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Dun & Bradstreet D&B
Also called DUNS number, Paydex, D and B.
A commercial credit bureau that identifies businesses by DUNS number and scores their trade payment behavior, best known through the Paydex score.
Drafted with AI assistance. Not yet independently checked. Nobody has verified the claims on this page against a source, so treat the figures and legal points as a starting point rather than as settled, and confirm anything you are about to act on. How we check things.
What it means
A DUNS number is an identifier, free to obtain, used by suppliers, government contracting systems and some lenders to key a business file. It is not a score and carries no credit meaning by itself.
Paydex scores how promptly a business pays its trade suppliers, built from payment experiences those suppliers report. It measures timing only. A company that pays every vendor early while losing money monthly can score well.
Who actually pulls it: trade suppliers extending terms, equipment lessors on larger tickets, some franchisors and landlords, and government contracting counterparties. Who largely does not: merchant cash advance and short-term working capital funders, whose underwriting runs on bank statements and the guarantor's personal credit.
Where this one catches people
An entire industry sells "business credit building" on the premise that a strong D&B file replaces personal credit and personal guaranties in small-business funding. For the products most small businesses actually use, it does not. Building trade lines is worthwhile for supplier terms and larger equipment deals; it will not get an advance funded without a personal credit pull and a guaranty, and paying to accelerate it buys very little.
Where you will meet this term
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Dun & Bradstreet — common questions
What does dun & bradstreet mean?
A commercial credit bureau that identifies businesses by DUNS number and scores their trade payment behavior, best known through the Paydex score.
Where does dun & bradstreet catch people out?
An entire industry sells "business credit building" on the premise that a strong D&B file replaces personal credit and personal guaranties in small-business funding. For the products most small businesses actually use, it does not. Building trade lines is worthwhile for supplier terms and larger equipment deals; it will not get an advance funded without a personal credit pull and a guaranty, and paying to accelerate it buys very little.
Is dun & bradstreet the same as an interest rate?
Dun & Bradstreet is defined above; if you are comparing it against a rate, check whether the two measures share a time dimension before you put them side by side.
Which products does dun & bradstreet apply to?
Term Loan, Equipment Financing.
Is there a worked example of dun & bradstreet?
Not on this entry. Where a term is arithmetic, the arithmetic is shown; this one is not primarily a calculation.
What else should I read alongside dun & bradstreet?
Business Credit, Business credit score, Experian Business, FICO score, Personal guarantee.
Has this definition been checked?
Not yet. This entry is drafted and live, and the notice at the top says so. Confirm anything you are about to act on.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a definition. What a clause does in your contract, in your state, is a question for a lawyer licensed where you are.
Can I suggest a term?
Yes — [email protected]. The glossary grows from what people are actually shown in contracts.