What you need to know about Dun & Bradstreet business credit reports.

A business credit report is similar to a personal credit report in that it assesses financial health, but it goes beyond a personal credit report in several important ways. Dun & Bradstreet credit reports, in particular, use current and historical data to assess a company’s financial health and predict future performance. Not every business has D&B credit report or credit score. If you’re wondering whether your business has one, what’s included in it or whether you need one to get financing, here’s what you need to know.

What’s included in a D&B credit report?

A D&B business credit report contains information about a company’s financial health and creditworthiness. In addition to information such as payment history, credit utilization and outstanding debt, D&B provides proprietary scores and ratings such as:

• Viability rating, which assesses a company’s current health and forecasts what the next year may look like
• Failure score, which predicts the likelihood that a business will seek legal relief from its creditors or cease operations
• Delinquency predictor score
• PAYDEX, which indicates how a firm has paid its bills in the past
• Legal events that could affect credit risk, such as bankruptcies, lawsuits or judgments

D&B uses information from several sources to generate its scores. These include payment information from suppliers, public records and data from D&B partners.

It’s worth noting that business credit reporting is different from consumer credit reporting and is not subject to the same federal protections that apply to consumer reports.

Who uses D&B credit reports?

There are several people and entities that might check a D&B credit report. According to D&B, these are new customers, new suppliers, existing business partners, lenders and surety bond companies.

“Unlike personal credit files, anyone can purchase your business’s credit scores and ratings,” D&B says on its website.

Do I automatically have a D&B credit report?

Not every business has a D&B credit report.

To see if your business is in D&B’s database, you can search for your business using  its D-U-N-S number issued by D&B. Learn how to get the number here.

If I don’t have a D&B credit score, can I get a business loan?

Many businesses receive business loans without having a D&B credit score. To evaluate creditworthiness, a lender may evaluate the business owner’s personal credit, business cash flow, existing debt and length of time in business. 

At Consumers, you can apply for a business credit card, business loan or business line of credit without a D&B credit score. Our lending decisions are made by local staff who live and work in the same communities as our members.

 

All loans subject to approval. Rates, terms, and conditions are subject to change may vary based on credit worthiness, qualifications, and collateral conditions.