TransUnion - TRU STOCK NEWS

TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) has appointed Tiffani Chambers as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, effective February 19, 2025. Chambers will oversee consumer relations, customer delivery and relationship management, TransUnion's Global Capability Center network, procurement and real estate, reporting directly to CEO Chris Cartwright.

Chambers joins from Bank of America, where she served as COO of the retail banking division, managing a 30,000-person team. Her previous experience includes roles as COO for global banking and markets at Bank of America, managing director at Goldman Sachs, and leadership positions at JP Morgan Chase, Lehman Brothers, and American Express. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA from Emory University.

TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) reports a 20% year-over-year increase in both auto and property insurance shopping during Q4 2024. While auto insurance approaches rate adequacy, property insurance faces profitability challenges due to rate increases and natural disaster losses, including hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The report highlights that insurance shopping is primarily driven by consumers seeking lower rates. TransUnion emphasizes the value of traffic court data in assessing driver risk, noting that 11% of drivers have violations visible in traffic court records but not in state motor vehicle records (MVRs). The company promotes its TruVision™ Driving History solutions and TruAudience® marketing solutions to help insurers improve lead quality and customer targeting.

TransUnion Kenya and FICO have partnered to launch innovative risk solutions aimed at expanding credit access in Kenya. The partnership introduces two key solutions: CreditVision® Variables and the FICO® Score.

CreditVision Variables analyzes over 145 data sources and up to 24 months of payment history, while the new FICO Score is specifically built for the Kenyan market using over 4 million records. In global markets, lenders using CreditVision Variables have seen 20-30% improvement in risk predictability and 15-20% increase in approval rates.

The FICO Score, ranging from 300 to 850, provides a numerical snapshot of consumer credit risk, with higher scores indicating lower risk. The solution is particularly relevant for Kenya's market, where 95% of scoreable consumers have at least one microlending tradeline. According to TransUnion's Q2 2024 study, 36% of Kenyan consumers felt they had sufficient credit access, up from 33% the previous year.

TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) has announced a strategic collaboration with Credit Sesame to launch a new direct-to-consumer credit education and monitoring service in the U.S. The new freemium offering will provide consumers with free daily access to their TransUnion credit score and report, along with optional premium credit monitoring services.

The platform will integrate a network of third-party financial offers customized to individual consumer goals and credit profiles. The service will be available through TransUnion's website and app, with a phased launch throughout the first half of 2025.

In this collaboration, Credit Sesame will develop and manage the product platform, mobile app, and integrated network of financial offers using TransUnion data, while TransUnion will handle consumer acquisition, servicing, and operational controls. The company plans to migrate its existing U.S. consumer base to the new platform.

TransUnion (TRU) reported strong Q4 2024 results with revenue reaching $1,037 million, up 9% year-over-year. The company posted net income of $66 million with diluted EPS of $0.34, significantly improving from $0.03 in Q4 2023. Adjusted EBITDA increased 16% to $378 million with a 36% margin.

For full-year 2024, revenue grew 9% to $4,184 million, with net income of $284 million compared to a loss in 2023. The company achieved approximately $85 million in transformation program savings and announced a refreshed capital allocation framework including a lower leverage ratio target under 2.5x, increased quarterly dividend to $0.115, and a new $500 million share repurchase program.

Looking ahead to 2025, TransUnion projects revenue growth of 3.5% to 5% (4.5% to 6% organic constant currency) and announced a new freemium direct-to-consumer credit monitoring offering in collaboration with Credit Sesame.

TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) reports that betting activity increased to 26% in Q4 2024, up from 24% in Q4 2023, driven by significant generational shifts. Baby Boomers and Gen X showed increased participation (+7% and +4% YoY respectively), while Millennial engagement dropped 5% YoY. High-value bettors (spending >$500/month) decreased engagement by 8% in land-based and 9% in online betting.

The report highlights improved financial health among bettors, with 54% of high-value bettors having good/excellent credit and middle/high income, up from 50% in Q4 2023. Bettors demonstrated stronger financial profiles than non-bettors, with over 50% reporting recent income increases compared to 21% of non-bettors. The industry faces increased regulatory scrutiny, leading to the formation of the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) to establish industry-wide standards.

AT&T and TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) have launched an enhanced caller identification service that displays company names, logos, and reasons for calls on verified incoming calls for AT&T wireless customers using Android devices. This feature, powered by TransUnion's Branded Call Display, requires no additional app installation and is verified through STIR/SHAKEN authentication to prevent spoofing.

The service builds upon their January 2024 initiative and includes various call reason options such as 'Appointment Reminder,' 'Customer Service,' and 'Patient Callback.' According to a TransUnion survey, 73% of consumers would be more likely to answer calls displaying name and logo. Consumers prefer phone calls for personal health issues (64%), high-value decisions (55%), urgent circumstances (55%), and complex decisions (40%).

TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) has launched the TruVision Alternative Bank Risk Score, a new solution aimed at helping lenders better assess consumers with or no credit histories. The score, powered by TransUnion's OneTru™ platform, evaluates banking activities to predict financial behavior and loan default likelihood.

The solution comes at a critical time when only 35% of households earning less than $50,000 report having sufficient access to credit. According to FDIC data, one in six households lacks mainstream credit, with higher percentages among lower-income, less educated, and minority households.

The TruVision score can be used independently or alongside existing risk assessment tools, offering lenders a more comprehensive view of potential borrowers' financial behavior, particularly beneficial for evaluating thin-file or subprime borrowers.

TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) released findings from the 2025 Annual Trends Study, conducted by The Path to Purchase Institute, showing that 70% of companies plan to increase their retail media budgets in 2025. The research reveals that 80% of marketers consider retail media as effective or more effective than other digital channels.

Key findings show that retail media spending is shifting from trade budgets (decreasing from 26% to 20%) to media budgets (increasing from 74% to 80%). However, significant challenges persist, with 88% of marketers seeking proof of sales lift and ROI from campaigns. Brands currently work with an average of eight retail media networks, with 49% engaging with five or fewer networks.

The study highlights disparities between national retailers and broader retail industry platforms, with national retailers rated 3.4x higher in capabilities related to scale, targeting, and measurement.