Economic Concerns and Consumer Behavior - 51% of Canadians cite recession as a top financial concern for the next six months, with 44% planning to reduce discretionary spending [1][10] - 63% of Canadians are looking for sales and discounts more frequently, while 40% are shopping at more affordable retailers [1][15] - 27% of Canadians report they will not be able to pay all current bills and loans in full, with 68% of those unable to pay indicating credit card payments as a priority [2][9] Mortgage Renewal and Financial Strain - Approximately 60% of Canadians' mortgages are up for renewal in 2025 or 2026, leading to potential payment shock due to rising interest rates [4][10] - Over two million consumers have seen a 25% increase in monthly mortgage payments since March 2022, with the average payment rising from $1,527 to $1,908 [5][6] - 53% of Gen X Canadians feel their financial situation is worse than planned, indicating a generational disparity in financial stress [3][9] Credit and Spending Adjustments - 72% of Canadians are not considering purchasing a home in the next year, reflecting a cautious approach to credit participation [7][10] - 74% of Canadians anticipating a recession plan to reduce spending to maintain financial resilience [11] - 46% of Canadians reported being targeted by fraud attempts, yet 37% took no action in response to cybersecurity concerns [12]

Financial Performance & Growth Strategy - Equifax aims for 7-10% organic revenue growth and 1-2% revenue growth from bolt-on M&A, targeting 8-12% total revenue growth[16] - The company targets 50 BPs margin expansion per year[16] - Equifax plans to invest approximately $1 billion per year in growth CapEx and bolt-on M&A[16] - The company intends to return over $1 billion per year to shareholders through dividend growth and buybacks[16] - Equifax projects strong 2025 financial performance, including approximately $900 million in free cash flow and 95% cash conversion[318] - The company anticipates adjusted EPS of $7.45 in 2025[317] Strategic Initiatives & Market Opportunities - Equifax has invested $3 billion in EFX Cloud over the past 7 years[30, 31] - The company is targeting a vitality index of 10%, indicating innovation acceleration post-cloud[39] - Equifax sees a $1.2 billion revenue upside from mortgage market recovery[58, 59] Workforce Solutions - Workforce Solutions is driving 13-15% long-term growth[159, 237] - The company is targeting a $15 billion total addressable market (TAM) primarily replacing manual verifications[170, 163]

Core Insights - The Canadian credit market experienced mixed outcomes in Q1 2025, with growth driven by increased borrowing from young Canadians and newcomers, while subprime consumers faced rising delinquency rates [1][2][3] Group 1: Credit Market Growth - Total outstanding credit debt in Canada reached $2.5 trillion in Q1 2025, reflecting a 4.7% year-over-year growth [2] - Gen Z consumers contributed significantly to this growth, with their outstanding balances increasing by 30.6% year-over-year, accounting for $12 billion or 10.3% of total new balance growth [3] - New Canadians added $2.6 billion in new credit balances, marking a 6.3% increase year-over-year [3] Group 2: Consumer Behavior and Risk Tiers - Non-mortgage debt grew by 2.4%, with below prime average consumer balances increasing by 4.4%, and subprime consumers seeing the highest increase at 6.3% [5] - The average non-mortgage balances per consumer varied across risk tiers, with subprime consumers averaging $23,638, reflecting a 6.3% year-over-year increase [6] - Serious delinquency rates for consumers 60 days or more delinquent rose by 11 basis points year-over-year to 2.71% in Q1 2025, influenced by the influx of new-to-credit consumers [15] Group 3: Regional Disparities - There are significant regional differences in delinquency trends, with Alberta experiencing the highest delinquency rates due to economic volatility, while Quebec had the lowest [17][18] - Average debt per borrower varied by province, with P.E.I. and Newfoundland having the highest average debt levels, which may increase vulnerability to financial strain [9] Group 4: Economic Conditions and Consumer Credit Index - The Canada Consumer Credit Index dropped to 100.3, down almost 6 points from the previous year, indicating muted credit demand amid economic uncertainty [12] - Economic conditions have led to a widening financial divide among credit consumers, with some benefiting from improved inflation and interest rates while others continue to face challenges [14]