Equifax CEO steps down after data breach; he'll still get $18 million pension

WASHINGTON - Equifax announced Tuesday that its chief executive would step down effective immediately, weeks after the credit-reporting company disclosed a massive data breach.

Richard Smith, who also served as chairman of the Equifax board, is the latest casualty at the company as a result of the breach, which exposed the Social Security numbers and birthdates of as many as 143 million people.

Equifax's nearly six-week delay in notifying the public about the intrusion into its vast database of sensitive information - and the bungled handling of potential fixes - led to an outcry from consumers and lawmakers as well as state and federal investigations.

The breach has caused much more concern than previous incidents, such as those involving Target and Yahoo, because of the amount of consumer data warehoused by Equifax and the nation's