FAQs

A registrar is responsible for maintaining a company's register of shareholders. The register of shareholders records the names and addresses of all ordinary shareholders and the number of shares that each shareholder owns. The Company's register is maintained on behalf of the Company by Link Market Services (Jersey) Limited ('the registrar'). The registrar updates the register when a shareholder's personal circumstances or shareholding change, and also sends out dividend cheques and share certificates.

• cheques and share certificates
• cheques and share certificates

A share certificate is evidence of share ownership. It should be kept in a safe place, as it will be needed if you want to sell all or some of your shares in the future.

When you either buy Experian shares or have them transferred into your name, you become a part owner of the Company. The benefits of owning Experian shares include:

• A right to receive dividends. These will normally be paid twice a year. See our calendar for dates.
• The right to attend, vote and speak at meetings of shareholders, including the Annual General Meeting ('AGM'). Each year you will be invited to attend and vote at the Company's AGM. When published, the date of the next AGM will appear in the calendar.
• The receipt of financial information. The Company's financial year-end is 31 March. Each year a copy of the Annual Report will be provided to all shareholders prior to the AGM in accordance with statutory requirements. All of the Company's publicly announced financial information, including the half-yearly financial report, will be routinely added to our website. See our calendar for results announcement dates.

Yes, by registering at the Experian share portal, you can benefit from a number of online services including:

• Cast your proxy votes online for shareholder meetings
• Elect to receive shareholder communications electronically
• View your holding balance and indicative share price and valuation
• View transactions on your holding and dividend payments you have received
• Update your address or register a bank mandate instruction to have dividends paid directly to your bank account

You will need your investor code (IVC), which can be found on your share certificate(s), to register to use the Share Portal service.

A dividend is a payment made to shareholders out of a company's distributable profits.

The dividend payment timetable is outlined in our calendar. If the financial calendar contains no dividend payment information, details of the next Experian dividend payment have not yet been announced.

This means 'without dividend'. Before we announce a dividend, we will set the ex-dividend date. If you become a registered shareholder before the ex-dividend date, you are entitled to the most recently-announced dividend; if you buy Experian shares after that date, the dividend goes to the previous owner of the shares.

The dividend is based on the number of shares held by each shareholder and is paid to the shareholders on the share register at a specific date known as the record date. This is generally two business days after the ex-dividend date. If you receive a dividend and are not sure if you are entitled to it, contact the agent who sold your shares for you for further advice.

If you have not received your dividend payment within 21 days, please contact the registrar.

If you lose a dividend cheque you should contact the registrar immediately, confirming which payment has been lost. They will then arrange for the cheque to be stopped and will issue you with a duplicate cheque free of charge. Dividend cheques are currently valid for one year from the date of payment.

Yes, you can ask to have your dividends paid directly into a UK bank or building society account through the BACS (Bankers' Automated Clearing Services) system, which avoids the risk of cheques being lost in the post or mislaid. The dividend will be credited to your account on the dividend payment date and you will not have to wait for a cheque to clear on your account. The registrar will send a tax dividend voucher to your registered address so you know when and how much has been paid into your account.

If you would like your dividends to be paid in this way, please contact the registrar who will provide you with an appropriate dividend mandate form. This form is supplied with your dividend if you currently receive a cheque.

An existing mandate can be amended online once you have registered with the Experian share portal. Please take care when completing the sort code and account number as we cannot accept liability if you give incorrect information and your dividend is paid into the wrong account.

Link Market Services (Jersey) Limited offers Experian shareholders a service which will convert dividend payments into their local currency at a competitive fee. This is a faster and reduced risk route for foreign currency conversions. Further information can be found at ips.linkassetservices.com or by calling 0371 664 0391 from the UK (calls are charged at the standard geographical rate and will vary by provider) or +44 371 664 0391 from outside the UK (calls outside the UK are charged at the applicable international rate) excluding public holidays in England and Wales. Lines are open 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.

The Company offers a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) to shareholders who receive their dividends under the income access share arrangements. View further information about the Experian DRIP.

The Company will announce its dividends in US dollars. However, shareholders will be paid dividends in pounds sterling, unless they have elected otherwise. The amount of dividend received in pounds sterling will be calculated on a basis set out at the time the dividend is announced. Holders of Experian ADRs will receive any dividend payments through the Depositary or their Agent Institution in US dollars.

If you wish to receive your dividends in US dollars you can elect to do so. If you wish to make this election please contact the registrar.

For all enquiries concerning shares and/or dividends, please contact the registrar. Shareholders who have registered with the Experian share portal can of course do this electronically. The Experian Registrar's Helpline number is +44 800 141 2952 (or 0371 664 9245 for calls from within the UK).

You should inform the registrar as soon as possible to ensure that the register is updated and that you receive all shareholder communications and dividends. Shareholders who have registered with the Experian share portal can do this electronically. Alternatively you can send a letter to the registrar, which should include the following:

• your name in full, as shown on your share certificate
• your previous address
• your new address
• your shareholder account number

Your letter must be signed. For security reasons, the registrar cannot accept address changes over the telephone. Address changes can be made online if you have registered for the Experian share portal.

You should inform the registrar as soon as possible. Please write to the registrar giving full details of the following:

• your old name
• your new name
• a copy of any legal documentation, such as marriage certificate or deed poll

Where your name has changed as a result of separation or divorce, and you wish to revert to your maiden name, a copy of any supporting documentation must be sent to the registrar. Your letter must be signed. For security reasons, the registrar cannot accept name changes over the telephone.

Share certificates are evidence of your ownership and should be kept in a safe place. You will need them if you want to sell all or some of your shares in the future. We recommend that you keep a separate record of the certificate numbers and the number of shares each certificate covers in case of loss or damage. Share certificates are posted to shareholders at their own risk.

The registrar keeps a record of your name, address and the number of shares you own and can arrange to issue a replacement certificate if necessary. If you have lost a certificate, please report this to the registrar as soon as possible so a 'stop' can be put on that certificate. Before a replacement certificate can be issued, you will be sent an indemnity form to complete. This safeguards the Company should a dispute arise over ownership at a later stage.

If you have more than one share certificate for the Company, you can ask for your certificates to be consolidated into one. Please send them to the registrar, together with a covering letter. There is no charge to private shareholders for this service. You should retain the counterfoils as they may be required for tax purposes. Shareholders returning certificates are advised to use "sign on receipt" postal services.

When you first buy shares in the Company, you are given a unique eleven-digit account number. This is shown on share certificates and should be quoted in all correspondence. We recommend that you keep a separate record of your IVC.

If you have bought shares in the Company at different times and the name and address you or your broker have supplied to the registrar differs in any way at all from previously provided details, another account may be created. If this happens, you may receive more than one copy of Experian shareholder documents. If you want the accounts combined you should contact the registrar.

As a company registered in Jersey, there are certain requirements which must be met when a shareholder of the Company dies. Unless the personal estate of the deceased individual is worth less than £10,000 at the time of their death, the executor of their estate must obtain a Jersey Grant of Probate to enable them to administer the Jersey estate. Please contact the registrar for further details.

If you want to buy more shares or sell your existing shares, you must do this through a stockbroker. Alternatively, existing or potential UK resident investors can buy or sell Experian shares using Internet and telephone share dealing services from Link's Share Dealing Services. Further information can be found at www.linksharedeal.com or by calling 0371 664 0445 from the UK (calls are charged at the standard geographic rate and will vary by provider) or +44 371 664 0445 from outside the UK (calls outside the UK are charged at the applicable international rate). Lines are open 8.00am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in England and Wales.

Under the Financial Services and Markets Act and the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998, we are not authorised to provide advice to investors on share dealing. For such advice, please contact your stockbroker or financial advisor.

You need to have registered with the Experian share portal to check your details online. 

The latest Experian share price is available on the share price information section of this website, the London Stock Exchange website, as well as through other information services.

Please write to our registrar or our corporate headquarters.

Experian plc.

The corporate headquarters of Experian plc is located in Dublin, Ireland.

22 Grenville Street
St Helier
Jersey
JE4 8PX
Channel Islands.

Experian plc is incorporated in Jersey, Channel Islands under registered number 93905.

As a Jersey-incorporated company, the register of members is located in Jersey, Channel Islands.

For the dates of future results announcements, see our calendar.

The Company's published financial information is available on this website. If you require hard copy versions, please contact our corporate headquarters.

For the date of the next Experian AGM, see our calendar. If there is no date in the calendar, details of the next AGM have not yet been announced.

Following the demerger, GUS plc shareholders at 4.30pm on Friday 6 October 2006 were entitled to receive one share in Experian plc and one share in Home Retail Group plc for every share they held in GUS plc at that time.

UK tax

The previous base cost of any GUS plc shares held at 4.30pm on 6 October 2006 is apportioned for UK Capital Gains Tax (CGT) purposes in the following ratio: 58.235% to Experian plc shares and 41.765% to Home Retail Group plc shares (based on the closing prices of the respective shares on their first day of trading after their admission to the Official List of the LSE on 11 October 2006). For GUS plc shares acquired prior to the demerger of Burberry on 13 December 2005 which are affected by both the Burberry demerger and the subsequent separation of Experian and Home Retail Group, the original CGT base cost is apportioned 50.604% to Experian plc shares, 36.293% to Home Retail Group plc shares and 13.103% to Burberry Group plc shares.

US tax

For US federal income tax purposes, in order to determine their respective US tax bases in the Experian plc shares and Home Retail Group plc shares received pursuant to the demerger, US shareholders must allocate their basis in the GUS plc shares previously held by them between their Experian plc shares and Home Retail Group plc shares in proportion to their respective fair market values. For purposes of determining the allocation of basis between the shares in Experian plc and Home Retail Group plc for UK tax purposes, the market value of each company was determined based on trading prices as at 11 October 2006. Although not necessarily determinative for US tax purposes, we believe it would be reasonable in this case for US shareholders to use such UK tax valuations of the shares in allocating basis between their Experian plc shares and Home Retail Group plc shares. However, there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with those valuations, or won't propose an alternative valuation.

US IRS Circular 230 Disclosure: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any US tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the US Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

The contract note that was provided by the broker when purchasing the shares will have this information. In the absence of this, the London Stock Exchange can provide the information for a small charge. For details, please phone +44 (0) 20 7797 1000.

(i) The Burberry demerger
As indicated in the EGM Circular dated 18 November 2005, shareholders received 305 Burberry Group plc shares for every 1,000 GUS plc shares held at the record time on 13 December 2005.

(ii) The GUS plc share consolidation
Immediately after the demerger of Burberry on 13 December 2005, the share capital of GUS plc was consolidated and the nominal value of each consolidated GUS plc share was increased from 25 pence to 29 3/43 pence. As a consequence, GUS plc shareholders received 860 new consolidated GUS plc shares of nominal value 29 3/43 pence each for every 1,000 old GUS plc ordinary shares of nominal value 25 pence each held at the Record Time of 7am on 13 December 2005. This process also involved the issue of new 29 3/43 pence ordinary share certificates to replace existing 25 pence ordinary share certificates, which have now become valueless.

(iii) UK Capital Gains Tax
Following the demerger of Burberry and the GUS plc share consolidation, the previous base cost of any old GUS plc shares held at 7am on 13 December 2005 is apportioned for UK capital gains tax purposes in the following ratio: new GUS plc shares 86.897%; Burberry shares 13.103%. This is based on the dividend ratio of 0.305 Burberry shares for each old GUS plc share held and the respective market values on 13 December 2005, determined according to normal UK CGT rules, of 980.5 pence for new GUS plc shares and 416.875 pence for Burberry shares.

1982 value of GUS plc shares for UK capital gains tax purposes:
a) Disposals before the Burberry demerger and the GUS plc share consolidation on 13 December 2005:

For UK capital gains tax purposes, the 31 March 1982 values (as adjusted for the enfranchisement and bonus issues in 1993) are: ordinary shares held at 31 March 1982 - 72.57 pence. 'A' ordinary shares held at that date (and redesignated as ordinary shares in 1993) - 129 pence.

b) Disposals after the Burberry demerger and the GUS plc share consolidation on 13 December 2005:

Following the demerger of Burberry Group plc from GUS plc on 13 December 2005 and the GUS plc share consolidation at that date (which increased the nominal value of each new GUS plc share), the 31 March 1982 values are apportioned for UK capital gains tax purposes as follows:

c) Disposals after the separation of Experian and Home Retail Group on 10 October 2006:

Following the separation of Experian and Home Retail Group on 10 October 2006, the 31 March 1982 values are apportioned for UK capital gains tax purposes as follows:

Your old GUS share certificates ceased to be valid after 6 October 2006 and should have been destroyed upon receipt of your new Experian plc and Home Retail Group plc share certificates.