Business credit reporting agencies gather and analyze information about a business to help provide insight to others into the financial stability and reliability of the company.

There are numerous business credit reporting agencies, but the largest and most widely used scores are generated by Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax. The smaller credit reporting agencies used today vary by the industry of the business, or by who is interested in the creditworthiness of the business.

Who Are The “Big Three” Business Credit Bureaus?

• Dun & Bradstreet
• Experian
• Equifax

Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax business credit reports, scores, and indexes are relied on by decision-makers across every industry to help define a company’s risk level. They help lenders, investors, government agencies, as well as other businesses, to save time and money when approving potential partners or loan applicants.

Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax have dominated the industry for decades with roots that date back to before the turn of the century. All three business credit reporting agencies maintain their own global database containing information and data on millions of businesses and consumers across the world. Each of these bureaus have unique credit scoring models, that are impacted differently by the reporting of information on a business entity’s credit file.

Dun & Bradstreet

Dun & Bradstreet, also referred to as D&B or DNB, is an international business credit reporting agency that dates to the 1800s. D&B is one of the largest credit reporting agencies, maintaining business credit information on more than 350 million companies globally.

Unlike the other two major business credit reporting bureaus, D&B only reports commercial data – they do not offer consumer credit reports. D&B credit reports can be generated by the company itself, or by creditors. A business should apply for its own D-U-N-S number with the D&B credit bureau to make sure their D&B credit profile is created with accurate information and positively reflects a business’s creditworthiness. D&B assigns a unique 9-digit number to each location of every business in their database. This is called a D-U-N-S number. This could be confusing since if a company has multiple locations/branches, this could cause multiple files for that one business. DNB lists company information, vendors, creditors, judgments, tax liens, collections, and UCC’s on their credit profiles. They also provide a series of credit scores/indexes along with payment patterns of the vendor/creditor accounts that are listed. The most popular DNB score is the Paydex. DNB not only helps lenders and partners to assess risk, but they also provide information that will be used as a tool for sales and marketing intelligence as well as supply chain management.

Experian

Experian is one of the largest international business credit reporting agencies. Experian business credit reports include business company information and history, vendors, creditors, public records including tax liens and judgments, collections, UCC’s, and multiple scores. The Experian Business Credit Score (Intelliscore Plus) is one of the most popular of the scores used. They also include other scores such as the Financial Stability Risk Rating of a business to demonstrate the business’s financial stability and reliability. Experian includes the Small Business Financial Exchange (SBFE) Risk Rating along with info from the SBFE. The SBFE is a business data exchange that is governed by the small business lending industry, and it is managed independently from the credit bureaus. They also include the FSR Score.

Equifax

Equifax is a credit reporting agency offering both business credit reports and consumer credit reports. They were originally founded in 1899 as the Retail Credit Company but changed their name to Equifax in 1975 to refresh their image because of the scrutiny they experienced between the 1960s and 1970s for openly selling consumer information. In 1979 the Equifax Small Business Enterprise was created to focus on the commercial side of credit reporting. Today Equifax Small Business maintains and owns credit information on over 245 million consumers and more than 33 million businesses worldwide.

Differing from the other two major business credit reporting bureaus, Equifax business credit reports only contain information from Equifax qualified vendors. Because of this, businesses are unable to call or request Equifax update their company information. Included in Equifax business credit reports are three scores, as well as general business information, public records, trade payment history, and more. Equifax makes it incredibly difficult for a business to order a copy of their own credit reports. A business must have had their Equifax report pulled by a creditor/vendor/lender within a recent period or they will not send a report copy to that business entity.

Other Business Credit Reporting Agencies

While Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax continue to be the most widely used and recognized business credit agencies. That doesn’t mean they are the only ones that matter. There are a handful of ‘other’ business bureaus that gather data on businesses across the country. Each uses a proprietary method that is picking up speed in dependability and affordability compared to the ‘top 3’ agencies.

Ansonia

A business credit reporting agency founded in 2006, Ansonia, was acquired by Equifax in 2020. Ansonia now covers seven million businesses spanning over 140 industries. Ansonia has over a trillion in data on accounts receivable for large industries throughout North America. Ansonia credit is used heavily in the invoice factoring receivables, transportation, and logistics industries. Acquiring Ansonia helps Equifax to offer more information for those extending commercial loans, lines, leases, and more.

Ansonia credit reports include basic information on the company along with data on their payment experience. Ansonia offers two scores: the credit rating and credit risk score. The Ansonia credit rating offers the business’s average purchases per month and approximate days-to-pay. The Ansonia credit risk score ranges from 0 – 100 with a score range of 70 – 95 reflecting a low-risk borrower.

Creditsafe

Creditsafe is a global business credit reporting agency that provides detailed credit reports on over 400 million companies worldwide. It offers multiple scoring systems, including an international score for cross-border comparisons. In addition to credit risk assessments, Creditsafe reports include key financial indicators such as payment trends, average days beyond terms, recommended credit limits, inquiry trends, and historical records of tax liens, judgments, and bankruptcies. This comprehensive reporting helps businesses evaluate the financial stability and payment behavior of potential partners or clients.

Data Axle

Formerly known as Credit.net, Data Axle is a business credit bureau that provides company credit reports, sales leads, and business intelligence for companies in the U.S. and Canada. Data Axle is primarily used by businesses to assess credit risk, verify company details, and generate sales leads.

PayNet

PayNet is a business credit reporting agency with a database containing over 22 million contracts from small business loans, leases, and lines of credit. PayNet Business Credit History Reports include the PayNet MasterScore, which predicts a borrower’s risk based on 135 key variables that impact a business’s repayment performance. The PayNet MasterScore ranges from 450 – 800, where the lower the score, the higher the risk a borrow is deemed to be.

You cannot purchase PayNet business credit reports, the business must call and request a copy.

Business credit reporting agency awareness

There are many more business credit reporting agencies – depending on your industry one or all might impact your company. It’s important to be knowledgeable of their existence and understand that each business credit bureau has their own information sources and may report different/conflicting business credit information that is important for your company’s financial future. This does not mean that you need to purchase every single business credit report, as many business credit bureaus specialize in certain industries. Contact a business credit specialist for assistance in determining which business credit reporting agency is most relevant to your business, as well as how to best read each relevant business credit report.