Experian Business Reports - Acceptable Use Guidelines

Small Business IntelliscoreSM and Business Owner Profile

The following guidelines summarize the acceptable use of consumer credit information provided with Experian's Small Business Intelliscore (SBI) and Business Owner Profile (BOP):

Acceptable use

Acceptable uses are the following:

• To extend commercial credit (i.e., credit which is not for personal, family or household use)
• To review an existing commercial account
• To collect on an existing commercial account

But in each case, only when the individual involved falls is one of the following:

• A sole proprietor
• A general partner in a partnership which is the account debtor
• An individual who has signed a personal guaranty of the subject debt
• An individual who has provided a written authorization specifically approving your review of their personal credit history

Unacceptable use

Examples of unacceptable use:

• To review the personal credit history of:
• Principals of corporations or other limited liability entities
• Employees of a company you are researching
• Yourself, your co-workers, friends, family members, names in the news, celebrities, government officials or any other individuals with whom you have no commercial credit relationship

**NOTE: identifiers of corporations and other limited liability entities include: Corp. , Inc., LP, LLC, LTD, LLP
Exceptions:

You may obtain a report on:

• Principals of a corporation or other limited liability entity who have signed a guaranty of the business obligations (often referred to as a personal guaranty)
•       Principals of a corporation or other limited liability entity who have given written authorization for access of their personal credit history. ** Merely signing a credit application does not constitute written authorization. The principal whose information you are accessing must give specific written permission.

Definitions of Key words referenced above

Partnership - Two or more individuals that run a business. Each partner is liable for debts of the partnership up to the amount of their personal assets tied into the business.

Limited Partnership - Limited partners in a partnership contribute only assets and are liable only up to the amount they contribute. A limited partnership consists of one or more general partners and one or more limited partners.

Sole Proprietor - This classification is used for anyone who does business without creating a formal business entity. The owner reports business income on their personal income tax statement.

Corporation - A legal entity recognized by a state or the federal government. The owners and shareholders are separate from the legal entity.