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The relationship between personal and business credit reports

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Topics addressed on July 22, 2009:

The relationship between personal and business credit reports

Dear Experian,

You have recently responded to a question for those that short-sell their homes without being late on their mortgage payments. Under the same line, what effect does it have doing a short-sale for those people that plan to set up a business in the future?

- OGC

Dear OGC,

If you went through a short sale, which means you settled your mortgage debt for less than you owed, there was likely a serious negative impact on your personal credit. That could affect your ability to secure credit for your small business.

While your personal credit report and your business's credit report are not combined in any way, a lender could review both if you are securing business debt with personal credit. Experian has done a study of the relationship between small business owners' personal credit and the credit performance of their small business and found the two to be very closely related.

If a small business owner is having problems paying personal debt, there is a strong likelihood their business will also have credit problems soon. For that reason, lenders may consider your personal credit history when reviewing an application for your small business.

Experian has produced a brief virtual seminar that discusses the study it conducted and why managing personal credit well is critical for small business owners.

Thanks for asking.

- The ”Ask Experian“ team

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