Student loan debt has been increasing year-over-year since the 1990s. Experian Commercial Data Sciences is monitoring the effect student loans have on small-business creation and survival. This paper examines whether or not student debt is hampering the ability to open new businesses and keep them open

Experian Business Information Services did a data study of 2.5 million small business owner profiles and analyzed the data, comparing small business owners with average consumers. In this webinar Peter Bolin, Director of Consulting & Analytics for Experian shares the results of this research.

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.

Experian Business Information Services recently concluded a data study to compare the credit profiles of small business owners compared to average consumers. Our Infographic offers some of our key findings.