A company's business credit rating is one of the first things a lending institution looks at when determining if that company can qualify for business loans. In fact, one generally finds their business credit rating at the very top of their business credit report. Dun and Bradstreet reports (used by 99 percent of lending institutions) have current financials on a company that will have a rating anywhere from 5A to HH.

The 5A to HH ratings reflect a company's size based on their net worth or equity. If you have supplied financials that show your company has a negative net worth, then your company will not be rated but will normally have a dash where a rating should be. The second part of a business credit rating is the composite credit appraisal, which is a number from one to four and follows the 5A to HH rating system. It reflects D and B's overall assessment of a company's creditworthiness.

Alternative ratings may be used on business credit reports as well. For example, certain lines of business, such as banks, insurance companies, and government entities do not lend themselves to classification under the Dun and Bradstreet rating system. These businesses are instead assigned and ER symbol (employee range), which is based on the number of people employed at a firm.

Another alternative symbol is NQ (not quoted). This is usually assigned when a business has been confirmed as no longer active at a former location, or when credit information services are unable to confirm active operations. It can also appear on certain branch reports, when the branch is located in the same city as the headquarters.