News release
Contact:
Anna White / Victoria Collinson
LEWIS PR
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7802 2626
Email: annaw/victoriac@lewispr.com
Experian finishes uploading the 2008 Electoral Register in record time
Annual canvass helps organisations in fight against fraud
Nottingham, UK, 18 December 2008 - Experian®, the global information services company, today announced that it has completed uploading electoral roll data from all 463 UK local authorities. Today’s achievement signals that Experian is, once again, the first organisation to complete the process, and in record time.
The size of the Electoral Register has increased to 46.22 million individuals. Experian also reports that the opt-out rate has continued to rise. It is now at 42.46 per cent, compared with 39.75 per cent of last year’s register.
As well as making it possible for people to vote in relevant elections, versions of the electoral register are used for a number of other important functions, usually to help confirm names and addresses. As a result, not registering to vote or registering wrong details on the electoral register has numerous implications. It can make it more difficult for people to: obtain credit and insurance, access legal and accountancy services, open savings accounts or other investments, shop over the Internet or phone, and obtain certain public services, like getting a passport.
Paul Speirs, Commercial Product Manager, Experian comments: “Information on the Electoral Register plays an absolutely vital role as a corroborative source of data for organisations looking to validate and authenticate the identities of applicants. Experian’s highly skilled team of data experts have not only uploaded this information in record time, they have also applied to the upload a rigorous series of checks and processes to ensure that the information is secure, accurate, and fit-for-purpose.
“Having access to this accurate and up-to-date information is vital across industry sectors. It enables lenders to make accurate lending decisions, helps organisations to prevent fraud, through to merchants being better equipped to authenticate the identity of consumers shopping on the Internet.”
Colin Grieves, Head of Data Strategy, Experian’s Integrated Marketing division, adds: “Our commitment to taking a multi-channel and multi-source approach to collecting marketing data continues to ensure that our clients have the largest marketing universe possible at their disposal. Opt-out rates have been steadily increasing over the years and that is precisely why we are investing heavily, across all channels, to ensure that our marketing data remains as powerful as ever.”