By International Credit Reports
Read the identity and dates before the headline assessment
Begin with the company name, registration identifier, and country. Then check when the report was prepared and which periods its information covers. Only after matching the subject should you read the payment information, financial figures, and credit assessment together.
This walkthrough uses our existing six-page Canadian sample PDF (opens in a new tab). Page references describe that example, not a standard layout or a promise of information for every country. It illustrates how to read the document; it is not a current assessment of the company shown in the sample.
1. Match the legal entity
The sample opens with the subject name and address; page 3 adds legal-form and registration information. Compare these fields with the company on your contract or purchase order. Keep the registration number's label with the number, because different identifiers can refer to different systems.
A brand, branch, parent, and subsidiary may have related names while being different report subjects. An operating address may also differ from a registered address. If the identity does not match, resolve that question before relying on the rest of the document. Our country directory explains useful identifiers for each researched market.
2. Separate the report date from the information dates
The Canadian sample has an order timestamp, dates attached to individual assessments, and a separate date and observation period for its payment summary. These describe different things. A report prepared this month can contain earlier financial figures or payment observations.
Write down the reporting period for each item your review depends on. When a period is absent, treat it as a question to clarify. Same Day and Freshly Investigated describe sourcing options; neither makes every underlying record newly issued.
3. Read payment history and scores in context
Page 1 contains a payment-performance indicator and its scale. The payment summary on page 4 gives additional context, including the number and value of reported experiences. A summary based on reported experiences is not a record of every invoice the company has ever received.
Check whether a percentage describes the number of experiences or their monetary value. For illustration, one large invoice and several small invoices can produce different count-based and amount-based summaries. Read the field label before interpreting a percentage.
The sample also separates past payment behavior from predictive assessments. Dun & Bradstreet describes its PAYDEX indicator as based on historical payment experience, with weighting by monetary value. That definition applies to that named measure; do not assume a differently named score or another provider's scale has the same meaning. Read the provider's PAYDEX explanation (opens in a new tab).
4. Check currency and financial scope
The sample labels its recommended limit and annual sales amount in Canadian dollars. The currency inside a company report can differ from the US dollars used for purchasing a report on this website. Preserve the currency label when copying a figure into your review notes.
Check whether figures describe one legal entity or a consolidated group and whether a financial period is supplied. An annual sales field is not the same as a complete set of financial statements. Likewise, a suggested credit limit in a report is information for your company's review, not an approved facility, insurance policy, or payment guarantee.
5. Interpret missing fields and public records
The example includes fields marked unavailable as well as entries showing zero or no. Keep those distinctions when summarizing it: missing information does not establish the same thing as a reported zero. Read qualifications beside the field and any explanations at the end of the report.
Pages 4–5 contain public-record and legal-event sections. Consider the sources, scope, dates, and company match when reading these entries. A result in one report should not be treated as a certification covering every jurisdiction or every possible proceeding.
6. Record the questions that remain
- The legal entity and identifier you matched to your transaction.
- The report date, relevant observation periods, and financial year where provided.
- The currency and entity or group scope of each financial figure.
- The meaning and scale of any score used in your review.
- Unavailable information and any clarification your team still needs.
If your reviewer needs a particular accounting period, document, or ownership detail, ask about that requirement before ordering. For the difference between a public register lookup and a broader company report, read our registry search comparison.