Credit Data Giant TransUnion Acquires Marketing Data Giant Neustar For $3.1B, Will Accelerate Diversification

TransUnion, one of the Big 3 U.S. credit reporting services, has acquired ad technology and data giant Neustar in a deal valued at $3.1 billion, and will use it to accelerate its diversification into digital marketing services.

TransUnion, which has quietly been acquiring and integrating a variety of consumer data and analytics businesses in recent years, recently unveiled a new consumer targeting services division dubbed TruAudience.

Neustar, which is projected to generate $575 million in revenue this year, is one of the marketing industry’s most established audience data platforms.

“The acquisition advances TransUnion’s strategy to diversify from its core credit solutions with complementary digital marketing and fraud mitigation capabilities,” TransUnion said in a statement announcing the deal. “Neustar’s OneID platform will help to unify the digital identity capability TransUnion has built and acquired in recent years.”

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While the consumer data targeting expansion represents a diversification for TransUnion, one of its secret sauces is its ability to validate people’s identities vis a vis its humongous consumer credit database, though it says it does not explicitly utilize any personally identifiable information to do that.

“The credit information and analytics that TransUnion provides make trust possible between consumers and businesses,” TransUnion President Chris Cartwright said in a statement, adding, “As digital commerce continues to grow globally, TransUnion’s powerful digital identity assets, enhanced by Neustar’s distinctive data and digital resolution capabilities, will enable safer and more personalized online experiences for consumers and businesses.”

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