Credit Reporting Services Industry Profile

Companies in this industry compile, manage, and report credit information on businesses and consumers. Major companies include Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, Moody's, S&P Global, and TransUnion (all based in the US), as well as Experian (Ireland) and Creditreform (Germany).

Most large credit reporting services companies operate internationally and are rapidly expanding in emerging markets in Asia/Pacific, Latin America, and Africa. The US, the UK, Germany, Australia, and Japan have well-established credit reporting systems.

The US credit reporting services industry consists of about 500 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with annual revenue of about $10 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by the volume of financial transactions and by the health of the economy. The profitability of individual companies depends largely on efficiency of operations. Large credit reporting companies have significant economies of scale in operations. Small companies can compete effectively by operating in niche markets, such as business credit, tenant screening, or employment screening. The US industry is highly concentrated: the 50 largest firms account for more than 95% of revenue, and the four largest firms account for about 60% of revenue.

Credit reporting services may face competition from companies who choose to bring their credit reporting activities in-house. Some credit data is available via public databases that the internet has made more accessible.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Commercial credit rating services account for about 60% of US industry revenue, while individual credit rating ...