Mortgage Score Shift Causes Credit Information Giant's Stock to Plunge 7%

Shares of U.S. credit bureau Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) plunged 6.8% on the New York Stock Exchange on the 22nd, closing at $179.31—about ₩240,000—wiping out roughly $1.3 billion (₩2 trillion) in market value overnight. Its market capitalization now stands at about $21.6 billion (₩30 trillion), and trading volume exceeded 1.5 million shares, well above the norm.

In its first-quarter results announced the previous day, Equifax reported revenue of $1.649 billion and adjusted EPS of $1.86, beating analyst forecasts. However, the company maintained its full-year guidance, which investors interpreted as a conservative outlook despite the upside surprise. Adding to the pressure, a government-backed mortgage agency officially adopted the VantageScore 4.0 credit-scoring model, and Morgan Stanley slightly lowered its price target—factors that dragged down credit-information and scoring stocks across the sector.

Equifax is one of the three leading U.S. consumer credit reporting firms—alongside Experian and TransUnion—offering credit reports, data analytics, and employment and income verification services. It generates approximately $6 billion in annual revenue (around ₩8 trillion). The company still faces regulatory and reputational risks following the massive 2017 data breach that exposed hundreds of millions of consumers’ personal information and led to multi-hundred-million-dollar settlements.