RENTBUREAU DATA ADDED TO CsS SERVICES, INC.
Rental payment histories enhance rental screening reports

RentBureau™, the first national online repository of rental payment histories, has partnered with CsS Services, Inc., a resident screening company, to supply CsS with resident rental payment histories to be included as a part of CsS’s resident screening reports, announced Bill Garrity, RentBureau Senior Vice President of Member Services.

Apartment owners and managers using CsS Services to screen resident applications will now have access to over four million rental payment records in RentBureau’s National Rental Data Exchange (NRDE®) database.  CsS is currently used by owners and managers of more than 60,000 apartment units throughout Georgia.

"By using RentBureau’s rental payment data, CsS will be able to make better decisions with more thorough and accurate information,” said Bill Schwartz, President of CsS Services.  “We can now better determine a prospective resident’s ability to pay rent, and can reduce the likelihood of missed payments or evictions."

RENTBUREAU INFUSION TO FUND DATA HIKE

RentBureau LLC, an Atlanta company that collects data on consumers' rent payment histories, has received an equity investment from a fund managed by the Center for Financial Services Innovation, a nonprofit affiliate of Chicago's ShoreBank Corp.

The nonprofit, which promotes financial products and services for the underbanked, did not disclose the size of its investment. RentBureau said it will use the proceeds to expand its database, which has 4 million records.
Landlords report renters' payment information to RentBureau's database, which can be used to evaluate rental applicants. The reporting companies include Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc., McKinley Inc., and Morrison, Ekre & Bart Management Services, which together manage more than 70,000 apartments in 19 states.

The data is used in Fair Isaac Corp.'s FICO Expansion Score, an alternative score that draws on 90 nontraditional data sources to measure the risk of lending to people with thin credit files. In an interview Tuesday, Eric Hartz, RentBureau's president and chief executive, said his company's "main thrust is to get more data quickly." Amassing 10 million records would establish the company as a mainstream credit reporting agency, he said.

Founded three years ago, RentBureau has several other investors, Mr. Hartz said. Arjan Schutte, an associate director of the nonprofit who oversees its investment fund, is to join RentBureau's board.

Last year, Keycorp and the Ford Foundation contributed a combined $1 million to CFSI Catalyst Fund LP. Half the money has been allocated; the other recipient is Accounts Now Inc., a prepaid card provider.

RENTBUREAU SIGNS THREE NEW PARTICPANTS:
Mid-American Apartment Communities, Inc., McKinley Inc., and Morrison, Ekre & Bart Management Services (MEB) add 71,000 units to rental payment database

RentBureau™, the first national online repository of rental payment histories, has added three national apartment owners and managers as participants, announced RentBureau President and CEO Eric Hartz.  Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. (Public, NYSE:MAA), McKinley Inc., and Morrison, Ekre & Bart Management Services will contribute and have access to the data in RentBureau’s National Rental Data Exchange (NRDE™) database. The three new participants represent more than 71,000 apartment units in 19 states.

As partners with RentBureau, Mid-America, McKinley and MEB have access to four million rental payment records available through RentBureau’s NRDE database, enabling them to identify potentially risky residents at the time of their application.  The NRDE database also allows them to support their residents by helping them establish or restore their credit.

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. is a real estate investment trust that owns and manages 39,600 apartments in 13 states. The company is traded on the NYSE and is headquartered in Memphis, TN.  Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, McKinley Inc. is a national real estate investment firm that owns and operates $1.8 billion in assets in 103 properties, including 17,300 apartments and more than five million square feet of commercial space in 10 states.  Morrison, Ekre & Bart Management Services provides management services to a diverse portfolio of over 14,000 apartment units and over 300,000 square feet of commercial property.  MEB is based in Arizona.

“Working with RentBureau provides us with the data we need to not only accept good applicants into our properties, but also to control operating costs at the property level by mitigating many of the
expenses associated with skips, evictions and damages caused by bad renters,” said James Maclin, Senior VP & Director of Corporate Support of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.

“RentBureau’s data will become an important management tool for McKinley because it can be shared among properties in different states, allowing our sales staff to make more informed leasing decisions at the time of application,” noted Ken Polsinelli, Executive Vice President of McKinley Inc.

“The addition of RentBureau data assists MEB in continuing to provide quality housing to deserving applicants, including those who may have been previously missed, while improving the financial performance of our portfolio,” added Jodi Bart of Morrison, Ekre & Bart Management Services.

“The NRDE database is quickly becoming the standard for enhancing screening reports with resident rental data, as illustrated by the addition of these three prestigious partners,” said Eric Hartz. “Not only are apartment owners and managers able to make better leasing decisions about their prospective tenants, they help their residents seeking to build credit. With each new company that partners with RentBureau, the strength of our database and the benefits provided to them grows exponentially.”

LANE COMPANY CONTRACT WITH RENTBUREAU:
Data from 26,000 units in 10 states added to over three million records

RentBureau, the first national online system providing apartment owners and managers with current rental payment histories of apartment residents and applicants, has contracted with Lane Company to include information from Lane’s approximately 26,000 units in more than 10 states in its National Rental Data Exchange (NRDE®) database, announced Eric Hartz, RentBureau CEO.   As a participating RentBureau member, Lane Company will have access to RentBureau’s NRDE database to integrate into its existing resident screening process.

RentBureau’s database currently contains more than three million rental payment records provided by multifamily property owners and managers nationwide. RentBureau’s system allows data from its NRDE database to be incorporated into an existing screening or credit reporting process for the purpose of identifying applicants with positive rental histories, as well as applicants who have skipped on their rent or otherwise owe money to their previous landlords.

“We recognize that good renters can sometimes be overlooked or rejected when applying for credit,” said Dan Haefner, Acting President and CIO of Lane. “By aligning with RentBureau, Lane Company is not only protecting its properties from risky renters, but also identifying good renters that may not otherwise have credit histories.”

RENTBUREA DATA ADDED TO SELECTRENT:
Rental payment histories enhance screening reports

RentBureau™, the first national online repository of rental payment histories, has aligned with RHR Information Services, Inc. to make apartment rental payment histories available as part of SelectRent, RHR’s comprehensive residential screening service, announced Bill Garrity, RentBureau SVP of Member Services. 
Through its alliance with RentBureau, multifamily owners and managers using SelectRent will have access to over three and a half million rental payment records available through RentBureau’s National Rental Data Exchange (NRDE®) database.

“By adding RentBureau’s rental payment data to our reports, we can provide our clients with a wider, more comprehensive view of potential residents’ ability to pay rent, thereby reducing their risk of skips, evictions, and bad debt,” said Tony Karels, national sales manager for RHR Information Services.  SelectRent is currently used by the owners and managers of over 100,000 apartment units in Minnesota.

RentBureau’s rental payment data will be used by Minnesota apartment owners and managers to make informed leasing decisions that will improve the value of their properties,” said Garrity. “RHR Information Services recognizes that previous rental histories are a great predictor of future rental payments.”

BILL GARRITY SPEAKS AT TAZWORKS USER'S GROUP MEETING

Bill Garrity, Senior Vice President of Member Services for RentBureau, was a featured speaker at the TazWorks Users’ Group Meeting on September 6, 2007 in Snowbird, Utah.

In his presentation, Garrity discussed the value of apartment rental payment histories in resident screening; with the addition of rental histories that RentBureau provides, property management companies are able to better predict the potential risk renters pose as well as identify those renters with strong histories.

Garrity also spoke about how accurate rental addresses enhance other types of background screening. He explained how an apartment applicant’s updated address information available through RentBureau allows property management companies to see the information that applicants may choose to withhold in an effort to erase past rental history.

Founder of TazWorks, Barton Taylor, remarks, “RentBureau’s service fills the void that was left by the host of available negative renter databases, with a true history of both the negative and/or positive payment history of renters.”

TazWorks provides technology to consumer reporting agencies that specialize in due diligence, risk mitigation, employment and tenant background screening. TazWorks’ primary aim is to make its clients’ business processes easier by leading the market with the most “Simple. Powerful™” technology in the background screening industry.

HARTZ PANELIST AT NMHC MEETING

Eric Hartz,president and CEO of RentBureau, was a featured panelist at the Management Committee Meeting of the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) Board of Directors on September 24, 2007 in Washington, DC. In his presentation to the executive board, Hartz discussed the importance of incorporating various types of data in the resident screening process in light of the rise in mortgage defaults. Related to this, he also shared insights about the role of rental history information in predicting a resident's future rent payments.

The National Multi Housing Council is the nation's leading trade association for the apartment industry engaged in all aspects of the rental housing business, including apartment ownership, management, development, brokerage and finance.

HARTZ TO SPEAK AT NMHC MEETING

Eric Hartz, president and CEO of RentBureau, will be a featured panelist at the Management Committee Meeting of the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) Board of Directors on September 24, 2007 in Washington, DC. In his presentation to the executive board, Hartz will discuss the importance of incorporating various types of data in the resident screening process in light of the rise in mortgage defaults. Related to this, he will also share insights about the role of rental history information in predicting a resident's future rent payments.

The National Multi Housing Council is the nation's leading trade association for the apartment industry engaged in all aspects of the rental housing business, including apartment ownership, management, development, brokerage and finance.

ON-SITE.COM INCLUDES RENTBUREAU DATA IN SCREENING REPORTS
On-site.com becomes first resident screening company to provide rental payment data to its customers

RentBureau, the nation's only online, real-time, independent repository of apartment rental payment histories, has partnered with On-Site.com to provide rental payment information to property owners as part of On-Site.com's resident screening service, announced Eric Hartz, RentBureau CEO. On-Site.com becomes the first screening firm to include RentBureau's rental payment history in reports that allow property owners to identify and lease apartments to quality residents.

The multifamily industry loses nearly $5 billion each year on residents who skip on their rent, are evicted, or leave a property with significant damage. "The addition of RentBureau's rental payment data to our screening reports makes our product the most comprehensive screening solution available to the multifamily industry," said Jake Harrington, co-founder and VP Business Development at On-Site.com. "Property managers can now mitigate risk by making leasing decisions based not only on traditional background and credit screening information, but also with the best predictor of a resident's ability to pay rent – their rental payment history."

By partnering with RentBureau, On-Site.com has access to nearly three million rental records shared by RentBureau's members including Equity Residential, Post Properties, BRE, First Communities, Aderhold Properties, RAM Partners, Julian LeCraw & Company, and HMI.

"On-Site.com's inclusion of RentBureau data into its reporting illustrates the value of rental payment history to property owners and managers in the leasing process," said Hartz. "RentBureau and On-Site.com are helping property owners prevent thousands of dollars in losses from skips, evicts, NSFs, and extensive property damage by using all of the data available to them to distinguish good residents from potentially risky ones."

On-Site.com is a web-based technology firm with a nationwide client base, including three of the four largest communities in the U.S., that incorporate On-Site.com's innovative solutions including "apply online" technology, smart resident screening and built-in lease and legal forms. The typical On-Site.com client eliminates 130 hours per month in wasted administrative time.

EQUITY RESIDENTIAL JOINS RENTBUREAU
RentBureau's database of rental payment histories now exceeds 2 million residents

RentBureau, the nation's only online, real-time, independent repository of complete apartment rental payment histories, has signed on Equity Residential, the largest owner, operator and developer of multifamily properties in the United States, announced Eric Hartz, RentBureau CEO. RentBureau now includes more than 2 million resident rental records available to multifamily property owners, managers and rental agents nationwide.

"Through RentBureau, our online staff can immediately identify strong applicants who may have thin or no credit data files and applicants who have previously skipped or been evicted," said David Santee, Executive Vice President - Operations of Equity Residential. "We can now make better leasing decisions by giving our property managers the most complete assessment of a prospective resident - validating their ability to pay rent according to past rental payments in addition to traditional credit information."

"Given Equity Residential's leadership and industry position, their participation in RentBureau underscores the value of our service and its benefit to the entire industry," said Hartz. "Equity and other participating multifamily companies realize that knowing an applicant's rental history, as a strong or possibly risky renter, can reduce $5 billion in potential industry losses annually due to costs related skips, evictions and property damage."

Equity Residential is an S&P 500 company focused on the acquisition, development and management of high quality apartment properties in top U.S. growth markets. Equity Residential owns or has investments in more than 165,000 apartments in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

RENTBUREAU CEO ERIC HARTZ ELECTED TO CREDIT AGENCY BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eric Hartz, president and CEO of RentBureau, LLC, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Atlanta (CCCS).

CCCS is a non-profit, community service agency dedicated to helping families achieve financial stability. A United Way partner, CCCS provides free, confidential budget counseling, money management education, debt management programs, bankruptcy counseling and education for families with financial problems. CCCS Atlanta is the headquarters for the CredAbility Network, a family of agencies serving consumers in North Georgia, South Florida, East Tennessee and Jackson, Mississippi and as well as nationally via telephone and Internet. CCCS is funded by creditors, clients, contributors and grants from foundations, business and government agencies. Service is available in English, Spanish and American Sign Language.

"It is an honor to help guide an organization that is so committed to assisting families in achieving economic stability. It is important for people to have access to the proper education and guidance that will allow them to improve their credit and become financially secure," said Mr. Hartz.