Experian's latest Metro Business Pulse shows the construction industry continuing to struggle with below-average credit health despite recovering housing market

COSTA MESA, Calif., March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian®, the leading global information services company, today announced that in the midst of a recovering housing market, construction businesses continued to demonstrate below-average* credit health in Q4 2013. According to Experian's  most recent Metro Business Pulse, businesses in the construction industry had a lower-than-average risk score**, paid their bills more days beyond contracted terms, had higher bankruptcy rates and had a greater percentage of delinquent debt than other industries.

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Detailed findings from the report, as well as other business credit trends seen throughout the quarter, will be presented in Experian's Quarterly Business Credit Review Webinar on March 18, 2014, at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

To register for the Webinar, visit: Q4 2013 Experian's Quarterly Business Credit Review

"The collapse of the housing market during the recession had an obvious impact on the construction industry's ability to manage and meet financial obligations," said Joel Pruis, Experian's senior business consultant. "However, as the market continues to recover, it will be imperative for these businesses to get ahead of their finances and pay down existing delinquent debt. Doing so will enable them to obtain the adequate funding and resources to improve their company's viability as well as protect them against any potential future setbacks."

As part of the analysis, Experian also examined how construction businesses were performing at a metropolitan level. Despite being decimated by the housing collapse, construction businesses in Phoenix, Ariz., had a lower delinquency rate than two-thirds of the businesses in the sector. However, they continued to struggle, having among the lowest credit scores in the sector, with an average risk score of 52.6 — a full 8 percent lower than the industry average.

Construction businesses in other well-known metropolitan areas hit hardest by the housing bust —including Las Vegas, Nev., Miami, Fla., Fort Myers, Fla., and Orlando, Fla. — continued to struggle with lower-than-average risk scores, paying their bills more days beyond contracted terms (up to 26 days past due) and having among the highest delinquency rates compared to the rest of the industry. The only exception to the trend being construction businesses in the Florida areas having bankruptcy rates well below the industry average (up to 64.3 percent lower).

For complete findings from the analysis, including additional industry group breakdowns, visit the Metro Business Pulse Website.

About Experian Business Information Services

Experian 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 March 31, 2013, was US$4.7 billion. Experian employs approximately 17,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São 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.

*Based on all industries within the top 25 percent of metropolitan statistical areas

**Based on a scale of 1 to 100 (with 100 being least risky); predicts the likelihood of severe delinquency (more than 91 days past due) within the next 12 months

Contact:
Jordan Takeyama
Experian Public Relations
1 714 830 7561
[email protected] 
Twitter: @JordanTakeyama

SOURCE Experian

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