Beefing Up

ChoicePoint buys other firms for their data, their customers or their technology. It has acquired 42 companies in its seven-year existence-an average of one every two months-and has become a leader in some markets as a result.

• DBT ONLINE INC. (2000):
  Developed AutoTrack, a widely used data searching technology that became a flagship ChoicePoint product. In 1998, Florida contracted with DBT to purge the state's voter roles of felons.
• BTI EMPLOYEE SCREENING SERVICES (2001):
  Conducted criminal background checks and related services for employers, adding to ChoicePoint's already strong background check business.
• BODE TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC. (2001):
  A DNA forensics laboratory, Bode Technology Group made ChoicePoint the largest DNA identification outfit in the United States.
• APPLICANT SCREENING AND PROCESSING (2003):
  Provided apartment tenant screening services, opening a previously untapped market for ChoicePoint.

Source: ChoicePoint