Assets at Risk

• With regular credit, an individual's payment history affects his credit score, which in turn affects his ability to get more credit. If you secure a personal loan with collateral, such as using your home to secure your mortgage, you could lose that collateral if you default on the loan. With business credit, personal assets are not at risk unless a business owner uses them as collateral for business credit.
  
  

Gaining Regular Credit

• Credit cards are the most popular way for individuals to access regular credit. Home equity loans, personal lines of credit and debt consolidation loans are other forms of regular credit.
  
  

Gaining Business Credit

• Business credit can be more difficult to establish than regular credit. Established businesses with a track record of success find it easier to open credit lines than newly started businesses, Most new businesses begin building credit by opening small accounts with local vendors.
  
  

Dun & Bradstreet

• Information on your personal, or regular, credit is maintained by major credit reporting agencies that track your repayment history and compile other information, such as liens or judgments against you. That same sort of information is compiled on businesses by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B).
  
  

Importance of D&B Report

• Before extending business credit, most vendors or lending institutions review the applicant's D&B file, much like lenders review an individual's credit report before approving requests for regular credit.