Gb Group Regulatory News (GBG)

10 May 2006 07:00

GB Group PLC10 May 2006 For immediate release 10 May 2006 GB GROUP ("GB Group" or "the Company") GB Announces New Data Service: 4C-UK(TM) Following completion of a series of exclusive agreements, GB today announces thelaunch of its new lifestage data service, 4C-UK(TM). This exclusive serviceutilises data from Property Searches carried out during the final stages of homeconveyancing, to predict accurately when individuals will move home. Property Searches are conducted through various organisations in relation to thelocal area information and property risks. To ensure that the service is ableto deliver significant benefits to its clients, especially those with nationalcoverage, GB has secured exclusive agreements with a number of the majorproviders of such Property Searches so that the 4C-UKT(TM) service incorporatesdata representing up to 70% of the properties being bought and sold each year inEngland and Wales. This data is the first component of 4C-UK(TM). It is unique and will enable GB'sclients to foresee their customers' intention to move house. This will providesignificant value as one in seven adults in the UK move home each year, equatingto approximately 1.3 million households. People moving home account for the greatest loss of customers for utility andother companies compared to any other single, lifestage change event. Thehomemoving process is also disruptive for homeowners who often omit to informsuppliers when they move. Clients using the 4C-UK(TM) service will be alertedimmediately when a search takes place, thereby enabling them to take proactivemeasures to retain their customers and provide them with additional products andservices that may be required at their new home. As Property Searches normallytake place approximately six to eight weeks in advance of a house move, the4C-UK(TM) service will ensure continuity of customer relationships and much lessdisruption. GB intends to continue to expand the 4C-UK(TM) data service by adding further datasources associated with key lifestage changes of individuals. This will enableorganisations to tailor their strategies more proactively in order to retaintheir customers as they go through lifestage changes such as achieving keyqualifications, having children and retirement as well as moving house. Richard Law, GB Group's Chief Executive, commented: "The launch of the 4C-UK(TM) service is a key strand of the Group's strategy todevelop innovative data services that can be delivered online and transform thevalue of the relationship between our clients and their customers. The first ofthese online services was GB's electronic age and identity verification service,URUTM, developed and marketed jointly with BT, which has since become a marketleader. 4C-UK(TM) uses the same technology as URU(TM) to deliver extremely accurate data in real time over the web, maximising its "freshness" and value. These services can operate in an "Alert" mode, constantly searching for important changes to acustomer's status and proactively alerting that change to our clients. Traditionally, data services have been provided to clients reactively but, with"Alerts", information can be proactively delivered in response to events, suchas a house move, signifying a significant opportunity, or risk, for which thevalue to the client is maximised if acted on immediately. We believe that thisrepresents a radical change to the way in which data services business modelswill operate in future." - Ends - For further information, please contact: GB Group plcRichard Law, Chief Executive 01244 657333Mona Navin-Mealey, Finance Director Weber Shandwick Square Mile 020 7067 0700Richard HewsHelen Thomas Website www.gb.co.uk Notes to Editors About GB Group plc GB Group plc provides a range of products and services to enable organisationsto capitalise on one of their greatest assets - customer data. The Company hasexpertise across a range of sectors and is able to transform customer data intovaluable information, enabling clients to make better, more informed decisions. The development of innovative software and services, through to the provision ofthe UK's most comprehensive consumer business databases - The NationalRegister(R) and the National Authentication Register - positions GB Group as awidely acknowledged industry leader in its specialist markets. GB Group plc has three complementary business areas: • The DataAuthentication division helps businesses validate personal identity information and provides anti-fraud solutions to fight crime. • The DataIntegrity division helps companies capture and maintain accurate customer contact data, an essential foundation for any profitable customer relationship. • The DataSolutions division empowers companies to consolidate and analyse customer data from various sources, enabling them to make better, more informed decisions. Established since 1989, GB's core competencies combined with industry sectorknowledge have enabled the company to deliver significant value to organisationssuch as Standard Life, Scottish Power and TD Waterhouse in helping them derivemaximum value from their customer data and sustain real advantage over theircompetition. GB Group is supported by its key relationships with major organisations withwhom it works with on major initiatives (an example being British Telecom),together with a team of highly talented and motivated staff successfullydelivering business solutions. GB Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (www.gb.co.uk). About URU(TM) The URU(TM) service, the DataAuthentication division's principle offering, hasbeen developed jointly with BT. It combines GB's Authenticator(TM) search engineand decision making software, access to GB's comprehensive range of identitydata and BT's high capacity web delivery. It helps organisations to protectthemselves from the growing problem of identity theft and fraud, which isestimated to cost the UK economy over £1.7 billion per annum. URU(TM) enablescompanies subscribing to the service to make an instant decision whether toaccept the identity claimed by any given individual and confirm their age inseconds. URU(TM)works by cross checking personal information provided by an individual atthe point of acquisition against a comprehensive range of datasources to confirmthat an individual is who they claim to be, live where they claim to live andmeet certain minimum legal age requirements. No personal data is disclosed by the reference databases and as a result URU(TM)is compliant with the Data Protection Act. URU(TM) also provides a valuable audit trail demonstrating that the necessarychecks have taken place, thereby helping companies comply with legislation,including the 2nd European Money Laundering Directive, Proceeds of Crime Act andMinimum Legal Age requirements of certain industry sectors. The addition of data from CallCredit also enables users of URU(TM) to incorporatecredit reference data. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange