ACCEPTABLE USE
GUIDELINES
for
Small Business Intelliscore
(SBI) &
Business Owner Profile
(BOP)
The following guidelines summarize the acceptable use of consumer credit
information provided with Experian's Small Business Intelliscore (SBI) and
Business Owner Profile (BOP):
Acceptable Uses:
To extend commercial credit (i.e., credit
which is not for personal, family or household use), or
To review an existing commercial account, or
To collect on an existing commercial account
But in each case, only when the individual
involved is:
A sole proprietor, or
A general partner in a partnership which is
the account debtor, or
An individual who has signed a personal
guaranty of the subject debt, or
An individual who has provided a written
authorization specifically approving your review of their personal credit
history
Examples of Unacceptable uses:
To review the personal credit history of:
Principals of corporations or other limited
liability entities
NOTE:
identifiers of corporations and other limited liability entities include:
Corp., Inc., LP, LLC, LTD, LLP
Employees of a company you are researching
Yourself, your co-workers, friends, family
members, names in the news, celebrities, government officials or any other
individuals with whom you have no commercial credit relationship
Exceptions:
You may obtain a report on:
Principals of a corporation or other limited
liability entity who have signed a guaranty of the business obligations (often referred
to as a personal guaranty)
Principals of a corporation or other limited
liability entity who have given written authorization for access of their
personal credit history. Merely signing
a credit application does not constitute written authorization. The principal whose information you are
accessing must give specific written permission.
Definitions of Key words
referenced above:
Partnership - Two or more individuals that run a
business. Each partner is liable for
debts of the partnership up to the amount of their personal assets tied into
the business.
Limited Partnership - Limited partners in a partnership
contribute only assets and are liable only up to the amount they
contribute. A limited partnership
consists of one or more general partners and one or more limited partners.
Sole Proprietor - This classification is used for anyone
who does business without creating a formal business entity. The owner reports business income on their
personal income tax statement.
Corporation - A legal entity recognized by a state or
the federal government. The owners and
shareholders are separate from the legal entity.
Limited Liability Entities - Legal entities recognized by most states,
which include limited liability companies (LLC) and limited liability
partnerships (LLP). Principals (usually
called "members") of such entities are not generally liable for the
debts of the entity and therefore cannot be the subject of the SBI or BOP
unless they have signed a personal guaranty or have given specific written
authorization.