22, 2019
  5. FTC Equifax data breach settlement page ยท Regulator, Jul 11, 2019
  6. GovInfoSecurity report on the Ying sentence ยท Report, Jun 28, 2019
  7. Justice Department release on Jun Ying's sentence ยท Public record, Jun 27, 2019
  8. TechCrunch report on the ICO penalty ยท Report, Sep 20, 2018

Connected files