Fair, Isaac Acquires HNC Software

May 1, 2002

Fair, Isaac and Company Inc. and HNC Software Inc. announced plans to join forces in a merger that will create an unmatched provider of leading-edge business analytic solutions for a broad range of industries. The companies will merge under the Fair, Isaac name in a move that will bolster the brand’s global leadership in creative analytics and position the combined company to deliver greater value to its customers, shareholders and employees.

Fair, Isaac and HNC share a proven track record of providing innovative customer strategy and decision management applications and tools, and the merger is designed to fully leverage the strengths of each organization. Fair, Isaac sets the standard for analytic solutions, and HNC is a recognized leader in high-end analytic and decision management software. They help companies acquire customers, build customer loyalty, reduce losses and optimize the value of customer relationships. The addition of HNC’s domain and technology expertise will allow the combined company to offer a more complete set of solutions to core markets including financial services, retail, telecommunications, insurance, government and healthcare.

“This combination of leaders in our respective markets will bring the depth of Fair, Isaac’s creative analytics to a new level for the industries we serve,” said Tom Grudnowski, CEO of Fair, Isaac. “We have an exciting opportunity to bring together the best minds in analytics and decision management to better leverage and deliver leading-edge technologies, products, and services. These synergies and our complementary product lines make this a tremendous and timely proposition, and position us for sustained long-term growth.”

Fair, Isaac and HNC share a common strategic vision for the growth of the analytics and decision management technology market,” said John Mutch, Chief Executive Officer of HNC. “Our combined intellectual assets and services will meet the increasing demand for the solutions we offer and create immediate benefits for our current customers. The combination is extremely well-positioned to deliver sustainable shareholder value.”

Under the merger agreement, approved by both Boards of Directors, the owners of HNC will receive 0.346 of a newly issued Fair, Isaac share for each share of HNC. HNC stockholders will own approximately 35% of the total outstanding capital stock of the merged company. Two directors from HNC will join the Board of Directors of Fair, Isaac, bringing the total number of board members to nine. Tom Grudnowski will remain the Chief Executive Officer of Fair, Isaac. The integration effort will be managed by a combined team of Fair, Isaac and HNC leaders headed by Mark Pautsch, vice president of product development at Fair, Isaac. The overall transaction is valued at approximately $810 million, based on the closing price of Fair, Isaac stock on April 26, 2002.

The transaction is expected to be tax-free to stockholders of both companies for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is expected to close in the third calendar quarter, subject to regulatory review, approval by both companies’ stockholders and certain other conditions.

Stephens Inc. and Salomon Smith Barney Inc. acted as financial advisors to Fair, Isaac. Credit Suisse First Boston acted as financial advisor to HNC. Pillsbury Winthrop LLP is legal advisor to Fair, Isaac. Fenwick & West LLP is legal advisor to HNC.

The merger of Fair, Isaac and HNC will deliver significant benefits to companies who rely upon creative analytics and decision management technologies to develop and implement profitable customer acquisition and relationship management strategies. The merger will combine Fair, Isaac’s leadership position in advanced analytics with HNC’s leadership position in analytic and decision management software. The merged company will be positioned to respond to growing demand for analytic solutions that help businesses market more efficiently, increase customer value, reduce losses and operating expenses, and enter new markets more profitably. The company will offer an unparalleled depth of solutions to a broad range of core and emerging markets.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions

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