Reference Guides

The Executive Summary
• Identifies the key elements from the body of the report and presents them up front. This critical company data gives you an instant overview of the business in question by highlighting:

• Description of Business: A description of the company background and line of business; information on either the parent or subsidiary business will be given when available.

• Days Beyond Terms (DBT): States the average number of days late a business pays its bills past the invoice due date.

• Predicted DBT: Predicts the company’s DBT 60 days into the future based on past and current trends. This indicator gives you Experian’s estimation of the customer’s payment trend.

• DBT Norms: Lets you compare the company’s DBT against the average DBT for other businesses in the same industry, and the average DBT for all industries.

• DBT Range Based on Current Payment Behavior: Indicates where the company’s current DBT falls in comparison to other businesses in the U.S., and shows the percentage of U.S. businesses in four score ranges (0 – 15, 16 – 50, 51 – 90 and 91+).

Trade Data Quality
• Thousands of businesses, like yours, contribute their accounts receivable files to Experian Business Information Solutions on a monthly basis.

• All of our data is gathered in a consistent format.

• Each trade line represents a unique credit relationship.

• Identification of continuous and newly reported trade lines ensures you are making decisions from the most current information.

• For comparison purposes, next to each trade line with a balance, a plus (+), minus (-) or equal (=) sign indicates whether the DBT of the trade line is more than 5 days higher (-), more than 5 days lower (+), or with in 5 days (=) of the average DBT for that business category.

Payment Totals: Summarizes the totals for continuously reported and newly reported trade lines.

Additional Payment Experiences: Lists trade line experiences that have not been updated within three months of the report date. This section identifies previously reported, but not current, trade lines that may be indicative of payment experiences on non-trade accounts such as leases and bank loans, representing payment information that differs from a trade credit account, and many times are paid differently.

Payment Trends: Uses continuously reported trade lines to indicate changes in payment behavior over the previous six months.

Industry Payment Trends: Uses continuously reported trade lines to indicate changes in the industry’s payment behavior, on average, over the past six months, including percent current and DBT. Provides a reference point for the company’s trend.

Payment History: Represents a fifteen-month analysis of the payment trends.

Experian File Number: A file number, which Experian assigns to the company name.

File Established Date: The first trade lines were contributed and/or the file was created within the Experian database.

SIC Code Standard Industrial Classification: Code designates a company’s primary business activity.

Trade Line Payment Comparison: For each trade line with a balance, a +, -, or = sign provides a comparison of that trade line’s DBT to that of the business category as a whole.

Business Category General Industry: Category (or description) of the supplier to the inquired upon company.

Date Reported Date: The supplier reported that payment experience to Experian.

Date of Last Sale/Activity Date: The supplier last sold goods to the company.

Payment Terms: Terms set by the suppliers.

Recent High Credit Highest: Account balance the company has carried in the last 12 months.

Account Status: Account balance and aging of that account as of the date reported.

Account Balance Dollar: Sum of all current and past due amounts rounded to the nearest $100.

Current Percentage: Of account that is paid with in terms set by supplier.

Days Past Due Percentage: Of the account that is 1-30, 31-60, 61 – 90, 91+ days past due.

Comments Additional explanations of account status: For example: customer 15 yrs; COD; CIA; write off; collections; satisfactory.

Continuously Reported: Those trade lines that have been in the Experian file for up to 18 months, and have been updated within the last three months.

Newly Reported: Those trade lines that have been added to the Experian file within the past three months.

Payment Trend Historical: Record of the company’s payment practices in the past six months based on continuously reported information.

Industry Payment Trend Historical: Record of the industry’s payment practices, on average, in the past six months based on continuously reported information.

Experian Quarterly Averages: A five-quarter summary of all the trade experiences reported to Experian.

Historical Payment: Guide A section of the Executive Summary that identifies the total account balance range outstanding for the past six months; the single highest credit amount extended, with the median amount.

Bank Information: Shows the name, address and phone number of the company’s bank, type of relationship, & account status/balance if available.

Inquiry Information: Lists all inquiries made on the company within the past nine months.

Company Background Information: Information on the company’s product/service lines, SIC codes, revenue, number of employees, names and titles of principals, the year the company was established and information filed with the state.

Public Record Information: Commercial public record information filed with the U.S. legal system (Information is deleted form the Experian database using the following rules: Bankruptcies – 9 years, 9 months; judgments – 6 years, 9 months; UCC-1 filings are maintained for 5 years; liens – 4 years, 9 months; and UCC-3 filings – 5 years).

UCC Filings and Amendments Uniform: Commercial Code filings, which are required whenever a company pledges an asset as collateral; UCC-1 filings are maintained for five years; UCC-3 amendments must be filed to keep the arrangements in force.

Judgments Court: Decisions directing a company to make payment to a plaintiff; abstract judgments differ only in that they are prepared by the court recorder’s office.

Federal, State and County Tax Liens: Claims on the property or goods of a company by governmental tax agencies.

Bankruptcies: Legal processes by which the assets of the company are liquidated or by which they seek protection from creditors.

Standard & Poor’s Information: Financial information provided from Standard & Poor’s on publicly held U.S. companies; also may include in-depth business background information on privately held firms.
Federal Government Selected financial and contract data reflecting the company’s dealings with federal government.