 TITLE: What to Know When Applying for a Business Loan CONTENT: Business Credit vs. Personal Credit\n-----------------------------------\nJust like personal credit scores, [business credit scores](;offercode=askexperian) may be used by lenders when deciding whether to issue a loan, line of credit or other debt. They take existing records of debt management and use complex formulas to determine what risk a person or business may pose as a borrower. Though personal and business credit scores are not calculated using the same algorithms, the fundamental logic behind how the scores calculated is pretty similar.\nCommercial credit bureaus collect and score the information used to populate business credit reports. There are three main bureaus that service business credit: Experian Commercial, Equifax Small Business and Dun & Bradstreet.\nThese bureaus collect data on millions of businesses from sources including creditors, public records, official state agencies, collection agencies, corporate financial filings and marketing databases. These reports are then used to assign a numeric score between 0 and 100, which creditors use to evaluate a company's creditworthiness.\nHere is an overview of the key differences between business and personal credit reports:\n*   Personal and business scores have different ranges. Business scores typically range from 0 to 100. Personal scores can range from 300 to 850.\n*   Business credit reports are associated with Employer Identification Numbers (EINs), while personal reports use Social Security numbers (SSNs).\n*   Your business credit report and monitoring services are managed separately from your personal credit report and monitoring, and through separate databases and departments at Experian.\n*   The data used for business and personal credit reports is regulated differently.\n*   Unlike personal credit reports, which can be placed on a security freeze or locked, business credit reports can never be frozen.\n*   Business scores can be checked by anyone (they will need to purchase the report and scores), while personal scores can only be checked by yourself and by others with your permission. END