In the United States, we have several business credit reporting agencies that lenders and and financial institutions rely on for information to grant business credit.
Understanding how credit bureaus operate is one of the first steps to getting a good rating. Three of the main business credit bureaus are D&B, Experian Business and Equifax Business. Following is a brief explanation of each.
Experian Business
Over 14 million businesses are registered with Experian™. The credit profile created by Experian™ uses information provided by vendors only.
- Grants an Intelliscore™ based on payment experiences.
- They are one of the three largest personal credit bureaus.
D&B – Dunn and Bradstreet
Over 70 million businesses are registered with D&B. The credit profile created by D&B uses information provided by the business owners and vendors of the business.
- Grants a PAYDEX™ score to businesses based on payment experiences of the business.
- Issues a DUNS Rating™ based on the financial statements of the business.
- Has a High Risk status for companies that will destroy their ability to obtain credit if D&B finds information on a company they feel to be inconsistent with their model.
Equifax Business Scores are developed from unique banking and lease payment performance information as provided by the Small Business Financial Exchange, trade payment histories and public record data. Optional personal credit data is based on on the business principal. Available scores include:
- Small Business Financial Account Acquisition Score™
- Small Business Financial Account Management Score™
- Small Business/Principal Score™
- Small Business Non-Financial Generic Risk Score™