TransUnion finalized its acquisition of information services and tech company Neustar for $3.1 billion, the credit reporting agency said. TransUnion’s acquisition of Neustar, expected to close next quarter, will be the credit bureau’s largest acquisition to date and marks its fourth acquisition in the past two-and-a-half years.
- Investments: TransUnion bought Neustar from a private investment group led by Golden Gate Capital. The companies signed an acquisition agreement in September. TransUnion’s vision over the past few years, and the rationale behind its acquisition spree, is to become a go-to provider of identity solutions, said Matt Spiegel, EVP of marketing solutions and head of the media and entertainment vertical at TransUnion.
- Digital marketing: Neustar provides digital marketing, fraud prevention, and communications services to more than 8,000 global clients. TransUnion will use Neustar’s OneID platform to more quickly and accurately connect identity across its digital identity product suite, which includes the TruAudience household identity graph (formerly Tru Optik), a device risk identification and anti-fraud system, and TransUnion’s people and business search database.
- Acquisitions: Under the acquisition, TransUnion will expand its digital identity capabilities through Neustar’s data and analytics services. TransUnion expects the integration of services to improve online transactions for consumers and businesses.
- Standalone: The acquisition did not include Neustar’s security business, which will now operate as a standalone portfolio company of Golden Gate Capital. “We’re building a set of solutions providing marketers, media companies and all those that support them with the identity infrastructure and tools to connect the dots on identity”, Spiegel said.
- Technology: In addition to OneID, TransUnion was also attracted to Neustar’s measurement technology. Neustar has made big investments of its own in measurement over the years, including its $450 million acquisition of marketing analytics provider MarketShare in 2015.
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