If a new company has not yet established a credit history, many lenders turn to the business owner’s personal credit to evaluate risk. But does personal credit alone paint an accurate picture of a new business’s risk? Is there a more optimal way to determine how creditworthy a young company may be?

To find answers, Experian® randomly selected the credit files of 2.5 million U.S. small-business owners and compared them with the records of 1 million consumers. We then looked at the credit history of both groups, as well as key demographic data such as age, education and income. We also reviewed the number of open trades, delinquencies, bankruptcies and business survival rates. The results of this research are explained in this whitepaper.

Turning the page from recovery to growth, small businesses continue to have access to a wider availability of credit, as credit conditions reached the highest level on record, improving for the third consecutive quarter. Outstanding credit balances grew by 2.2 percent from a year ago, while delinquency rates declined to a cyclical low of 8.5 percent, both of which contributed to the improvement in the index.

The US economy grew a buoyant 2.6% annualized in Q3, confirming Experian and Oxford Economics’ view that the economy was not in recession. Indeed, the economy created a robust 261k jobs in October, while the unemployment rate came in near a historically low of 3.7%. Higher borrowing costs will weigh on corporate profits, hiring, and business investment. The consumer will feel the effects of an increase in unemployment and a reduction in excess savings. Download the full report to learn more.

Reward and protect your borrowers and businesses throughout their financial journey by revealing a more complete credit history through consistent data reporting. Learn how to report data to Experian in a simple easy to follow 8-step process. Learn more about consumer data reporting at experian.com/datareporting and business data at experian.com/datareportingbusiness.