Understanding UK business credit files: Experian, Equifax and Creditsafe

Business credit files sit alongside director personal credit files as one of the two most influential inputs to UK SME finance underwriting. Owners often pay close attention to their personal file but never check the business file. That is a mistake — the business file regularly contains errors, outdated information and missed positive payment data that, fixed, can meaningfully improve borrowing terms.

The four main UK business credit reference agencies

Experian Business

The most widely-pulled UK business credit file. Experian's commercial score runs 0 to 100, with 80+ generally treated as low risk. The file aggregates payment data from suppliers, public records (CCJs, winding-up petitions), filed accounts at Companies House, and director linkages. Experian also offers a Delphi score variant used by some lenders.

Equifax Business

Equifax pulls similar data but weights differently — particularly on supplier payment data. Some lenders preferentially pull Equifax for newer companies because the filed-accounts dependency is lighter. Equifax also runs the SME Risk Score used in several mainstream commercial credit decisions.

Creditsafe

Creditsafe is widely used by trade suppliers and some lenders, particularly in invoice finance underwriting where the debtor's Creditsafe score affects advance rate. Creditsafe's score runs 0 to 100 with broadly similar bands to Experian. The file is often more up-to-date on filed accounts but can lag on payment data.

Dun & Bradstreet

D&B is the most international of the four, used heavily for cross-border trade credit and by some larger UK lenders. The Paydex score (0 to 100) is the headline metric, focused on payment behaviour. D&B carries a stronger weight than Experian for businesses with international debtors or creditors.

What is on a UK business credit file

• Company registration data — incorporation date, registered office, SIC code.
• Filed accounts — abridged or full, last 2 to 3 years where available.
• Director linkages — current and historical directorships of the named directors.
• Public records — CCJs, gazette notices, winding-up petitions, insolvency events.
• Trade payment data — how the business pays its suppliers on credit terms (sourced from supplier reporting).
• Mortgages and charges — any registered fixed or floating charges over company assets.
• Group structure — parent, subsidiaries and ultimate beneficial owners.

How agency scores are built

Each agency runs its own model, but the same factors dominate across all four:

• Trade payment behaviour — paying suppliers on terms strengthens the file faster than almost any other action.
• Filed accounts strength — equity position, profitability, working-capital balance.
• Age of the company — older companies score higher on stability factors.
• Public records — even one CCJ materially drops the score; a winding-up petition is a near-instant downgrade.
• Director history — if the named directors have insolvent prior directorships, that shows in the file.
• Industry — some SIC codes carry higher base risk weight than others.

Why two agencies can give wildly different scores

It happens regularly. The underlying data differs — supplier reporting is patchy, filed accounts age at different rates, public records sync at different cadences. A company can have an Experian score of 75 and an Equifax score of 52 on the same day. The right response is usually to check all four agencies, identify which one is feeding the lender pool you are applying to, and focus remediation there first.

Common errors on UK business credit files

• Outdated registered office still showing a previous accountant's address.
• Director linkages incorrectly attaching dissolved companies.
• Missing trade payment data because suppliers do not report.
• Stale public records that have been satisfied but not updated.
• Wrong SIC code triggering higher base risk weighting than the business actually carries.
• Filed accounts showing as overdue when the deadline has been extended.

How to check and correct your file

1. Sign up for a self-monitoring subscription at Experian, Equifax and Creditsafe — most run from £20 to £60 per month per agency.
2. Review the full file for errors and outdated entries.
3. Submit corrections through the agency's dispute process; expect 2 to 6 weeks for resolution.
4. Confirm Companies House data is current — registered office, directors, PSCs and accounting reference date.
5. File accounts on time; late filing is one of the largest single negative factors.
6. Ask key suppliers if they report payment data to one of the agencies and request to be included.

How to improve a thin or weak file

Thin files — common with newer UK companies or those that pay everything in cash — can be deliberately built up. Take supplier credit on standard 30-day terms with suppliers who report to one of the agencies (Royal Mail, large stationery suppliers, telecoms providers, some accountants). Pay on or before the due date every month for 6 to 12 months. The file thickens with positive data and the score lifts measurably.

Where a file carries recent adverse — CCJs, satisfied or unsatisfied — recovery is slower. Satisfy the CCJ within 30 days of judgement to have it marked satisfied rather than outstanding (this materially softens the impact). Build positive payment data alongside to dilute the adverse over 12 to 24 months. Some lenders ignore satisfied CCJs older than 24 months entirely.

How lenders actually use the file

Different lenders weight the file differently. Fintech unsecured lenders often run automated underwriting where the file score is a hard gate — below 50 on Experian is typically an instant decline at most mainstream providers. Specialist non-prime lenders look at the underlying entries rather than the headline score and underwrite manually. Asset finance lenders weight the asset itself more heavily and tolerate weaker files. Invoice finance lenders weight the debtor files (your customers) sometimes more heavily than your own.