International revenue increased by 17% to $339.3 million, driven by 71% growth in Latin America. This growth is primarily due to the BVS acquisition and local currency growth in Argentina.

USIS revenue increased by 7% due to growth in mortgage-related online services, as well as growth in Mortgage Solutions and consumer solutions revenue. Growth in mortgage related online revenue and Mortgage Solutions was due to both increased product prices and increased mortgage prequalification credit inquiry revenue.

Workforce Solutions revenue increased by 5% due to an increase in non-mortgage verticals within Verification Services, partially offset by declines in mortgage revenue and declines in Employer Services due to lower tax credit revenue.

Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $15.2 million, primarily due to increased amortization of capitalized internal-use software and system costs from technology transformation capital spending incurred previously.

General corporate expense decreased by $15.4 million, primarily due to a decrease in people costs and consulting services. This suggests effective cost management and resource allocation.

Restructuring charges were recorded to general corporate expense and resulted from continuing efforts to realign internal resources to support the Company's strategic objectives. Substantially all of the 2023 restructuring charges have been paid with the remaining future payments expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2024.

The staff of the CFPB has informed Equifax that the CFPB intends to seek injunctive and civil money penalties against Equifax based on allegations related to the consumer disputes investigation and the coding issue investigation.

Equifax has been named as a defendant in various other legal actions, including administrative claims, regulatory matters, government investigations, class actions and other litigation arising in connection with our business.

Demand for services tends to be correlated to general levels of economic activity and to consumer credit and small business commercial credit decisioning and portfolio review, marketing, identity validation and fraud protection activity, employee hiring and onboarding activity, and activity in provisioning support services in the U.S. by government agencies.

The company's performance varies across its segments, with Workforce Solutions experiencing growth in non-mortgage verticals while Employer Services faces declines due to the wind-down of the Employee Retention Credit program. USIS revenue growth is driven by mortgage-related online services.

The International segment's revenue growth is significantly influenced by the BVS acquisition and local currency growth in Argentina, indicating a strategy of expanding market presence through acquisitions and capitalizing on regional economic factors.

Local currency fluctuations against the U.S. dollar negatively impacted international revenue, particularly in Argentina and Chile. This highlights the vulnerability of international operations to currency risks.

Cost of services increased due to higher royalty and revenue share costs, costs from BVS which was acquired in the third quarter of 2023, and higher third party cloud usage fees, partially offset by lower people costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased primarily due to costs from BVS which was acquired in the third quarter of 2023, partially offset by a decrease in people costs.

General corporate expense decreased, primarily due to a decrease in people costs and consulting services, indicating improved efficiency and cost management at the corporate level.

The increase in depreciation and amortization expense is primarily due to increased amortization of capitalized internal-use software and system costs from technology transformation capital spending incurred previously, as well as higher amortization of purchased intangible assets related to the BVS acquisition.

Capital expenditures paid decreased due to lower capitalized software costs and lower spending on technology infrastructure as compared to the first six months of 2023 as we continue to make progress toward completion of our technology transformation.

Cost of services increased partially due to higher third party cloud usage fees, indicating a shift towards cloud-based infrastructure and services.

Equifax did not repurchase any shares of its common stock during the first six months of 2024. However, $520.2 million remains available for future purchases under the existing authorization.

The company maintained its quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, paying out $96.4 million in cash dividends to Equifax shareholders during the first six months of 2024.

Interest expense decreased due to lower debt balances in 2024 compared to the same periods in 2023, reflecting the impact of debt repayments.

The provided document does not contain any specific information regarding ESG initiatives. Therefore, no headlines can be generated.

The company's planning assumes that U.S. economic activity will grow at a slower rate in 2024 than in 2023, and that the U.S. mortgage market will decline by about 11%. These assumptions reflect the impact of macroeconomic conditions on the company's business.

The U.S. mortgage market, particularly the mortgage refinance portion, can be significantly impacted by U.S. interest rates, highlighting the sensitivity of this segment to monetary policy.

The company's planning assumes that economic activity in Australia and Canada will grow at slower rates in 2024 than in 2023, and that the U.K. economy will grow nominally, indicating a cautious outlook for international markets.