Experian/Moody's Analytics Small Business Credit Index shows small businesses faced significant challenges in Q3 that will continue through most of 2013
COSTA MESA, Calif., Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian®, the leading global information services company, today announced that an increase in severely delinquent account balances and slower consumer spending growth posed a significant challenge to small businesses that will likely continue throughout the rest of 2012 and most of 2013.
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"Small businesses remain under financial pressure, as the broader economy continues to grow slowly and concerns about the nation's daunting fiscal challenges mount," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "Businesses are reluctant to take on new credit, and severely delinquent credit remains uncomfortably high. It is encouraging, however, that early-stage delinquency is declining and that credit scores are holding up. Credit conditions should improve if the president and Congress are able to reasonably address our fiscal problems."
According to the latest Experian/Moody's Analytics Small Business Credit Index, the credit quality measured by the Small Business Credit Index began deteriorating in Q3 after four consecutive quarters of improvement. Findings from the report showed that while 30- and 60-day past-due balances have improved, those that are considered severely delinquent (more than 90 days past due) have not improved after climbing 11.4 percent during the first three quarters of last year.
"Having a high level of severe delinquency is as troubling for a small business as it is for a consumer," said Allen Anderson, president of Experian's Business Information Services. "Making timely payments and reducing delinquent debt are critical to improving a business's credit profile, making it possible for the business to achieve positive growth. When continually faced with a large amount of debt, businesses can be forced to make the same tough decisions that consumers do, except these decisions can impact others in terms of employment or salary adjustments."
Additional findings from the Q3 report show that the presidential election results will likely ensure the survival of the Affordable Care Act, which may pose another challenge for some small businesses. The report shows that while the Affordable Care Act will have little impact on some companies, those businesses with 50 to 100 employees could face fines of up to $2,000 per worker if they fail to comply with the law.
When looking at measures of business health, the Q3 report found that the average commercial risk score (57.1) remained stable across geographic regions despite the disproportionate regional effects associated with the slowing global economy. Additionally, the report found that U.S. businesses paid their bills an average of 7.4 days beyond contracted terms in September 2012, the same as during the second quarter. However, when compared year over year, average days beyond terms has increased by 2.5 percent.
To receive a copy of the full Experian/Moody's Analytics Small Business Credit Index report, please visit http://www.experian.com/SmallBusinessCreditIndex.
About the Experian/Moody's Analytics Small Business Credit Index
Experian joined forces with Moody's Analytics, a leading independent provider of economic forecasting, to create a business index and detailed report that provides insight into the health of U.S. businesses. The Experian/Moody's Analytics Small Business Credit Index is reported quarterly to show fluctuations in the market and discuss factors that are impacting the business economy.
About Experian's Business Information Services
Experian's Business Information Services is a leader in providing data and predictive insights to organizations, helping them mitigate risk and improve profitability. The company's business database provides comprehensive, third-party-verified information on 99.9 percent of all U.S. companies. Experian provides market-leading tools that assist clients of all sizes in making real-time decisions, processing new applications, managing customer relationships and collecting on delinquent accounts. For more information about Experian's advanced business-to-business products and services, visit http://www.experian.com/b2b.
About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.
Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2012 was US$4.5 billion. Experian employs approximately 17,000 people in 44 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.
Experian and the Experian marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
Contact:
Roslyn Whitehurst
Experian Public Relations
1 714 830 5578
[email protected]
Twitter: @RozWhitehurst
SOURCE Experian
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