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                                                                   Exhibit 10.18


                             METROMAIL CORPORATION

                       DIRECTORS' DEFERRED RETAINER PLAN
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     1.  Purpose of Plan.  The purpose of this Metromail Corporation Directors'
Deferred Retainer Plan (the "Plan") is to permit members of the Board of
Directors of Metromail Corporation, a Delaware corporation, (the "Company") to
defer the receipt of the cash portion of their annual retainers until the time
set forth herein.

     2.  Participation.  (a) Eligibility: Each person who on the first day of
any "Retainer Year" as defined below, is a member of the Board of Directors of
the Company (a "Director") shall be eligible to participate in this Plan. A
"Retainer year" shall be each twelve-month period beginning on September 1 of
each year during the term of this Plan.

          (b) Elections.  Each Director who is eligible to participate in this
Plan for a Retainer Year may file an election to defer the receipt of the cash
portion of the Director's annual retainer for such Retainer Year. An election to
defer hereunder shall authorize the Company to reduce the cash portion of the
Director's annual retainer by a whole percentage not in excess of 100% and shall
be made on a form provided by the Company and filed with the Secretary of the
Company not later than the day immediately preceding the first day of such
Retainer Year. An election to defer for a Retainer Year, once made, may not be
revoked or changed by the Director, and shall remain effective for each
succeeding Retainer Year unless revoked by the Director prior to the
commencement of a Retainer Year.

     3.  Deferred Retainer Accounts.  The Company shall establish on its books a
Deferred Retainer Account in the name and on behalf of each Director who elects
to defer his or

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her retainer pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Plan. Such accounts shall be for
bookkeeping purposes only and shall not represent any interest in any asset or
assets of the Company. A Deferred Retainer Account established on behalf of a
Director shall be credited with the amount deferred pursuant to the Director's
election under this Plan as of the date on which such amounts would have been
paid but for such election.

     4.  Earnings on Accounts. As of the close of each calendar quarter, the
Company shall credit to each Deferred Retainer Account established on its books
pursuant to paragraph 3 of this Plan, an amount representing interest on the
balance of such Account. The amount of such interest shall be equal to the yield
on Treasury Notes with a 5-Year maturity on the first day of the Retainer Year
that includes such day, as reported in the Wall Street Journal. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if the balance of a Director's Deferred Retainer Account becomes
payable prior to the last day of a calendar quarter, such account shall be
credited with interest at the rate described above for the period between the
last day of the immediately preceding quarter and the payment date.

     5.  Vesting. Amounts credited to a Key Director's Account pursuant to the
terms of this Plan shall be fully vested and not subject to forfeiture for any
reason.

     6.  Distributions.  (a) In General. At the time a Director elects to defer
all or a portion of the Director's cash retainer pursuant to paragraph 2 of this
Plan, the Director shall designate a date as of which the balance of his or her
Deferred Retainer Account shall be paid, which date shall not be later than the
date on which such Director ceases to be a member of the Board. If a Director
shall cease to be a member of the Board on account of his or her death, the
value of the Director's Deferred Retainer Account shall be paid as soon as
practicable thereafter

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to the Director's beneficiary determined under paragraph 7 below.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Director may change the date on which his or
her Deferred Retainer Account is to be paid by written direction to the
Secretary of the Company prior to the beginning of the calendar year in which
such payment would otherwise be made.

     (b)  Alternate Distributees. Any distribution to a person who at the time
of payment is under legal disability or who is, in the judgment of the Company,
unable to care for his or her affairs because of illness or accident, may be
distributed to the spouse or any child or personal representative of such
person, or to any other individual or entity deemed by the Company to have
incurred expenses for such person. Any such distribution shall be a complete
discharge of the Company for such payment under the Plan.

     (c) Effect of a Change in Control. Notwithstanding anything herein to the
contrary, immediately following a "Change of Control" as defined in the
Company's Amended and Restated Metromail Corporation 1996 Stock Incentive Plan,
each Director shall be entitled to receive a lump sum distribution equal to the
entire balance of the Director's Deferred Retainer Account as of the date of
such Change in Control.

     7.  Beneficiaries.  Each Director for whom a Deferred Retainer Account is
maintained under this Plan shall have the right to designate a beneficiary, and
amend or revoke such designation at any time, in writing. Such designation,
amendment or revocation shall be effective upon receipt by the Secretary of the
Company. If no designated beneficiary survives the employee and the employee's
benefit is payable following the employee's death, the Board shall direct that
payment of such benefit be made to the person or persons in the first of the

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following classes of successive preference beneficiaries. The Director's: (a)
spouse, (b) descendants, per stirpes, (c) parents, (d) brother and sisters, and
(e) estate.

     8.  Unfunded Status. The Company shall establish a trust to set aside or
earmark an amount necessary to provide payments for the purpose of administering
assets of the Company to be used for the purpose of satisfying the obligations
of the Company under the Plan. Any such trust shall be established in such
manner so as to be a "grantor trust" of which the Company and the Employers are
the grantors, within the meaning of sections 671 et. seq. of the Internal
Revenue Code. The existence of such trust shall not relieve the Company of its
obligations under the Plan, but such obligations shall be satisfied to the
extent paid from such trust. It is the intention of the Company that the amounts
deferred hereunder be unfunded for purposes of the Code. In any event, the
Company's obligation hereunder shall constitute a general, unsecured obligation,
payable solely out of its general assets, and no Director shall have any right
to any specific assets.

     9.  Nonassignability. No amount deferred under this Plan shall be subject
in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, transfer, assignment, pledge,
encumbrance, attachment or garnishment by creditors of any employee or any
beneficiary, and any attempt to transfer or encumber the same shall be void.

     10.  Administration. The Plan shall be administered by the Secretary of the
Company, who shall have full power and authority to interpret, construe and
administer this Plan in accordance with the provisions herein set forth. The
Secretary's interpretation and construction hereof, and actions hereunder, or
the amount or recipient of the payment to be made here from, shall be binding
and conclusive on all persons for all purposes. In this connection, the
Secretary

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may delegate to any individual, the duty to act for the Secretary hereunder. No
officer or employee of the Company shall be liable to any person for any action
taken or omitted in connection with the interpretation and administration of
this Plan unless attributable to his or her own willful misconduct or lack of
good faith. The expenses of administering the Plan shall not be charged against
the Plan.

     11.  Amendment to the Plan. The Company may, in its sole discretion and
without the consent of any Director or beneficiary, amend the Plan at any time
provided, however, that no amendment shall reduce the amount to which any
Director has accrued under the Plan as in effect prior to such amendment.

     12.  Termination of the Plan. The Company may, in its sole discretion
without the consent of any Director or beneficiary, terminate the Plan at any
time by giving written notice thereof to each Director with a benefit under this
Plan. All amounts payable under this Plan shall be paid to the persons entitled
thereto at such time and in such manner as the Company shall determine, but not
later than payments would have been made had the Plan not been terminated.

     13.  Successors and Assigns. The provisions of this Plan shall bind and
inure to the benefit of the Company and its successor and assigns, as well as
each Director and his or her beneficiaries and successor.

     14.  Governing Law. This Plan shall be interpreted and construed according
to the laws of the State of Delaware (without regard to conflicts of law).

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