Small Business Business Reports FAQs at Experian.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Business Reports FAQs

How do I locate or update my personal credit report?

Experian® Small Business does not provide access to Experian's personal credit information. Experian Small Business provides access to Experian's business database.

If you have a copy of your personal credit report, you can call Experian's National Consumer Assistance Center at 1 888 397 3742 for assistance. Click here to get your personal credit report.
I don't understand the data in the report. Who can I call for help?

Customer Support is available from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Central Time on Friday and can be reached at 1 888 808 8242.
How is the Credit Ranking Score determined?
Experian's Credit Ranking Score is determined through a statistically-derived algorithm that determines risk based on multiple factors:
- Credit: number of trade experiences, balances outstanding, payment habits, credit utilization, trends over time
- Public records: recency, frequency and dollar amounts associated with liens, judgments, bankruptcies.
- Demographic information: years on file, Standard Industrial Classification code, business size.
Why is there no Credit Ranking Score for a company?

Experian requires minimum information to generate a score; so if a business doesn't meet these requirements, a score is not generated. Minimum information is at least one tradeline and/or one demographic element.
I forgot to save or print a report. Can I see it again later without paying twice?

Yes, the copy you originally saw is available for seven days following the purchase using the My Account section on the site.
My company's business/credit report contains incorrect information. What should I do?

If you believe that your company's Experian report contains inaccurate information, you can initiate an update to your company details by using Experian's www.BusinessCreditFacts.com web site.
If I purchase my company's ProfilePlus^SM or CreditScore^SM report, will it tell me what companies I owe money to?

Actual tradeline company names are not displayed, but rather supplier category names will appear. For example, if your company is 60 DBT (Days Beyond Terms) with "ACME CELL COMMUNICATIONS", the entry may appear as "TELECOM ... 60DBT".
I'm seeing messages that my account is locked when I try to login. What should I do?

Accounts are locked for 30 minutes after 5 failed login attempts. To unlock your account immediately, please contact customer support at 1 888 808 8242.
I received an email from you saying that I changed my password or email address when I didn't. What should I do?

Please contact us immediately at 1 888 808 8242.
How do I get my printer to show all the colors used in your reports?

Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) typically is not set to print background color or images, including table cell colors. On IE's Print Preview, our color charts will show as white table cells with black text. To get the table cells colored backgrounds to print, click on the browser's Tools menu. Select Internet Options, then click on the Advanced tab. Scroll down to find the Printing heading and check the box called Print Background Colors and Images. This setting affects both page backgrounds and table cell backgrounds.
Can reports from Experian save my business money?

By reviewing public records and other business information, companies save every year on the costs of acquiring new business and managing liability and potential fraud. Reviewing public records and other business information also establishes sound business relationships that can extend for years.
Why should I choose Experian rather than the competitors?

Experian provides value by delivering timely and accurate data with nationwide coverage. We offer competitive low prices and easy-to-read reports.
How often does Experian update its information?

Experian provides access to our business database in real time. Experian receives public record information from government and vendor sources on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly schedule.

Once we receive public record updates from the government or vendor sources, turnaround time for formatting, cleansing and loading data is generally 48 to 72 hours. Turnaround time for bankruptcy reports being available online is typically within 24 hours of the original filing.
Where does Experian get its information?

Experian collects credit obligation information from thousands of businesses nationwide. These businesses are typically the suppliers or lenders with which a company has existing financial relationships.

Experian also collects legal filings from the various local, county and state courts across the United States. Company background information is collected from a variety of independent firms. Experian does not display information directly from a company about its business, unless that information has been verified.

In the Credit Summary, what do the

next to each item mean?

Experian utilizes color icons to show, in graphical terms, individual items that may impact the overall creditworthiness of a company. Good (), caution (), and warning () are our choice of icons. Below is how we determine which icon to show based on specific criteria for each item.

Business Scoring Worse:	80% to 100% = ; 61% to 79% = ; < 61% = .
Bankruptcies:	0 filed = ; 1 or more filed, 0 active = ; 1 or more active = .
Liens:	0 filed = ; 1 or more filed, 2 or less active = ; > 2 active = .
Judgments:	0 filed = ; 1 or more filed, 2 or less active = ; > 2 active = .
Collections:	1 or less filed and 0 active = ; 4 or less filed and 1 or less active = ; more than one active or more than 4 filed = .

What are public records?

Business public records are records of actions or incidents filed or recorded with a government agency for tax and other regulatory requirements. These records are made available to the public to better protect the interests of the filer.
Does checking my business credit report multiple times affect my business credit score?

Checking your business credit report does not affect your business credit score. Pulling your own business credit report is considered a soft inquiry. Soft inquiries do not affect your business credit score, and they are not revealed to potential lenders or creditors.
Does Experian provide tax liens, judgments and bankruptcies on businesses nationwide?

Yes, Experian provides tax liens, judgments and bankruptcies on businesses nationwide.
How does Experian ensure that its information is accurate?

Experian uses leading technologies to format, cleanse and load data that is acquired directly from government sources and industry leading vendors.
I have submitted changes to my business credit report. How soon will my report be updated?

Changes, once loaded by Experian into the Experian business credit file, will have an immediate impact on the business credit report and score. Approved requests for updated business credit information are loaded weekly over the weekends. However, depending on the nature of the request, investigation and approval of the requested update can take up to 30 or 60 days. For example, a simple demographic update to a business street address will not take as long to investigate, approve and process as it would to dispute trade credit detail.
Why did my business credit score drop? I do not see any significant changes in my business credit report.
It is not uncommon for a business credit score to fluctuate slightly. Experian's proprietary model for business credit scores looks at over 140 modeling variables to derive the score, so there are other factors beyond what is displayed on the credit report that can cause a score to slightly change or shift.

Factors include, but are not limited to:
- The presence of derogatory public records on the business profile, such as collections, liens, judgments and bankruptcies
- The status, recent status, frequency and dollar amounts of any applicable liens, judgments or bankruptcies
- An increased trend in slow payment of obligations
- An increase in the number of credit inquiries or applications that are generated by the business or owner
- The number of trade experiences, balances outstanding, payment habits, credit utilization and trends over time
- Years in business, line of business or Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), size of business and other demographic data
Am I able to purchase business reports 24-7?
The Experian Small Business website is available 24-7 during which time you may visit your My Account center and view your existing orders. However, purchase of new reports may not be available at times due to system maintenance. Currently, the hours of availability to purchase new business reports is as follows:
- 4am - 3am EST, Monday - Friday
- 7am - 9pm EST, Saturday
- 10am - 9pm EST, Sunday

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