Experian MarketIQ provides the broadest and deepest source of corporate, deal, company, financial and business information on a single, accessible, easy-to-use platform. It reveals new layers of market insight by combining Corpfin’s global mergers and acquisitions database with comprehensive Companies House data, and Experian’s business, financial and risk databases – all on a single platform.
It is an essential market insight platform, which allows users to target, profile, monitor, track, analyse and compare business. It provides accurate and timely market and business insight to help you give the best advice and make the best decisions.
MarketIQ has many uses and processes data including personal data for research and analysis, marketing and credit risk use. The sources of the data are kept separate for these purposes but all use the legal basis of legitimate interest to process the personal data.
We have always operated our credit risk activities on the legal grounds of legitimate interest and the CRA Information Notice (CRAIN) explains this.
Under GDPR, we will also process personal data for the legitimate interests of a marketing company. We have worked hard to ensure that this works for all parties including the data subjects and this is explained in our Marketing Transparency Notice.
This document describes how Experian uses and shares personal data we receive about your business in relation to mergers and acquisitions research.
What data do we collect and how do we use it?
The UK’s data protection law allows the use of personal data where its purpose is legitimate and isn’t outweighed by the interests, fundamental rights or freedoms of data subjects. The law calls this the Legitimate Interests condition for personal data processing. The Legitimate Interests being pursued here are:
| Interest | Explanation |
| Provision of research and data analysis tools to help our clients to be better informed, have more confidence in their decisions and create more opportunities. | Experian operates a successful business of research and data analysis. The data is accessible in a product called MarketIQ, which is a research tool used to identify key trends in mergers and acquisitions. Our clients use the product and the data to help with their strategic decision making, and to be ready to make the most of all opportunities the moment they arise. |
At Experian, we collect and process information on mergers and acquisitions. This includes information contributed directly by the professional services firms who may have provided legal or financial advice on a deal, or arranged funding. This can include personal data such as the name of an individual, the company name and the office location where the individual is based.
We also have access to public data sources on people and businesses, including Companies House, commercial business directories, companies’ websites, press releases, official stock market and regulatory news service announcements.
We will use this data in our deal reports, and for statistical analysis purposes. It may be used in reports we produce and share with our contact list on a monthly and quarterly basis, and shared via social media channels including our website, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
Data may also be used by third party subscribers in line with the terms and conditions of their contract with us.
We will use the contact details of our deals data contributors to email information on deal submission deadlines and to enable the distribution of our monthly, quarterly and other ad-hoc reports. We will not share these contact details with anyone else, nor use them for any other purposes unrelated to deals submissions and reports.
The deals data contributed to Experian will be used for the purposes of creating products and services which will be sold by Experian and our reseller and alliance partners. Our clients will use these products for research and data analysis purposes, business valuations and for reporting on trends in mergers and acquisitions. The data will also be used by Experian for research and analysis purposes and for creating reports which include mergers and acquisitions data.
Generally, we want to use as much information as possible but sometimes we are sent information that is not used such as deals that are not for publication or don’t meet our inclusion criteria. Where we can, we delete any personal data that is not used but sometimes it is securely held with the data used for completeness in case of customer queries and historical statistical analysis.
Some of the data we capture and manage within our internal data capture and management systems isn’t always included within our deal reports. However, we will retain such data for both deal verification and query handling, as well as possible future product enhancements and deliveries. It is possible that this may contain some personal data, such as the role of an individual within a professional firm and the capacity in which they advised on a deal.
There may be occasions where confidential deals are sent to us. When permission for complete disclosure is not given, we will not retain any information, either on email servers or in databases, relating to that deal until permission is given from the data contributor and the deal has been re-submitted.
Experian receives information from reputable commercial and public sources, and therefore we rely on our data suppliers to provide accurate information. We will take reasonable steps to check the data first, such as confirming the accuracy of the data with the organisation which supplied it. If for any reason the data does turn out to be wrong, we will update our records accordingly as soon as we practically can.
MarketIQ is a historical database of mergers and acquisitions. It is used for valuation purposes and statistical analysis. Data on the individuals advising on these historical transactions will be archived specifically for the purposes of analysing trends and other research purposes, and therefore requires ongoing retention.
7.1 Rectification, erasure and restriction
Should any data inaccuracies be brought to our attention, or an individual has been linked incorrectly to a deal report, we will rectify or update the data or remove the details from our deal records and database immediately.
7.2 Incorrect data
What can I do if my personal data is wrong?
When we receive data on individuals advising on deals, we check the names to try and detect any defects or mistakes. Ultimately, though, we rely on the suppliers to provide accurate data.
If you think that any data we hold about you or the deals you have been involved is wrong or incomplete, you have the right to challenge it. We will take reasonable steps to check the data first, such as asking the organisation that supplied it to check and confirm its accuracy.
If the data does turn out to be wrong, we will update our records accordingly. Please contact us using the contact details set out in section 8 below.
7.3 Objection and deletion rights
Can I object to the use of my personal data and have it deleted?
This section helps you understand how to use your data protection rights to object to your personal data being used and how to ask for it to be deleted. To understand these rights and how they apply to the processing of data, it’s important to know that we hold and process personal information under the Legitimate Interests ground for processing (see section 2 above for more information about this), and don’t rely on consent for this processing.
You have the right to lodge an objection about the processing of your personal data. If you want to do this, you should contact us using the contact details set out in section 8 below.
If you have a justifiable reason to object to the processing of your personal data, we will remove the data immediately. However, you should be aware that whilst you have complete freedom to contact us with your objection at any time, you should know that under the General Data Protection Regulation, your right to object doesn’t automatically lead to a requirement for processing to stop, or for personal data to be deleted.
What can I do if I want to see the personal data held about me?
You have a right to find out what personal data we hold about you on MarketIQ.
| Experian MarketIQ | To get online information: http://www.experian.co.uk/business-information/marketiq.html To make a request by phone: Please call our client support team on 0844 481 5808 or 0161 288 4901 |
| Experian | To get online information: http://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/contact-us/index.html To make a request by post: Customer Support Centre, Experian Ltd, PO Box 9000, Nottingham, NG80 7WF |
New data protection legislation also contains a right to data portability that may give consumers a right in some data processing contexts, to receive their personal data in a portable format when it’s processed on certain grounds, such as consent. This is not a right that will apply to bureau data because this data is processed on the grounds of legitimate interests. To find out more about legitimate interests please go to Section 2 above.
Can I restrict what MarketIQ does with my personal data?
In some circumstances, you can ask Experian to restrict how MarketIQ uses your personal data. Your rights are set out at Article 18 of the GDPR. You can find the contact details for Experian MarketIQ in section 8 above.
This is not an absolute right, and your personal data may still be processed where certain grounds exist. This is:
Only one of these grounds needs to be demonstrated to continue data processing.
Experian and MarketIQ will consider and respond to requests they receive, including assessing the applicability of these exemptions.
Please note that given the importance of complete and accurate records on mergers and acquisitions, it will usually be appropriate to continue processing such data to protect the rights of other natural or legal persons who may be using the data to make important decisions.
Who can I complain to if I’m unhappy about the use of my personal data?
We try to ensure we deliver the best customer service levels but if you’re not happy you should contact us so we can investigate your concerns.
| Company name | Contact details |
| Experian MarketIQ | Post: Experian MarketIQ, Riverleen House, Electric Avenue, Nottingham, NG80 1RH Email: cfw.helpdesk@experian.com Phone: 0844 481 5808 or 0161 288 4901 |
| Experian Limited | Post: Experian, PO BOX 8000, Nottingham, NG80 7WF Email: complaints@uk.experian.com Phone: 0344 481 0800 or 0800 013 8888 |
If you’re unhappy with how we have investigated your complaint, you have the right to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service (Ombudsman) for free. The Ombudsman is an independent public body that aims to resolve disputes between consumers and businesses. You can contact them by:
You can also refer your concerns to the Information Commissioner’s Office (or ICO), the body that regulates the handling of personal data in the UK. You can contact them by:
The work Experian does is very complex, and this document is intended to provide only a concise overview of the key points. More information about Experian and what we do with personal data is available at:
The Information Commissioner’s Office also publishes advice and information for consumers in its Credit Explained leaflet, available at https://ico.org.uk/media/for-the-public/documents/1282/credit-explained-dp-guidance.pdf