If you, or part of your business operates by providing companies with credit accounts, it is absolutely essential you are in a position to access their historical financial data. Company credit checks are a vital step of the process before agreeing to provide any company with credit on their account.
Full individual or company credit checks will provide you with all of the necessary information required to make prudent financial decisions, such as setting a credit limit, if you decide to set one at all.
Company credit checks can be helpful at any point; from initial set up of the credit agreement and regular monitoring of the account right through to the termination of the credit agreement if the account owner is negligent.
Who Might Need Credit Checks?
Credit checks provide visibility into an individual’s or business’ financial history and trustworthiness. They are commonly used when:
> Extending credit or loans to individuals or companies to assess risk and ensure ability to pay back debts. Our credit checks look for bankruptcies, late payments, liens, judgments and other red flags.
> Making expensive purchases on installment plans. Retailers often check credit before approving financing for big ticket items to minimise chances of default.
> Renting properties to tenants. Landlords routinely check tenant credit reports and scores to gauge reliability in paying rent on time each month.
> Vetting business partners and investors. Entrepreneurs should analyse partners’ credit and financials to evaluate business judgement.
> Hiring employees for positions of financial trust. Certain jobs require credit checks to identify any financial issues upfront.
Our licensed private investigators provide comprehensive credit profile screening to uncover any historical issues or current risks that could impact financial decisions.
How Do Credit Checks Work?
Our global investigative team leverages legal methods to access consumer and commercial credit records from UK credit bureaus and international sources. Key components include:
> Credit reports detailing full payment history, inquiries, types/number of accounts, bankruptcies, tax liens, judgments, collections and other negative indicators.
> Credit scores summarizing overall creditworthiness based on 5-10 year payment history across all creditors. These indicate risk levels.
> Income and employment verification confirming stability and ability to handle debt obligations.
> Business credit reports for company principals and entities documenting payment history with vendors and creditors.
> Public record searches for bankruptcies, foreclosures, tax liens, judgments and other financial issues.
> Global adverse media checks uncovering negative press and allegations involving financial crimes.
Our licensed investigators analyse full credit profiles to identify any misrepresentations, inconsistencies or evidence of poor financial judgement. We highlight key risk factors and provide straightforward insights to inform decisions.
Why Trust Global Investigations for Credit Checks?
With decades of experience, Global Investigations’ financial investigators and workplace fraud examiners have exceptional capabilities evaluating creditworthiness and detecting deception.
We utilise comprehensive research techniques and have access to financial records and databases most individuals cannot obtain. By leveraging both data and human discernment, we uncover the complete circumstances to provide accurate risk assessments.
Our global connections also allow us to access international records to build full financial profiles across borders. We have trusted partners worldwide that can source local credit information.
As industry leaders, Global Investigations operates at the highest ethical standards when accessing personal and business financial data. We have secure systems and encryption protecting sensitive information.
Business Credit Reports
Checking potential partners, investors and vendors’ business credit can uncover risks of financial problems before they impact your company. Our commercial credit reports provide full payment histories, showing how other businesses have been paid.
Tenant Credit Checks
Avoid problem tenants that don’t pay rent on time. Our tenant credit checks flag prior evictions, bankruptcies and other issues that traditionally indicate higher risk and chance of lease default. Protect your rental income and property.
Identity & Income Verification
Fraudsters often falsify financial or identifying details on applications. Our investigators can cross-check applicant details through various public and private databases, pinpointing any inconsistencies that require further scrutiny.
Monitoring you current clients credit
If you decide you wish to monitor the financial position of a company, or individual, who currently has a credit agreement with you, we can also organise this. These midway checks are an excellent idea as they will allow you to reassess credit terms if the company or individual is making late payments or even none at all.
We are also able to run credit checks on individuals, however, the majority of the checks we undertake are, in fact, on businesses. Normal company credit checks will include:
> Company name and number information
> Registered office address and trading addressees
> Credit score information
> Credit limit information
> Share summaries
> Known directors and addressees
> Profit & loss information
> Balance sheet summary
> County Court Judgements
> Mortgages and charges
> Key industry sector trends
Credit Checks FAQs
Credit reports show your full history paying back debts, including credit cards, loans, mortgages, tax debts and more. They list all past and present accounts, payments, defaults, bankruptcies and related financial events.
Yes, ‘soft’ credit checks that don’t impact scores can be run without consent in certain cases, including for employment purposes or if you have legitimate business need. However, best practice is informing subjects.
The credit report details full payment history across all accounts; the score condenses that down to a 3-digit summary of overall creditworthiness/risk level based on specific scoring models.
Yes, when conducted properly by authorised parties with permissible purpose. All credit checks must comply with consumer protection laws like FCRA, GDPR, DPAs and other regulations governing data access.
Contact Global Investigations today for accurate, ethical business or consumer credit checks conducted by industry experts.