Business Credit Agencies
Business Credit Agencies are institutions that keep track of the performance of companies and their repayment records. The lending or credit financial institutions seek the help of reporting agencies in gauging a company's worth in terms of repayments and timely settlement of liabilities. This is done to make sure that the loan or credit is not given to an enterprise that might not repay it or pose problems in paying back the due amount in time. These are mainly banks or other large financial institutions in the business of lending / investing in the new or established business enterprises. These credit agencies have become a source of substantial flow of information especially in the new markets which booms with new entrants, and the established ones as well.
Description:
Credit reporting agencies like FDInsight, D&B, Experian business, & Equifax business mainly cover large areas of record verification from personal credit reports to enterprise credit report and ratings. These top agencies provide accurate information about the companies and articulately analyzed data to help the hiring agency such as lenders, to gauge the strength and patterns of the company from different angles. Companies like the ones mentioned above have designed unique tracking fields and each company is allotted a set of points which generally denote its strength. This point system makes it easier for the financial institutions to have a fair idea of what is to be expected. Care is taken to provide a brief about the personal credit reports of the decision makers of the companies so as to give an insight about the people at the helm of the company affairs, since the company being a legal entity more or less reflects the character of the people who run it.
Method of Working:
Business credit agencies have their own network worldwide. These agencies keep a close track on the company's activities in different countries. The regulations of the particular country is also considered and studied closely to analyze the data accordingly. These agencies take the help of the vendors or third party, which have a close relationship with a company and hence provide valuable information about the particular company. The information gathered is then verified from different sources and thoroughly analyzed. The segment is divided into the industry focused agencies and volume focused agencies. There are agencies like client checker who concentrate on small business units, and the others might only be working for the IT related companies. The working and the evaluation system also varies. There are agencies who rely majorly on the information provided by the business owners, there would be other agencies which might go a bit further and take into account the information provided by the vendors and third parties. The role of credit reporting agencies can be summarized into the following domains:
- Banking and lease payment performance information
- History of trade payments
- Recorded public data
- Personal credit data on the business principal
- A credit profile created by using information from vendors
These reporting agencies take inputs from various segments such as banks and other institutions that have lease being paid to them by the company. Subsequently they also verify the credit reports of the owners of the company.
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