ChoicePoint buys vital-records specialist

ChoicePoint Inc. has acquired USCerts, a Web-based vital-records system. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

USCerts of Memphis, Tenn., offers state and local governments a secure, remote, vital-records ordering and processing system that can be used by telephone, facsimile or over the Internet.

The acquisition will help Alpharetta, Ga.-based ChoicePoint's vital-records business meet a growing demand for document verification services to determine a person's age and identity, the company said in a statement.

Adding USCerts' vital-record technology, data management services and network capabilities will let consumers obtain records with greater ease and speed, the company said.

The transaction is not expected to have material impact on ChoicePoint's financial results. ChoicePoint has more than 5,000 employees and had more than $1 billion in annual revenue in fiscal 2005, according to Hoover's Online of Austin, Texas.