TransUnion to Be Acquired by Goldman Sachs Investment Arm and Buyout Group

TransUnion Corp., a leading global provider of information management and risk management solutions, announced Friday that Advent International and GS Capital Partners VI Fund, LP and certain of its affiliates (the “Sponsors”) have signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire TransUnion from its current stockholders, including Madison Dearborn Partners and the Pritzker family business interests.

The transaction, which is expected to close late first quarter or early second quarter of 2012, values TransUnion at over $3 billion. TransUnion President and Chief Executive Officer Bobby Mehta and the rest of the company’s leadership team will remain with TransUnion.

“Since we spun TransUnion out of the Marmon Group we have extended the global footprint into more than a dozen countries and are leading change in the way many industries, like healthcare and insurance, leverage data assets,” said Penny Pritzker, chair of TransUnion’s Board of Directors. “The foundation and global infrastructure we have built in terms of technology, solutions and talent will serve TransUnion and its new owners well as they continue to accelerate on global growth opportunities. I wish the TransUnion management team and all the associates the very best in this next, and very exciting, stage in the evolution of the company.”

“TransUnion has demonstrated strong growth under the support and guidance that Penny Pritzker has provided as our chairman, and we have benefited greatly from the resources, network and expertise of Madison Dearborn Partners,” said Bobby Mehta. “We look forward to working closely with the Advent and Goldman Sachs teams to continue executing against our strategic blueprint by remaining focused on providing our clients with highly attentive service and the very best information and risk management products.”

“Penny, Bobby, Madison Dearborn and the TransUnion team have built a remarkably strong organization with long-standing customer relationships and a reputation for product and service excellence,” said Chris Egan, a Managing Director at Advent. “We intend to build on those foundations and grow TransUnion by ensuring that the company continues to deliver superior information and risk management tools both in the US and in key growth markets like Latin America.”

“TransUnion is a high quality organization with market-leading product offerings and a strong management team. We are very excited to partner with Advent and the management team on this investment,” said Sumit Rajpal, a Managing Director at GS Capital Partners.

“We are pleased with the many accomplishments we have achieved at TransUnion in partnership with the Pritzker Family business interests, Penny, Bobby and the company’s executive team, and we believe TransUnion is in a strong position to continue its expansion,” said Tim Hurd, a Managing Director at Madison Dearborn. “We wish the TransUnion, Advent and GS Capital Partners teams continued success.”

TransUnion was advised by BofA Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank. Legal counsel was provided to TransUnion and the current stockholders by Latham & Watkins. The Sponsors were advised by Evercore Partners and Goldman, Sachs & Co., with Deutsche Bank and affiliates of Goldman, Sachs & Co. providing bank and bridge financing commitments. Legal counsel was provided to the Sponsors by Davis Polk & Wardwell, Weil Gotshal & Manges, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

TransUnion is a leading global provider of information and risk management solutions to businesses across multiple industries and to individual consumers. The Company’s technology and services enable businesses to make more timely and informed credit granting, risk management, underwriting, fraud protection and customer acquisition decisions by delivering high quality data, and by integrating advanced analytics and enhanced decision-making capabilities. TransUnion’s interactive website provides consumers with real-time access to their personal credit information and analytical tools that help them understand and proactively manage their personal finances. Through these and other efforts, TransUnion is working to build stronger economies worldwide. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Chicago, TransUnion provides services in 25 countries on five continents.

Founded in 1984, Advent International is one of the world’s leading global buyout firms, with offices in 16 countries on four continents. A driving force in international private equity for 27 years, Advent has built an unparalleled global platform of over 170 investment professionals across Western and Central Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on international buyouts, strategic repositioning opportunities and growth buyouts in five core sectors, working actively with management teams to drive revenue growth and earnings improvements in portfolio companies. Since inception, Advent has raised $26 billion in private equity capital and, through its buyout programs, has completed over 270 transactions in 35 countries.

Since 1986, the Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division and its predecessor business areas have raised 16 private equity and principal debt investment funds aggregating over $82 billion of capital (including leverage). A global leader in private corporate equity investing, the GS Capital Partners family of funds focuses on large, high quality companies with strong management and funding acquisition or expansion across a range of industries and geographies. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals.

Madison Dearborn Partners, based in Chicago, is one of the most experienced and successful private equity investment firms in the United States. Since Madison Dearborn’s formation in 1992, the firm has raised six funds with aggregate capital of over $18 billion and has completed approximately 120 investments. Madison Dearborn invests in businesses across a broad spectrum of industries, including basic industries; consumer; financial services; health care; and telecom, media and technology services. Its noteworthy investments include Asurion, CDW, Fieldglass, MetroPCS, Nuveen Investments, TransUnion, and Yankee Candle.