Who and What NCTUE is All About

NCTUE is a non-profit, FCRA-compliant consumer credit reporting agency comprised of 160+ service providers. These member-contributors are able to access consumer payment histories to manage their credit portfolios better, make well-informed decisions, and better identify and manage financial risk associated with fraudulent account openings and unpaid closed accounts.

 

 

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The Benefits of NCTUE Membership

With approximately 500 million records in the database, NCTUE is the premier, industry-specific data source for accurately assessing new applicant risk. NCTUE allows members to screen new consumers for customer service applications and unpaid closed accounts to decrease write-offs and improve profitability.

By joining NCTUE, members can:

  • Identify whether a new applicant has outstanding, unpaid balances resulting in unpaid closed accounts from other member companies.
  • Gain insight into fraudulent new applications containing duplicate or invalid Social Security numbers.
  • Access unique, industry-specific data sources to accurately determine deposits.
  • Retrieve updated address information from other members to greatly improve skip tracing and collections results.
  • Receive management reports to view unpaid closed accounts, payment profiles, account reviews, activity analysis, and more.

To learn more about how the NCTUE is good for your business, your consumers, and your communities, download this eBook.

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Who Can Join?

You should join if you are a national, regional, or local company providing a range of services including telephone, cable TV, gas, electricity, internet, water, home security, and more. Membership is governed by member agreements, operating guidelines, and bylaws. Eligibility and data usage is governed by the member-led NCTUE board of trustees.

To Get Data, You Must Contribute Data

Members are required to contribute their consumer data to receive data.

  • When members anonymously contribute data online or through batch uploading, the consumer database grows and the data becomes even more valuable.
  • With your contribution, everyone wins!
  • By giving, you receive.
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Your Membership Matters

Now that you know the benefits of an NCTUE membership, why not join?

JOIN NOW

The History of NCTUE

1980

NCTUE was formed Dec. 1, 1980, when credit executives of long-distance carriers and the National Association of Credit Management Southwest (NACM Southwest) formed the National Telecommunications Credit Group.

1993

An informal committee of Credit Group members and a representative of NACM Southwest formed to pursue the establishment of a national database to be owned and operated according to guidelines set by the members.

1993

After numerous meetings, the National Telecommunications Data Exchange (NTDE), a non-profit corporation, was founded by several leading service providers.

1996

Telecommunications consumer executives, with the assistance of NACM Southwest, started the process of developing a national database of consumers to better monitor payment and service behaviors in the industry.

1997

The National Consumer Telecommunications Data Exchange (NCTDE) was founded in 1997 by AT&T, Bellsouth, Citizens, Frontier, IXC, MCI, NYNEXLD, Sprint, and WorldCom. In September 1997, the Department of Justice approved the creation of the database, and Equifax was selected as the vendor.

2002

NCTDE and Equifax re-signed an agreement to manage the database. The U.S. Department of Justice approved the combination of telecommunications and utilities providers in one exchange.

2003

Pay TV providers were added to the by-laws in 2003, bringing the mix of data providers to its current state.

2009

Equifax and NCTUE signed a new agreement to allow for the expanded reporting and use of data, including tradeline-level reporting and integrating NCTUE Plus data into products. In 2009, Equifax and the NCTUE established the NCTUE Plus database, which added member-provided tradeline-level account information to turn the existing “negative-only” repository into a more comprehensive tool by adding positive information for better decisioning.

2023

Equifax extended its long-standing relationship with NCTUE. Under the terms of the extended agreement, Equifax will continue its exclusive operation and management of the NCTUE database and provide the organization with enhanced product innovation, advanced data security measures, and marketing support for new member recruitment.

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