Experian and the SBA continue relationship for a third year to provide BusinessIQ ExpressSM to economically challenged businesses and those in depressed areas

Costa Mesa, Calif., Oct. 29, 2014 - Experian®, the leading global information services company, today announced that it will continue to team with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and provide full usage of its BusinessIQ ExpressSM to all of the SBA's Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) firms and small businesses within the 8(a) Business Development program. As part of the relationship, entrepreneurs and small-business owners within these programs will maintain complete access to the online tool to help them uncover new growth opportunities and create reliable business relationships, courtesy of the SBA.

"We greatly appreciate and recognize the efforts that the SBA is putting forth to create an environment where culturally and economically underprivileged businesses can build and establish dependable relationships," said Hiq Lee, president of Experian Business Information Services. "At Experian, we echo that commitment and continually look for ways to use our data and insights to help small businesses in a positive manner. With the information that BusinessIQ Express provides, businesses can make more informed decisions across every step of the credit lifecycle, ultimately helping to increase cash flow."

The SBA's 8(a) and HUBZone programs were created to administer aid to areas where business development and growth is limited and to help small, disadvantaged businesses compete in a competitive marketplace.

BusinessIQ Express is an online tool that gives entrepreneurs and small-business owners easy access to information they need to keep the cash flowing and maintain profitable business relationships. It does this in three key ways:

• Evaluate - BusinessIQ Express users can evaluate prospects, customers and suppliers on their likelihood to pay or deliver on time

• Monitor - Users easily can monitor their business relationships with alerts and notifications of key changes, allowing them to take appropriate account actions and maintain beneficial relationships

• Collect - The tool offers small-business users unique options that may never have been easily accessible to them before to help collect on outstanding debts and avoid future losses

Certified 8(a) and HUBZone businesses should send an email to the SBA accepting the BusinessIQ Express service at cashflowoptin@sba.gov, where they will be verified and then enrolled in the service. For more information about BusinessIQ Express, visit http://www.BusinessIQexpress.com/SBA.

Contact:
Roslyn Whitehurst
Experian Public Relations
1 714 830 5578
roslyn.whitehurst@experian.com
Twitter: @RozWhitehurst

About Experian's Business Information Services
Experian's 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 virtually all U.S. companies, with the industry's most extensive data on the broad spectrum of small and midsize businesses.

By leveraging state-of-the-art technology and superior data compilation techniques, Experian provides market-leading tools that proactively support the entire credit life cycle, enabling our clients to find new customers, process new applications, manage customer relationships and collect on delinquent accounts.

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, 2014, was US$4.8 billion. Experian employs approximately 16,000 people in 39 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.

Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. This activity is funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration contract number SBAHQ12J0001.

distributed by