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Understanding Business Credit
What Is Business Credit and How Can It Impact Growth?
Business credit, separate from personal credit, is your company's perceived ability to make payments on financial obligations. It's represented by a colllection of scores and ratings that can be found in your business credit file.
A strong business credit profile can help you access capital, win contracts, negotiate deals, and grow confidently. This enhanced credibility often results in better financing options, lower interest rates, more favorable payment terms.
How Is Business Credit Used to Assess Credibility?
One key way to leverage business credit is by checking another company's business credit file. Strong scores and ratings demonstrate's a company’s financial responsibility and commitment to fulfilling the terms of their contracts. It's important to review a company's file any time you're considering doing business with them, especially if the relationship is new.
Business credit files can help you:
Flag potential problems and mitigate risk.
Review past transactions and fulfillment history to see if your potential partner meets their commitments and makes timely payments.
Predict the likelihood that a company will go out of business in the foreseeable future.
How Does Business Credit Affect Contracting?
Managing your Dun & Bradstreet business credit profile can be especially important if you’re competing for contracts. Companies issuing contracts may access your profile to get insights into your reputation and assess trustworthiness. Also, your business credit scores and ratings may influence what you pay for required insurance and how favorable the terms and conditions of contracts are for your company. This is especially relevant for manufacturers, construction companies, and suppliers.
Who Can See My Business Credit Report?
Anyone can purchase your company’s business credit report, including your competitors. That's one of the reasons why it's so important to know your scores and ratings and make an effort to build and maintain them.
The first step is to get a Dun & Bradstreet D‑U‑N‑S® Number, a numerical code that helps Dun & Bradstreet collect and organize information about your company.
Basics of Business Credit
Learn more about why it's important to keep the information in your business credit profile complete and up to date.
How to Establish and Seek to Build Business Credit
Inquiries on Your Business Credit File
What’s the Difference Between Personal and Business Credit?
Business Credit for Every Stage
What Is a Trade Reference & Its Potential Impact on Business Credit Scores and Ratings?
A Guide to Financial Statements
Why Did I Get a Business Credit Notification?
Benchmarking for Small Business
Top 5 Mistakes When Trying to Build Business Credit
Business Credit Scores & Ratings
Learn about specific business credit scores and ratings and what you can do to potentially impact them.
Changes to Dun & Bradstreet Business Credit Scores and Ratings
Changes to a Business's PAYDEX® Score
Changes to a Business’s Delinquency Predictor Score
Supplier Evaluation Risk (SER) Rating Recently Increased or Decreased?
What is a D&B Rating?
D&B Failure Score
D&B Viability Rating®
D&B Maximum Credit Recommendation
How to Read Dun & Bradstreet Business Credit Reports
Composite Credit Appraisal
D&B Cyber Risk Rating
Business Credit Report
Business Credit Monitoring
Detailed Trade Risk Insight (DTRI)
Extending Business Credit
Explore resources on how to evaluate business credit risk and make informed credit assessments.
What Is Creditworthiness?
Business Credit Risk Mangement
What is Credit Analysis?
How to Set Business Credit Limits and Mitigate Business Credit Risk
How to Write a Business Credit Policy
How to Combat Slow Payments
How to Screen and Monitor Business Credit Risk
Business Credit Scorecards: Everything You Need to Know
Best Practices in Online Business Credit Application Forms
What Is Trade Credit Insurance?
Guide to Cash Flow and Cash Flow Management
Contracting & Bidding Information
Learn more about bidding and winning contracts, and how business credit can help your business grow.
Business Funding & Lending Information
Learn more about the role business credit scores and ratings play in loan applications and trade credit requests.