Posts Tagged Credit Profile
Establishing Business Credit – The Seven Steps to Success
Keith McAslan asked:
Business versus Personal Credit:
Personal – Personal credit building starts when an individual provides their social security number and applies for their first credit card. At that point a credit profile is started with the personal credit reporting agencies in the region of the country in which they reside. This profile, also commonly known as a “credit report”, is built with every credit inquiry, credit application submitted, change of address and job change. The information contained in the report is usually reported to the credit bureaus by those businesses issuing credit. Eventually, the credit report is viewed as a statement or report of an individual’s ability to pay back a debt, and is the key tool to access and grant credit.
Business – When a business issues another business credit, it is referred to as trade credit (credit from vendors or suppliers). Trade, or business, credit is the single largest source of lending in the world, but it typically not reported to the business credit agencies by most small businesses. The data regarding trade credit transactions must be submitted and then is accumulated by the business credit bureaus to create a business credit report using the business name, address and federal tax identification number (FIN). The credit bureaus use this data to generate a historical report about a company’s business credit transactions and payment history. Typically, the businesses issuing credit rely on the business credit report to determine the credit they are willing to grant and the amount of the credit limit. Additionally, many businesses (suppliers/vendors) will submit credit reference applications to the key suppliers of the business as a method to obtain payment patterns as part of the credit granting process.
The major credit bureaus are:
Dun & Bradstreet Business Credit USA Corporate Experian Small Business Equifax TransUnion (Personal)
The information provided to the business credit bureaus (primarily D&B) is sent in voluntarily, as businesses are not required to report. Therefore, credit bureaus may never receive any information about the business transactions on credit and a business could go for years accumulating business history without being reported to the credit bureaus and establishing a positive business history of sound credit practices.
Establishing Business Credit History:
Business credit scores range on a scale from 0 to 100 with 75 or more considered an excellent rating. Personal credit scores, on the other hand, range from 300 to 850 with a score of 680 or higher considered excellent. With today’s tighter credit scrutiny the higher the credit score, the more likely an individual or business is to obtain credit and at more favorable terms (interest rate and contract length).
While it is important to know that there are many factors http://www.myfico.com that affect a credit score; it’s based on more than just whether you pay your bills on time (still very important). The credit score will be affected by the amount of available credit you have on bank lines of credit and credit cards, the length of time you’ve had a credit profile, the number of inquiries made on your credit profile, paying the bills on time, bankruptcy, as well as other considerations.
The typical American consumer credit report receives two to three credit inquiries per year and usually has 11 credit obligations – typically broken down as 7 credit cards and 4 installment loans. Business owners are not your typical consumer, because they carry both personal and business credit. This typically doubles the number of inquiries made to their personal credit profile and the number of credit obligations they carry at any given time, all of which negatively impact the personal credit score. Additionally, because business inquiries and personal inquiries are not separated on the personal credit report, the personal credit scores are negatively impacted. As mentioned earlier, using the personal credit history to get credit for their business, businesses are not able to build their business history/score, all of which could help attain critical business credit in the future.
A critical mistake many business owners make is using their personal information to apply for business credit, leases and loans. This practice has the resultant impact of potentially lowering their personal credit score, while not building a business credit history and business credit score.
A key to establishing credit for the business and a profile and score is to find companies (UPS, FEDEX, etc.) or your key supplier and vendors that will grant credit for your business without using your personal credit information and then report the payment experiences to the business credit bureaus. By reporting the information to the proper credit bureaus, those companies will help the business establish a business credit profile and score.
The Seven Steps to Success:
1. Company Legal Structure – The business must be a legal entity unto itself in order to establish business credit. Therefore, it is recommended to form a corporation (C Corp) or LLC (discuss with your CPA the advantage/disadvantages of a C Corp versus LLC) as opposed to structuring your business as a sole proprietorship or partnership. Formation of a sole proprietorship or partnership, dictates that personal credit information could be included on the business credit report. Additionally, as a sole proprietor or partner in a partnership, you are personally liable for the debts of the business and all your personal assets are at risk in the event of litigation.
Corporations and LLC’s, on the other hand, provide the business owners liability protection, and can build a business credit profile that’s separate from the personal credit profile. Therefore, apply for credit under your business’s name and find businesses will to grant credit without a personal credit check or guarantee.
2. Register with Business Credit Agencies – The best known business credit bureau is Dun & Bradstreet. Dun & Bradstreet has a process on their web site to establish a D-U-N-S number (a specific 9 digit number related to your business) and instructions how to establish a business credit rating. It is strongly recommended that you contact D&B and follow their process to establish business credit. The following is from the D&B web site:
How do I get started with D&B? With our unsurpassed global data collection system, D&B continually gathers the data that initiates the creation of business credit profiles on new companies. Many kinds of activities can trigger a profile on a new company, such as incorporating your business, applying for a loan, getting a business telephone number, taking out a lease on office space – even just when another company seeks information from D&B about your business. Still, a new business may not have a complete business credit profile. Getting a D-U-N-S Number from D&B – the worldwide standard for business classification systems – is an essential part of helping you establish your business credit profile and will ensure that when a company looks you up in the D&B database they will find you. In some cases, a D&B D-U-N-S Number is so a requirement for doing business some entities, such as the US government.
You should make sure you have a D&B business credit profile if:
You are planning to obtain a business loan You need to purchase or lease equipment Your cash flow is tight You want to ensure you are getting a fair deal from lenders compared to your competition You want to pay net 30 days instead of COD (Cash On Delivery) You are paying interest at prime plus 1, or even higher You plan to do business with entities that require a D-U-N-S Number, e.g. the US Government
These issues and dozens other like them can be addressed by having a strong business credit profile. A good rating provides you with the financial freedom to take the steps you need to grow, and is a straightforward, unbiased method for other companies to assess your level of risk when considering taking you on as a creditor. A poor credit rating is a certain barrier to growth and success, preventing you from getting adequate funding on fair terms.
Communicating directly with D&B will help establish your business credit in less time. If you are a new company, D&B can help you build a complete business credit profile from the ground up; if you have been in operation for a while, you will want to improve and/or protect your business credit profile. Find out more about how to establish, monitor, improve, or protect your business credit.
3. Credit Market Requirements – Businesses must meet all the requirements of the credit market in order to have a higher probability of credit approval, as not being in compliance with the credit market can “send up signal flares” with both credit bureaus and potential grantors of credit.
Some of the “signal flares” include:
not having a business license, not being registered with the Secretary of State for a certificate of good standing, operating under your social security number rather than a FIN or EIN, not having a phone line (land line) that is listed in the phone directory in the exact business legal name, no web site, or not having a business email address (not AOL or gmail, but a specific URL for your company).
4. Small Business Credit Lines – Investigate and locate a minimum of five businesses (vendors/suppliers) willing to grant a small business credit without personal guarantees and will report the payment experiences to the business credit bureaus. This will assist your business to establish a credit report and build a financial credit foundation for the company. Find companies willing to grant credit that report to the credit bureaus such as marketingoncredit.com, UPS, FEDEX
5. Business Credit Cards – Obtain three business credit cards (Sam’s Club Discover Business card), that are not linked to you personally and that report the business credit to the reporting agencies. Then be sure to always pay your bills on time!
6. Financial Statements, Business Plans and Loan Packages – These documents are often required by many credit grantors as part of their loan application process. CxO To GO is a national professional services firm that has assisted many business with their financial statement preparation and business plans. Additionally, CxO To Go has packages such as PowerPlan and PowerPlan2 for business plans, PowerPuncher for executive summaries, CFOCast for financial projections and BankSell for bank proposals so lenders and bankers will take action. It is important to note that 61% of all businesses are turned down for a loan due to a poor loan package, however with BankSell the lender loan package gets results and moves the applicant to the top of the list for review and credit committee approval.
7. Debt management – Be a smart money manager and manage the debt levels to ensure they are not too burdensome and can be paid back with current cash flow. Do not incur debt that will over leverage the company and cause missed or late payments.
Jesus
Business versus Personal Credit:
Personal – Personal credit building starts when an individual provides their social security number and applies for their first credit card. At that point a credit profile is started with the personal credit reporting agencies in the region of the country in which they reside. This profile, also commonly known as a “credit report”, is built with every credit inquiry, credit application submitted, change of address and job change. The information contained in the report is usually reported to the credit bureaus by those businesses issuing credit. Eventually, the credit report is viewed as a statement or report of an individual’s ability to pay back a debt, and is the key tool to access and grant credit.
Business – When a business issues another business credit, it is referred to as trade credit (credit from vendors or suppliers). Trade, or business, credit is the single largest source of lending in the world, but it typically not reported to the business credit agencies by most small businesses. The data regarding trade credit transactions must be submitted and then is accumulated by the business credit bureaus to create a business credit report using the business name, address and federal tax identification number (FIN). The credit bureaus use this data to generate a historical report about a company’s business credit transactions and payment history. Typically, the businesses issuing credit rely on the business credit report to determine the credit they are willing to grant and the amount of the credit limit. Additionally, many businesses (suppliers/vendors) will submit credit reference applications to the key suppliers of the business as a method to obtain payment patterns as part of the credit granting process.
The major credit bureaus are:
Dun & Bradstreet Business Credit USA Corporate Experian Small Business Equifax TransUnion (Personal)
The information provided to the business credit bureaus (primarily D&B) is sent in voluntarily, as businesses are not required to report. Therefore, credit bureaus may never receive any information about the business transactions on credit and a business could go for years accumulating business history without being reported to the credit bureaus and establishing a positive business history of sound credit practices.
Establishing Business Credit History:
Business credit scores range on a scale from 0 to 100 with 75 or more considered an excellent rating. Personal credit scores, on the other hand, range from 300 to 850 with a score of 680 or higher considered excellent. With today’s tighter credit scrutiny the higher the credit score, the more likely an individual or business is to obtain credit and at more favorable terms (interest rate and contract length).
While it is important to know that there are many factors http://www.myfico.com that affect a credit score; it’s based on more than just whether you pay your bills on time (still very important). The credit score will be affected by the amount of available credit you have on bank lines of credit and credit cards, the length of time you’ve had a credit profile, the number of inquiries made on your credit profile, paying the bills on time, bankruptcy, as well as other considerations.
The typical American consumer credit report receives two to three credit inquiries per year and usually has 11 credit obligations – typically broken down as 7 credit cards and 4 installment loans. Business owners are not your typical consumer, because they carry both personal and business credit. This typically doubles the number of inquiries made to their personal credit profile and the number of credit obligations they carry at any given time, all of which negatively impact the personal credit score. Additionally, because business inquiries and personal inquiries are not separated on the personal credit report, the personal credit scores are negatively impacted. As mentioned earlier, using the personal credit history to get credit for their business, businesses are not able to build their business history/score, all of which could help attain critical business credit in the future.
A critical mistake many business owners make is using their personal information to apply for business credit, leases and loans. This practice has the resultant impact of potentially lowering their personal credit score, while not building a business credit history and business credit score.
A key to establishing credit for the business and a profile and score is to find companies (UPS, FEDEX, etc.) or your key supplier and vendors that will grant credit for your business without using your personal credit information and then report the payment experiences to the business credit bureaus. By reporting the information to the proper credit bureaus, those companies will help the business establish a business credit profile and score.
The Seven Steps to Success:
1. Company Legal Structure – The business must be a legal entity unto itself in order to establish business credit. Therefore, it is recommended to form a corporation (C Corp) or LLC (discuss with your CPA the advantage/disadvantages of a C Corp versus LLC) as opposed to structuring your business as a sole proprietorship or partnership. Formation of a sole proprietorship or partnership, dictates that personal credit information could be included on the business credit report. Additionally, as a sole proprietor or partner in a partnership, you are personally liable for the debts of the business and all your personal assets are at risk in the event of litigation.
Corporations and LLC’s, on the other hand, provide the business owners liability protection, and can build a business credit profile that’s separate from the personal credit profile. Therefore, apply for credit under your business’s name and find businesses will to grant credit without a personal credit check or guarantee.
2. Register with Business Credit Agencies – The best known business credit bureau is Dun & Bradstreet. Dun & Bradstreet has a process on their web site to establish a D-U-N-S number (a specific 9 digit number related to your business) and instructions how to establish a business credit rating. It is strongly recommended that you contact D&B and follow their process to establish business credit. The following is from the D&B web site:
How do I get started with D&B? With our unsurpassed global data collection system, D&B continually gathers the data that initiates the creation of business credit profiles on new companies. Many kinds of activities can trigger a profile on a new company, such as incorporating your business, applying for a loan, getting a business telephone number, taking out a lease on office space – even just when another company seeks information from D&B about your business. Still, a new business may not have a complete business credit profile. Getting a D-U-N-S Number from D&B – the worldwide standard for business classification systems – is an essential part of helping you establish your business credit profile and will ensure that when a company looks you up in the D&B database they will find you. In some cases, a D&B D-U-N-S Number is so a requirement for doing business some entities, such as the US government.
You should make sure you have a D&B business credit profile if:
You are planning to obtain a business loan You need to purchase or lease equipment Your cash flow is tight You want to ensure you are getting a fair deal from lenders compared to your competition You want to pay net 30 days instead of COD (Cash On Delivery) You are paying interest at prime plus 1, or even higher You plan to do business with entities that require a D-U-N-S Number, e.g. the US Government
These issues and dozens other like them can be addressed by having a strong business credit profile. A good rating provides you with the financial freedom to take the steps you need to grow, and is a straightforward, unbiased method for other companies to assess your level of risk when considering taking you on as a creditor. A poor credit rating is a certain barrier to growth and success, preventing you from getting adequate funding on fair terms.
Communicating directly with D&B will help establish your business credit in less time. If you are a new company, D&B can help you build a complete business credit profile from the ground up; if you have been in operation for a while, you will want to improve and/or protect your business credit profile. Find out more about how to establish, monitor, improve, or protect your business credit.
3. Credit Market Requirements – Businesses must meet all the requirements of the credit market in order to have a higher probability of credit approval, as not being in compliance with the credit market can “send up signal flares” with both credit bureaus and potential grantors of credit.
Some of the “signal flares” include:
not having a business license, not being registered with the Secretary of State for a certificate of good standing, operating under your social security number rather than a FIN or EIN, not having a phone line (land line) that is listed in the phone directory in the exact business legal name, no web site, or not having a business email address (not AOL or gmail, but a specific URL for your company).
4. Small Business Credit Lines – Investigate and locate a minimum of five businesses (vendors/suppliers) willing to grant a small business credit without personal guarantees and will report the payment experiences to the business credit bureaus. This will assist your business to establish a credit report and build a financial credit foundation for the company. Find companies willing to grant credit that report to the credit bureaus such as marketingoncredit.com, UPS, FEDEX
5. Business Credit Cards – Obtain three business credit cards (Sam’s Club Discover Business card), that are not linked to you personally and that report the business credit to the reporting agencies. Then be sure to always pay your bills on time!
6. Financial Statements, Business Plans and Loan Packages – These documents are often required by many credit grantors as part of their loan application process. CxO To GO is a national professional services firm that has assisted many business with their financial statement preparation and business plans. Additionally, CxO To Go has packages such as PowerPlan and PowerPlan2 for business plans, PowerPuncher for executive summaries, CFOCast for financial projections and BankSell for bank proposals so lenders and bankers will take action. It is important to note that 61% of all businesses are turned down for a loan due to a poor loan package, however with BankSell the lender loan package gets results and moves the applicant to the top of the list for review and credit committee approval.
7. Debt management – Be a smart money manager and manage the debt levels to ensure they are not too burdensome and can be paid back with current cash flow. Do not incur debt that will over leverage the company and cause missed or late payments.
Jesus
Totally Free Credit Report – View Your Credit History the Best and Most Cost Effective Way Possible
William Harty asked:
Many people are interested in monitoring their credit profile for various reasons whether it be for a loan, identity theft, or simply out of curiosity. One of the best way to view your credit score is by going online and obtaining a totally free credit report. Most credit experts out there advise that one looks at their personal credit report on a quarterly basis, once every 3 months. That way you will understand exactly what is going on with your personal profile.
It is very important to know what takes place with your credit history. Many who don’t care have found it shocking to see decreases in their scoring because of changes that can occur such as credit limits dropping, interest rates raising, or someone stealing your identity and maxing out your cards. This all can and has happened before without the card holder knowing for months simply because they did not care to check.
The internet offers a variety of ways to check your credit profile, some of which are site that can give you a totally free credit report. You may have to cancel between a select amount of days to make sure they do not bill you for the next month but it is definitely worth it. If you were to call your local bank or mortgage broker they will pull your credit but it will cost money and deduct points because it would be considered a hard pull. By doing it yourself you are able to view it without having to lose points from you score and you might even be able to do it for free!
Jerry
Many people are interested in monitoring their credit profile for various reasons whether it be for a loan, identity theft, or simply out of curiosity. One of the best way to view your credit score is by going online and obtaining a totally free credit report. Most credit experts out there advise that one looks at their personal credit report on a quarterly basis, once every 3 months. That way you will understand exactly what is going on with your personal profile.
It is very important to know what takes place with your credit history. Many who don’t care have found it shocking to see decreases in their scoring because of changes that can occur such as credit limits dropping, interest rates raising, or someone stealing your identity and maxing out your cards. This all can and has happened before without the card holder knowing for months simply because they did not care to check.
The internet offers a variety of ways to check your credit profile, some of which are site that can give you a totally free credit report. You may have to cancel between a select amount of days to make sure they do not bill you for the next month but it is definitely worth it. If you were to call your local bank or mortgage broker they will pull your credit but it will cost money and deduct points because it would be considered a hard pull. By doing it yourself you are able to view it without having to lose points from you score and you might even be able to do it for free!
Jerry
Phantom debt? How could I be sure and what steps to I take?
PuzzledPink asked:
I am a responsible bill payer, never really had anything like this happen. I get a bill from a Sunrise Credit Services representing t-mobile saying I owe $259.61. I have no recollection of this bill nor was I ever contacted by t-mobile. I have not been a member of t-mobile for about a year or two so I know this is really weird. I get a notice saying I only have 10 days before the debt gets reported to my personal credit report with national credit bureaus. I NEVER RECEIVED PRIOR CORRESPONDENCE to even have been able to request for validation or dispute the debt. I never got a FIRST notice. How do I go about proving I do not owe this? Or, how do I verify that I do actually owe this? I do not have my final t-mobile statement anymore. I’ve paid the final bill plus the early termination fee prior to switching carriers.
Letter: (dated 07/14/09, received 07/19/09)
Our client has asked us to collect this debt. We have tried repeatedly to to so but with no success. (FALSE!!!) Our client has now asked us to report this debt to your personal credit report with a national credit bureau.
I am a responsible bill payer, never really had anything like this happen. I get a bill from a Sunrise Credit Services representing t-mobile saying I owe $259.61. I have no recollection of this bill nor was I ever contacted by t-mobile. I have not been a member of t-mobile for about a year or two so I know this is really weird. I get a notice saying I only have 10 days before the debt gets reported to my personal credit report with national credit bureaus. I NEVER RECEIVED PRIOR CORRESPONDENCE to even have been able to request for validation or dispute the debt. I never got a FIRST notice. How do I go about proving I do not owe this? Or, how do I verify that I do actually owe this? I do not have my final t-mobile statement anymore. I’ve paid the final bill plus the early termination fee prior to switching carriers.
Letter: (dated 07/14/09, received 07/19/09)
Our client has asked us to collect this debt. We have tried repeatedly to to so but with no success. (FALSE!!!) Our client has now asked us to report this debt to your personal credit report with a national credit bureau.
We will be reporting this debt to one or more of the national credit bureaus on or about 07-24-09. The only way this process can be stopped is by your action. You need to pay this amount in full immediately.
Banks, mortgage brokers, credit card companies, auto dealers and all major retailers look to your personal credit profile to make decisions whether to lend you money. You are jeopardizing your basic right to credit.
Your future credit is in your hands now! Don’t take this lightly. Don’t make a mistake that you’ll have to live with in the future. Pay this debt today!
Wilma
Everyone Should Know About Credit Report Basics
Lee Beattie asked:
Credit Report Basics
The Credit Reporting Agencies work with lenders, creditors, insurers and employers to collect information from them and share it with companies with whom you desire to do business. Here’s an instance of how the system works:
A) When you apply for newly credits the creditor petitions a copy of your financial history from at the least one credit reporting agency. This causes a “hard inquiry” to be recorded on your credit report.
B) The creditor utilizes your credit reports and scores along with income, debt and other information to set what rates to offer up to you.
C) You begin to utilize the new credit and the creditor reports your payment history to one or more of the credit reporting agencies every 30 day period.
D) The credit reporting agencies update your credit report as they obtain new information (positive and negative) from those of your creditors.
E) Your credit profile varies based on your financial activeness.
Your Credit Report And How It Is Broken Down
Your credit report is separated into six main sections:
1. personal information (name, date of birth, last reported address,
2. any previous addresses on file,
3. the name and address of your current employer,
4. any previous employers that have been reported as well as any consumer statements you add to your file); summary; inquiries; creditor contacts; account history; public information.
5. When you open a new account, miss a payment or move, these sections are updated with new information.
6. The old information will stay on your credit report for several years.
Not all creditors report to each of the three agencies and the agencies don’t share their data so your credit reports from TransUnion, Equifax and Experian could be considerably different from each other. That’s why it’s important to look into your three credit reports every a couple of months to determine that the information is correct and up-to-date.
Constantly Check For Inaccuracies That Demand To Be Corrected
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumers are protected from having faulty information on their credit reports. If you find an incorrect record on your credit report, many identity protection agencies supply you with the tools and information to assist you in disputing it. Verify the disputing section on those sites for less told information about disputing details on your credit report. You can likewise dispute the inaccuracy direct with the credit reporting agencies.
Make Sure To Be Diligent
I recommend that you verify your credit reports every 3-6 months in order to defend against inaccuracies and identity theft. Routine check-ups along with paying your bills on time, preserving your credit card balances below 50% of their limits and rectifying any inaccuracies may serve you to maintain a healthy credit profile.
If you would like more information on this topic and want Fast Credit Repair or if you are in need of Free Credit Repair, Beatlands Credit Repair has many credit repair topics and tips that can be very useful.
STEVEN
Credit Report Basics
The Credit Reporting Agencies work with lenders, creditors, insurers and employers to collect information from them and share it with companies with whom you desire to do business. Here’s an instance of how the system works:
A) When you apply for newly credits the creditor petitions a copy of your financial history from at the least one credit reporting agency. This causes a “hard inquiry” to be recorded on your credit report.
B) The creditor utilizes your credit reports and scores along with income, debt and other information to set what rates to offer up to you.
C) You begin to utilize the new credit and the creditor reports your payment history to one or more of the credit reporting agencies every 30 day period.
D) The credit reporting agencies update your credit report as they obtain new information (positive and negative) from those of your creditors.
E) Your credit profile varies based on your financial activeness.
Your Credit Report And How It Is Broken Down
Your credit report is separated into six main sections:
1. personal information (name, date of birth, last reported address,
2. any previous addresses on file,
3. the name and address of your current employer,
4. any previous employers that have been reported as well as any consumer statements you add to your file); summary; inquiries; creditor contacts; account history; public information.
5. When you open a new account, miss a payment or move, these sections are updated with new information.
6. The old information will stay on your credit report for several years.
Not all creditors report to each of the three agencies and the agencies don’t share their data so your credit reports from TransUnion, Equifax and Experian could be considerably different from each other. That’s why it’s important to look into your three credit reports every a couple of months to determine that the information is correct and up-to-date.
Constantly Check For Inaccuracies That Demand To Be Corrected
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumers are protected from having faulty information on their credit reports. If you find an incorrect record on your credit report, many identity protection agencies supply you with the tools and information to assist you in disputing it. Verify the disputing section on those sites for less told information about disputing details on your credit report. You can likewise dispute the inaccuracy direct with the credit reporting agencies.
Make Sure To Be Diligent
I recommend that you verify your credit reports every 3-6 months in order to defend against inaccuracies and identity theft. Routine check-ups along with paying your bills on time, preserving your credit card balances below 50% of their limits and rectifying any inaccuracies may serve you to maintain a healthy credit profile.
If you would like more information on this topic and want Fast Credit Repair or if you are in need of Free Credit Repair, Beatlands Credit Repair has many credit repair topics and tips that can be very useful.
STEVEN
Business Credit Card Application Needs Good Credit Report
Richard Gilliland asked:
As with a personal credit card, the business credit card is a highly efficient method for obtaining, granting, and expending loans. The applicant for a business credit card needs do little more than fill out a brief application or key in a few bits of information over the Internet. In most cases, the customer is granted a line of credit, which can be accessed and expended quickly and easily each time the business credit card is used. Assuming that the customer has a good credit record, the credit limit will automatically be increased when it is reached, thereby increasing the loan amount without much effort on the part of the business credit card holder.
To qualify for a business credit card, a good credit record is necessary. In view of future credit needs such as business credit cards, small business owners should register their businesses with the major business credit bureaus such as Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) or Business Credit USA to obtain credit ratings. These business credit bureaus operate much like consumer credit bureaus. They will collect information from your existing creditors about your business, including a check on how much credit you have, the length of time your accounts have been active, and your payment record.
To complete your credit profile, the business credit bureau will also need some information on the rest of your business. This normally includes how many employees you have, how long you have been trading for, what you sales and profit performance is, and your business’ litigation history. Regardless of whether you register or not, you will probably show up on their records the moment a lender extends your business a credit line. Being proactive about it and voluntarily registering with a business credit bureau is a good idea. It offers you the opportunity to present your company in a good light and it creates a better impression of your business in general.
When the business credit card issuer receives your business credit card application, one of the very first things they do is obtain a copy of your business credit report. If your business does not score too well on the credit report, it may well scuttle your chances of getting a business credit card. Maintaining a good credit score needs to be high on the priority list of any business.
When it comes to new business, there is normally very little solid credit history to bank on. It could take anywhere from two to five years to build your business’ credit reputation. Until that happens, your business credit and personal credit will be inextricably linked to each other. When you apply for a business credit card and your business has no credit history, your own personal credit record is the dominant factor considered by the business credit card issuer.
Once you obtain this business credit card, it is good to remember that this credit will be included in your personal credit report until your business develops an adequate credit history. So the sooner you can establish the independence of your business credit card from your personal credit, the better.
Caffeinated Content
As with a personal credit card, the business credit card is a highly efficient method for obtaining, granting, and expending loans. The applicant for a business credit card needs do little more than fill out a brief application or key in a few bits of information over the Internet. In most cases, the customer is granted a line of credit, which can be accessed and expended quickly and easily each time the business credit card is used. Assuming that the customer has a good credit record, the credit limit will automatically be increased when it is reached, thereby increasing the loan amount without much effort on the part of the business credit card holder.
To qualify for a business credit card, a good credit record is necessary. In view of future credit needs such as business credit cards, small business owners should register their businesses with the major business credit bureaus such as Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) or Business Credit USA to obtain credit ratings. These business credit bureaus operate much like consumer credit bureaus. They will collect information from your existing creditors about your business, including a check on how much credit you have, the length of time your accounts have been active, and your payment record.
To complete your credit profile, the business credit bureau will also need some information on the rest of your business. This normally includes how many employees you have, how long you have been trading for, what you sales and profit performance is, and your business’ litigation history. Regardless of whether you register or not, you will probably show up on their records the moment a lender extends your business a credit line. Being proactive about it and voluntarily registering with a business credit bureau is a good idea. It offers you the opportunity to present your company in a good light and it creates a better impression of your business in general.
When the business credit card issuer receives your business credit card application, one of the very first things they do is obtain a copy of your business credit report. If your business does not score too well on the credit report, it may well scuttle your chances of getting a business credit card. Maintaining a good credit score needs to be high on the priority list of any business.
When it comes to new business, there is normally very little solid credit history to bank on. It could take anywhere from two to five years to build your business’ credit reputation. Until that happens, your business credit and personal credit will be inextricably linked to each other. When you apply for a business credit card and your business has no credit history, your own personal credit record is the dominant factor considered by the business credit card issuer.
Once you obtain this business credit card, it is good to remember that this credit will be included in your personal credit report until your business develops an adequate credit history. So the sooner you can establish the independence of your business credit card from your personal credit, the better.
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