Editing LexisNexis (section)

== History ==
[[File:LexisNexis.JPG|thumb|upright|LexisNexis office in Markham, a suburb of Toronto, Ontario, Canada]]

LexisNexis is owned by [[RELX]] (formerly known as Reed Elsevier).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/06/business/the-media-business-reed-elsevier-building-big-presence-in-the-us.html?src=pm|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Edward A.|last=Gargan|title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Reed-Elsevier Building Big Presence in the U.S.|date=October 6, 1994}}</ref>

According to Trudi Bellardo Hahn and Charles P. Bourne, LexisNexis (originally founded as LEXIS) is historically significant because it was the first of the early information services to both envision and actually bring about a future in which large populations of end users would directly interact with computer databases, rather than going through professional intermediaries like librarians.<ref name="bourne6">{{cite book |last1=Bourne |first1=Charles P. |last2=Hahn |first2=Trudi Bellardo |title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=The MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-02538-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n318 302]–303}} Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref> The developers of several other early information services in the 1970s harbored similar ambitions (e.g., [[OCLC]]'s [[WorldCat]]), but met with financial, structural, and technological constraints and were forced to retreat to the professional intermediary model until the early 1990s.<ref name="bourne6" />

An attorney named John Horty began to explore the use of CALR technology in 1956 to support his work on comparative hospital law at the [[University of Pittsburgh School of Law|University of Pittsburgh Health Law Center]].<ref name="Hershey">{{cite journal |last1=Hershey |first1=Tina Batra |last2=Burke |first2=Donald |title=Pioneers in Computerized Legal Research: The Story of the Pittsburgh System |journal= Pittsburgh Journal of Technology Law and Policy|date=February 2018 |volume=18 |pages=29–39 |doi=10.5195/tlp.2018.212 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323000385 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press |location=Pittsburgh |issn=2164-800X|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="bourne0">{{cite book|last1=Bourne|first1=Charles P.|last2=Hahn|first2=Trudi Bellardo|title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976|url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour|url-access=limited|date=2003|publisher=The MIT Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=978-0-262-02538-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n245 229]–230}}  Available through [[IEEE Xplore]].</ref> Horty was surprised to discover the extent to which the laws governing hospital administration varied from one state to another across the United States and began building a computer database to help him keep track of it all.<ref name="Hershey"/><ref name="bourne0"/>

In 1965, Horty's work inspired the [[Ohio State Bar Association]] (OSBA) to independently develop its own CALR system, Ohio Bar Automated Research (OBAR).<ref name="bourne1">{{cite book|last1=Bourne|first1=Charles P.|last2=Hahn|first2=Trudi Bellardo|title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976|url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour|url-access=limited|date=2003|publisher=The MIT Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=978-0-262-02538-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n251 235]–236}} Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref> In 1967, the OSBA signed a contract with Data Corporation, a local defense contractor, to build OBAR based on the OSBA's written specifications.<ref name="bourne1"/> Data proceeded to implement OBAR on Data Central, an interactive full-text search system originally developed in 1964 as Recon Central to help [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] intelligence analysts search text summaries of the contents of aerial and satellite reconnaissance photographs.<ref name="bourne9">{{cite book|last1=Bourne|first1=Charles P.|last2=Hahn|first2=Trudi Bellardo|title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976|url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour|url-access=limited|date=2003|publisher=The MIT Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=978-0-262-02538-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n255 239]–245}} Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref>  (Before [[computer vision]] was invented, text summaries were manually prepared by enlisted personnel called "photo interpreters"; analysts then used those summaries as a catalog to retrieve photographs from which they could draw inferences about enemy strategy.<ref name="bourne9" />)

In 1968, paper manufacturer [[MeadWestvaco|Mead Corporation]] purchased Data Corporation for $6 million to gain control of its [[inkjet printing]] technology.<ref name="bourne2">{{cite book|last1=Bourne|first1=Charles P.|last2=Hahn|first2=Trudi Bellardo|title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976|url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour|url-access=limited|date=2003|publisher=The MIT Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=978-0-262-02538-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n261 245]–246}} Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref> Mead hired the [[Arthur D. Little]] consulting firm to study the business possibilities for the Data Central technology.<ref name="bourne2"/> Arthur D. Little dispatched a team of consultants from New York to Ohio led by [[H. Donald Wilson]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bourne|first1=Charles P.|last2=Hahn|first2=Trudi Bellardo|title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976|url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour|url-access=limited|date=2003|publisher=The MIT Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=978-0-262-02538-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n266 250]}} Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref> After Mead asked for a practicing lawyer on the team, Jerome Rubin, a [[Harvard Law School|Harvard]]-trained attorney with 20 years of experience was included.<ref name="bourne3">{{cite book |last1=Bourne |first1=Charles P. |last2=Hahn |first2=Trudi Bellardo |title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=The MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-02538-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n272 256]}}  Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref> The resulting study concluded that the nonlegal market was nonexistent, the legal market had potential, and OBAR needed to be rebuilt to profitably exploit that market.<ref name="bourne3" />  At the time, OBAR searches often took up to five hours to complete if more than one user was online, and its original terminals were noisy [[Teleprinter|Teletype]]s with slow transmission rates of 10 characters per second.<ref name="bourne11">{{cite book |last1=Bourne |first1=Charles P. |last2=Hahn |first2=Trudi Bellardo |title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=The MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-02538-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n265 249]}} Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref>  The original OBAR terminals were belatedly replaced with CRT [[text terminal]]s in 1970.<ref name="bourne11" />  OBAR also had quality control issues; Rubin later recalled that its data was "unacceptably dirty."<ref name="bourne4">{{cite book |last1=Bourne |first1=Charles P. |last2=Hahn |first2=Trudi Bellardo |title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=The MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-02538-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n273 257]}} Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref>

In February 1970, Mead reorganized Data Corporation's Information Systems Division into a new Mead subsidiary called Mead Data Central (MDC).<ref name="bourne3" />  Wilson and Rubin, respectively, were installed as president and vice president.<ref name="bourne3" /> A year later, Mead bought out the OSBA's interests in the OBAR project, and OBAR disappears from the historical record after that point.<ref name="bourne3" />

After Wilson was put in charge, he became reluctant to implement his own study's recommendation to abandon the OBAR/Data Central work to date and start over.<ref name="bourne8">{{cite book |last1=Bourne |first1=Charles P. |last2=Hahn |first2=Trudi Bellardo |title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=The MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-02538-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n316 300]}} Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref> In September 1971, Mead's management relegated Wilson to vice chairman of the board (i.e., a nonoperational role) and elevated Rubin to president of MDC.<ref name="bourne3" />  Rubin pushed the legacy Data Central technology back to Mead Corporation.<ref name="bourne3" />  Under a newly organized division, Mead Technical Laboratories, Data Central continued to operate as a [[service bureau]] for nonlegal applications until 1980.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bourne |first1=Charles P. |last2=Hahn |first2=Trudi Bellardo |title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=The MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-02538-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n320 304]}}  Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref>

[[File:LexisNexis logo.png|thumb|upright=0.5|The old LexisNexis logo]]

Rubin then hired a new team to build an entirely new information service dedicated exclusively to [[legal research]].<ref name="bourne4" />  He coined a new name, LEXIS, from "lex", the [[Latin language|Latin]] word for law, and "IS" for "information service".<ref name="bourne8" />  After several iterations, the original functional and performance specifications were finalized by Rubin and executive vice president Bob Bennett in late summer 1972.<ref name="bourne4" />  System designer Edward Gottsman supervised the implementation of the specifications as working [[Source code|computer code]].<ref name="bourne4" /> At the same time, Rubin and Bennett orchestrated the necessary keyboarding of the legal materials to be provided through LEXIS,<ref name="bourne5">{{cite book |last1=Bourne |first1=Charles P. |last2=Hahn |first2=Trudi Bellardo |title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=The MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-02538-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n317 301]}} Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref> and designed a business plan, marketing strategy, and training program.<ref name="bourne4" /> MDC's corporate headquarters were moved to New York City, while the data center stayed in [[Dayton, Ohio]].<ref name="bourne5" />

Lexis was the first information service to directly serve end users.  Rubin later explained that they were trying "to crack the librarian barrier. Our goal was to get a LEXIS terminal on every lawyer's desk."<ref name="bourne6" />  To persuade American lawyers to use LEXIS (at a time when [[computer literacy]] was rare), MDC used aggressive marketing, sales, and training campaigns.<ref name="bourne6" />

On April 2, 1973, MDC publicly launched LEXIS at a press conference in New York City, with libraries of New York and Ohio case law as well as a separate library of federal tax materials.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bourne |first1=Charles P. |last2=Hahn |first2=Trudi Bellardo |title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=The MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-02538-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n316 300]–301}}  Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref>  By the end of that year, the LEXIS database had reached two billion characters in size and added the entire [[United States Code]], as well as the ''[[United States Reports]]'' from 1938 through 1973.<ref name="bourne5" />

By 1974, LEXIS was running on an [[IBM System/370 Model 155|IBM 370/155]] computer in Ohio supported by a set of IBM 3330 disk storage units which could store up to about 4 billion characters.<ref name="bourne7">{{cite book |last1=Bourne |first1=Charles P. |last2=Hahn |first2=Trudi Bellardo |title=A History of Online Information Services, 1963-1976 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=The MIT Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-262-02538-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyonlineinf00bour/page/n319 303]}}  Available through IEEE Xplore.</ref>  Its communications processor could handle 62 terminals simultaneously with transmission speed at 120 characters per second per user.<ref name="bourne7" />  On this platform, LEXIS was able to execute over 90% of searches within fewer than five seconds.<ref name="bourne7" /> Over 100 text terminals had been deployed to various legal offices (i.e., law firms and government agencies) and over 4,000 users had been trained.<ref name="bourne7" />

By 1975, the LEXIS database had grown to 5 billion characters and could handle up to 200 terminals simultaneously.<ref name="bourne7" /> By 1976, the LEXIS database included case law from six states, plus various federal materials.<ref name="bourne7" />  MDC turned a profit for the first time in 1977.<ref name="bourne7" />

In 1980, LEXIS completed its hand-keyed electronic database of all extant U.S. federal and state cases. The NEXIS service, added that same year, provided journalists with a searchable database of news articles.

In September 1981, Rubin and several of his allies (including Bennett and Gottsman) left Mead Data Central to pursue other opportunities.<ref name="bourne7" />

When [[Toyota Motor Corporation|Toyota]] launched the [[Lexus]] line of luxury vehicles in 1989, Mead Data Central sued for [[trademark infringement]] on the grounds that consumers of upscale products (like lawyers) might confuse "Lexus" with "Lexis". A market research survey asked consumers to identify the spoken word "Lexis". Survey results showed that a nominal number of people thought of the computerized legal search system; a similarly small number thought of Toyota's luxury car division.<ref>A far greater number, although by no means a majority, thought of a television character; most thought of nothing at all.</ref> A judge ruled against Toyota, and the company appealed the decision.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-04-fi-194-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |title=Distinctiveness of 'Lexis' Trademark Cited Toyota Can't Call Car 'Lexus,' Judge Says |date=January 4, 1989 |author=James Risen}}</ref><ref>''Mead Data Cent. v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.'' 702 [[F.Supp.]] 1031 (1988)</ref> Mead lost on appeal in 1989 when the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit]] held that there was little chance of consumer confusion.<ref>''[https://scholar.google.ca/scholar_case?case=10399856046401781554 Mead Data Cent., Inc. v. Toyota Motor Sales]'' 875 [[F.2d]] 1026 (1989)</ref> Today, the two companies have an amicable business relationship, and in 2002 implemented a joint promotion called "Win a Lexus on Lexis!"

In 1988, Mead acquired the Michie Company, a legal publisher, from [[Macmillan Publishers (United States)|Macmillan]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Macmillan Agrees to Sell Michie to Mead | work = Associated Press News | access-date = 2014-08-23 | url = https://apnews.com/c5740ca1895b2bc50f15e9f481161d1d }}</ref>

In December 1994, Mead sold the LexisNexis system to Reed Elsevier for $1.5 billion.  The U.S. state of [[Illinois]] subsequently audited Mead's income tax returns and charged Mead an additional $4 million in income tax and penalties for the sale of LexisNexis; Mead paid the tax under protest, then sued for a refund in an Illinois state court.  On April 15, 2008, the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] agreed with Mead that the Illinois courts had incorrectly applied the Court's precedents on whether Illinois could constitutionally apply its income tax to Mead, an out-of-state, Ohio-based corporation.<ref>''[[MeadWestvaco Corp. v. Illinois Dep't. of Revenue]]'', 553 U.S. 16 (2008).</ref>  The Court reversed and remanded so the lower courts could apply the correct test and determine whether Mead and Lexis were a "unitary" business.

In 1997, LexisNexis acquired 52 legal titles (including the [[Lawyers' Edition]]) owned by the [[Thomson Corporation]]. Thomson was required to sell the titles as a condition of acquiring competing publisher [[West (publisher)|West]].<ref>Justice Department and Seven State Attorneys General Approve Sale of Thomson Corp. Legal Publishing Products to Reed-Elsevier Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved July 3, 2021, from https://www.justice.gov/archive/atr/public/press_releases/1997/1891.htm
</ref>

In 1998, Reed Elsevier acquired [[Shepard's Citations]] and made it part of LexisNexis.<ref>{{Cite news | issn = 0362-4331 | last = Barringer | first = Felicity | title = The Media Business; Times Mirror Sells Legal Unit To British-Dutch Publisher |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | access-date = 2014-08-23 | date = 1998-04-28 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/28/business/the-media-business-times-mirror-sells-legal-unit-to-british-dutch-publisher.html }}</ref> Before electronic citators like Westlaw's KeyCite appeared, Shepard's was the only legal citation service which attempted to provide comprehensive coverage of [[Law of the United States|American law]].<ref name="Mersky">{{cite book |last1=Mersky|first1=Roy M. |last2=Dunn|first2=Donald J. |title=Fundamentals of Legal Research |date=2002 |publisher=Foundation Press |location=New York|isbn=9781587780646 |pages=312–340|edition=8th}}</ref>

In 2019, LexisNexis announced a joint venture with Knowable, a leader in contract data analytics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LexisNexis and Knowable Announce Joint Venture {{!}} LexisNexis PressRoom |url=https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/pressroom/b/news/posts/lexisnexis-and-knowable-announce-joint-venture |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=www.lexisnexis.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=Knowable |date=2019-07-18 |title=LexisNexis and Knowable Announce Joint Venture |url=https://www.knowable.com/blog/lexisnexis-and-knowable-announce-joint-venture/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Knowable |language=en-US}}</ref>

In February 2020, LexisNexis transitioned its database services to the [[Amazon Web Services]] cloud architecture, and shut down its legacy mainframes and servers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abovethelaw.com/2020/02/after-40-years-the-lexisnexis-mainframe-is-no-more/|title=After 40+ Years, The LexisNexis Mainframe Is No More|last=Patrice|first=Joe|website=Above the Law|date=24 February 2020 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref>

In 2020, ''[[Estates Gazette]]'' and the remaining business of Reed Business Information became part of LexisNexis.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6763204364187369472/ | title=Reed Business Information on LinkedIn: #risksolutions #data }}</ref>

=== Acquisitions ===
{{Main|RELX#Significant acquisitions}}

In 2000, LexisNexis purchased RiskWise, a [[St. Cloud, Minnesota]] company.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/03/business/company-news-nexis-agrees-to-purchase-of-riskwise-international.html | work=The New York Times | title=COMPANY NEWS; NEXIS AGREES TO PURCHASE OF RISKWISE INTERNATIONAL | date=June 3, 2000}}</ref> <!-- stub out for Matthew Bender (This section redirects from [[:Matthew Bender]]):

==== Matthew Bender ====
"Matthew Bender & Company was founded in Albany and New York City in 1804 by William Gould and David Banks and was known as Gould and Banks. They had offices on Wall Street in New York City and at 104 State Street, Albany. The Albany offices later moved to 473-475 Broadway."<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.albanyinstitute.org/tl_files/pdfs/library/Library%20Collection%20Finding%20Aids%20Matthew%20Bender%20&%20Co.%20Collection.pdf
|title=A Guide to the Matthew Bender & Co. Collection
|publisher=Albany Institute of History & Art
|preferred_citation=Matthew Bender & Co., MG ___, Albany Institute of History & Art Library, New York.
|access-date=31 January 2021}}</ref>
...
"Asked about the rationale behind the closing of the office in Albany, where the company was founded in 1887, Osborn said LexisNexis was 'always looking for ways of running more efficiently.'"
"The Bender company was sold to the Times Mirror Co. in 1963, and none of the family were involved in the business after the sale. Matthew Bender IV later became vice president of Clark Boardman Co., a New York City-based law book publisher."
<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Matthew-Bender-ends-chapter-in-area-4196467.php
|title=Matthew Bender ends chapter in area: Law book company founded in 1887 loses 220 jobs in closure
|first=Brian |last=Nearing
|date=Jan 15, 2013
|access-date=31 January 2021
|publisher=[[Albany Times Union]]
}}</ref>
...
-->Also in 2000, the company acquired the American legal publisher Matthew Bender from [[Times Mirror Company|Times Mirror]].<ref>{{Cite news| issn = 0362-4331| last = Barringer| first = Felicity| title = THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Times Mirror Sells Legal Unit To British-Dutch Publisher| work = The New York Times| access-date = 2018-02-04| date = 1998-04-28| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/28/business/the-media-business-times-mirror-sells-legal-unit-to-british-dutch-publisher.html}}</ref> In 2002, it acquired a Canadian research database company, [[Quicklaw]]. In 2002, LexisNexis acquired the Ohio legal publisher Anderson Publishing.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Anderson Publishing - LexisNexis Company Information| access-date = 2018-04-28| url = https://www.lexisnexis.com/presscenter/mediakit/anderson.asp| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030819045914/http://www.lexisnexis.com/presscenter/mediakit/anderson.asp| url-status = dead| archive-date = August 19, 2003}}</ref> In 2004, Reed Elsevier Group, parent company of LexisNexis, purchased Seisint, Inc, from founder Michael Brauser<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/us/politics/14giuliani.html | work=The New York Times | title=Giuliani Firm Stood to Benefit From U.S. Deals, Florida Company's Files Show | date=December 14, 2007}}</ref> of [[Boca Raton, Florida]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/15/business/company-news-reed-elsevier-to-acquire-seisint-for-775-million.html | work=The New York Times | title=COMPANY NEWS; REED ELSEVIER TO ACQUIRE SEISINT FOR $775 MILLION | date=July 15, 2004}}</ref> Seisint housed and operated the [[Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange]] (MATRIX).

In February 2008, Reed Elsevier purchased [[data aggregator]] ChoicePoint (previous NYSE ticker symbol CPS) in a cash deal for US$3.6 billion.  The company was rebranded as [[LexisNexis Risk Solutions]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lexisnexis.com/risk/ |title=LexisNexis Risk Solutions |publisher=LexisNexis.com |access-date=2014-10-17}}</ref>

In 2013, LexisNexis, together with [[Reed Elsevier]] Properties SA, acquired publishing brands and businesses of Sheshunoff and A.S. Pratt from [[Thompson Media Group]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/about-us/media/press-release.page?id=1369152220660971 |title=Newsroom - Press Release |website=LexisNexis |date=2014-03-19 |access-date=2017-01-02}}</ref>

Sheshunoff Information Services, A.S. Pratt,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aspratt.com/ |title=LexisNexis Store &#124; Shop Law Books & Legal Research Guides |website=Aspratt.com |date=2015-02-19 |access-date=2017-01-02}}</ref> & Alex Information (collectively, SIS), founded in 1972,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/company/sheshunoff-information-services |title=LexisNexis® Sheshunoff® |publisher=LinkedIn |access-date=2017-01-02}}</ref> is a print and electronic publishing company that provides information to financial and legal professionals in the banking industry, as well as online training and tools<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lexisnexis.com/store/catalog/catalog.jsp?pageName=catalogProducts&catId=991&id=cat7410008 |title=Sheshunoff &#124; LexisNexis Store |website=LexisNexis |access-date=2017-01-02}}</ref> for financial institutions. SIS was founded in 1971 by Alex and Gabrielle Sheshunoff. The company became recognized for providing guidance and analysis to the banking industry. In 1988 Thompson Media, a division of Thomson Reuters, acquired the company. Separately, the Sheshunoffs began publishing Alex Information products.

In 1995, SIS acquired A.S. Pratt & Sons. Established in 1933, ''Pratt's Letter'' is believed to be the second oldest continuously published newsletter in the country behind ''Kiplinger's Washington Letter'', which began publication in 1923. A.S. Pratt is a provider of regulatory law and compliance work tools for the financial services industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-45364762.html |title= A.S. PRATT SOLD TO SHESHUNOFF INFORMATION SERVICES - Legal Publisher &#124; HighBeam Research|access-date=2014-03-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611075043/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-45364762.html |archive-date=2014-06-11 }}</ref>

Gabrielle Sheshunoff returned in 2004 to unite the AlexInformation, Sheshunoff, and A.S. Pratt brands before it was sold to Thompson in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thompsonmediagroupllc.com/brands/sheshunoff/ |title=Sheshunoff &#124; Thompson Media Group |access-date=2014-03-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021030208/http://www.thompsonmediagroupllc.com/brands/sheshunoff/ |archive-date=2013-10-21 }}</ref>

In November 2014, LexisNexis Risk Solutions bought Health Market Science (HMS), a supplier of data about US healthcare professionals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20141113/NEWS/311139944|author=Adam Rubenfire|title=LexisNexis to acquire Health Market Science|work=Modern Healthcare|date=13 November 2014| access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref>

In May 2022, LexisNexis acquired the behavioral biometrics technology provider, BehavioSec for an undisclosed sum.<ref>{{cite web |date=2022-05-09 |title=LexisNexis acquires anti-fraud behavioural biometrics firm BehavioSec |url=https://www.fintechfutures.com/2022/05/lexisnexis-acquires-anti-fraud-behavioural-biometrics-firm-behaviosec/ |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=FinTech Futures |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Data breach ===
On March 9, 2005, LexisNexis made the theft of personal information of Seisint users public. It was originally estimated that 32,000 users were affected,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://money.cnn.com/2005/03/09/news/midcaps/lexisnexis/index.htm | work=CNN | title=LexisNexis customer IDs stolen | date=2005-03-09 | access-date=2010-05-07}}</ref> but that number greatly increased to over 310,000.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://money.cnn.com/2005/04/12/technology/personaltech/lexis/?cnn=yes | work=CNN | title=LexisNexis acknowledges more ID theft | date=2005-04-12 | access-date=2010-05-07 | first1=Caleb | last1=Silver}}</ref> Affected persons were provided with free fraud insurance and credit bureau reports for a year. However, no reports of identity theft or fraud were discovered to have stemmed from the security breach.<ref>Ellsworth, Abigail.''Reference & User Services Quarterly; Chicago'' Vol. 41, Iss. 3, &nbsp;(Spring 2002): 276-277.</ref> The hackers stole passwords, names, addresses, and Social Security and driver's license numbers of customers of LexisNexis's Seisint division. Seisint collects data on individuals that's used by law enforcement agencies and private companies for debt recovery, fraud detection and other services.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Paul |date=2005-03-14 |title=Hackers Breach LexisNexis, Snatch Consumer Data |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2568766/hackers-breach-lexisnexis--snatch-consumer-data.html |access-date=2023-08-26 |website=Computerworld |language=en}}</ref>