Dun & Bradstreet
A global business-data, commercial-credit, and analytics provider.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Dun & Bradstreet is a business-information and analytics company best known for maintaining commercial data on companies and assigning the D-U-N-S Number, a unique identifier used to distinguish business entities. Its information products support commercial credit assessment, supplier and customer due diligence, sales prospecting, compliance, procurement, risk management, and public-sector administration. The company traces its origins to 1841, when Lewis Tappan established the Mercantile Agency in New York. The agency collected and distributed information about merchants for subscribers who needed to make credit decisions in an expanding American economy. In 1859, the business was acquired by Robert Graham Dun and became R.G. Dun & Company. It later merged with John M. Bradstreet's firm in 1933, creating the modern Dun & Bradstreet name. For much of its history, Dun & Bradstreet operated as a major commercial-credit reporting institution. Its traditional reports summarized a company's identity, payment behavior, financial condition, and business relationships. Over time, the company expanded from manually assembled trade references and printed reports into large-scale databases, automated scoring, predictive analytics, software platforms, and data-integrated workflow tools. A central part of the brand is the D-U-N-S Number, introduced in 1963. The identifier became widely used by companies, lenders, procurement organizations, and government agencies to identify corporate entities and connect records across business locations and ownership structures. D&B's data products have also been used to construct corporate-family trees, assess suppliers, screen counterparties, monitor portfolio risk, and identify potential sales opportunities. In the 2010s and early 2020s, the company pursued a more technology-oriented model centered on data-as-a-service, cloud delivery, analytics, and integration with customer systems. Its offerings have included business credit reports, supplier and third-party risk tools, sales and marketing intelligence, compliance and know-your-business services, and data APIs. The company has served enterprises, financial institutions, insurers, government bodies, and small and medium-sized businesses. Dun & Bradstreet became a public company again in 2020 through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company sponsored by an investor group led by CC Capital and Cannae Holdings. It was subsequently taken private in 2023 by Clearlake Capital Group and co-investors. The operating brand remains active and continues to market commercial data, business intelligence, credit-risk, and compliance solutions internationally. The company is distinct from consumer credit bureaus such as Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion: its core subject is the business entity and its commercial relationships rather than an individual's consumer credit file.
History
Dun & Bradstreet's history began in 1841, when Lewis Tappan founded the Mercantile Agency in New York. The agency addressed a practical problem created by the growth of long-distance commerce: merchants increasingly had to sell on credit to counterparties they had never met. The Mercantile Agency gathered reports about merchants and supplied subscribers with information intended to reduce uncertainty in commercial transactions. In 1859, Robert Graham Dun acquired the agency, which became R.G. Dun & Company. The business developed a durable model based on collecting commercial references, payment experiences, financial information, and other facts about companies. Its reports helped lenders, wholesalers, manufacturers, and other businesses decide whether to extend credit and on what terms. John M. Bradstreet had established a competing commercial-reporting business in Cincinnati. In 1933, R.G. Dun & Company merged with Bradstreet Company, producing Dun & Bradstreet. The combined company preserved the two names that had become associated with commercial information and credit reporting in the United States. During the twentieth century, Dun & Bradstreet expanded its information-gathering and distribution systems. Printed reports and local commercial references gradually gave way to centralized databases, computerized processing, and more standardized company records. The company became an important source of business identity and credit information for commercial lenders and corporate customers. The D-U-N-S Number was introduced in 1963 as a unique numeric identifier for businesses. It helped customers distinguish among companies with similar names, connect branches and headquarters, and organize corporate-family relationships. The identifier later became widely recognized in procurement, government contracting, financial services, and enterprise software workflows. From the late twentieth century onward, Dun & Bradstreet broadened its scope beyond conventional credit reporting. It developed products for sales intelligence, supplier management, compliance, portfolio monitoring, market analysis, and predictive risk assessment. The company's data assets became increasingly accessible through electronic delivery, online platforms, APIs, and integration with customer relationship management and procurement systems. Dun & Bradstreet was acquired by a consortium led by CC Capital, Cannae Holdings, and funds managed by Intermediate Capital Group in 2019. The business was combined with a special-purpose acquisition company and became publicly traded in 2020 under Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. The public-company period emphasized data modernization, cloud delivery, recurring software and analytics revenue, and expansion of business-risk and compliance products. In 2023, Clearlake Capital Group and other investors completed the acquisition of Dun & Bradstreet, taking the company private. The brand continues to operate as a global provider of commercial data and analytics. Its modern business combines the historical functions of business credit reporting and company identification with digital tools for third-party risk, procurement, sales, compliance, and data integration.
- 2023
Acquisition by Clearlake Capital
[5]Clearlake Capital Group and investment partners complete the acquisition of Dun & Bradstreet, returning the company to private ownership.
- 2020
Return to public markets
[4]Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. begins trading publicly after completing a business combination with a special-purpose acquisition company.
- 2019
Dun & Bradstreet is acquired by an investor consortium
[4]An investor group led by CC Capital and Cannae Holdings acquires the company and begins preparations for its return to the public markets.
- 1963
D-U-N-S Number is introduced
[3]Dun & Bradstreet introduces the Data Universal Numbering System identifier for business entities.
- 1933
Dun & Bradstreet is created
[1]R.G. Dun & Company merges with Bradstreet Company, creating the Dun & Bradstreet name.
- 1859
R.G. Dun & Company is formed
[1]Robert Graham Dun acquires the Mercantile Agency, which becomes R.G. Dun & Company.
- 1841
Mercantile Agency is founded
[1]Lewis Tappan establishes the Mercantile Agency in New York to collect and distribute information about merchants and their creditworthiness.
Products and positioning
A business-to-business data, commercial-credit, and analytics provider focused on helping organizations identify companies, evaluate counterparties, manage third-party risk, support compliance, and improve sales and procurement decisions.
Business identification · 1963
D-U-N-S Number
The D-U-N-S Number is a unique identifier assigned to business entities. It is used to distinguish companies with similar names, connect locations and corporate families, and support commercial, procurement, government, and compliance processes.
Commercial credit
D&B Credit Intelligence
A business-credit information offering designed to help organizations review company profiles, payment behavior, financial indicators, risk signals, and related information when making credit and counterparty decisions.
Sales intelligence
D&B Hoovers
A sales and marketing intelligence platform that provides company and contact information, firmographic data, corporate relationships, and prospecting tools for identifying and prioritizing business opportunities.
Risk analytics
D&B Risk Analytics
Analytics and monitoring capabilities intended to help customers evaluate business risk, detect changes in counterparties, manage portfolios, and support decisions involving credit, suppliers, and other commercial relationships.
Supplier and third-party risk
D&B Supplier Intelligence
Data and workflow capabilities for understanding suppliers and other third parties, including business identity, ownership relationships, risk indicators, compliance information, and ongoing monitoring.
Data integration
D&B Direct
Data-delivery and API capabilities that allow customers to incorporate Dun & Bradstreet business information into internal applications, underwriting systems, procurement workflows, compliance processes, and analytics environments.
Controversies
2010
Federal Trade Commission receives complaints involving Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp.
Between 2010 and 2014, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 670 complaints against Dun & Bradstreet, including complaints naming Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. The complaints concerned the company's credit-monitoring and management activities; the available reference material does not establish a final finding of wrongdoing by Dun & Bradstreet Holdings.
2010
Complaints involving Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp.
The Federal Trade Commission received more than 670 complaints between 2010 and 2014 against Dun & Bradstreet-related credit-monitoring activities, including at least 139 naming Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. The available reference material identifies complaints but does not establish a final adjudication against Dun & Bradstreet Holdings.
1841
Early privacy criticism of commercial reporting
The Mercantile Agency's early credit-reporting model attracted criticism over the collection and circulation of personal and commercial information. These concerns reflected broader debates about privacy, reputation, and the use of private business records in credit decisions.
Brand decisions
2023
Acquisition by Clearlake Capital GroupM&ABackground
Clearlake Capital Group and investment partners agreed to acquire Dun & Bradstreet after its period as a publicly traded company.
Action taken
The acquisition was completed and Dun & Bradstreet became privately held again.
Aftermath
The operating brand continued to provide business data, commercial credit, analytics, and compliance products under private ownership.
2020
Public-market listing through a SPAC combinationM&ABackground
The company used a business combination with a special-purpose acquisition company to return to the public markets.
Action taken
Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. completed the combination and began trading as a public company.
Aftermath
The public-company structure supported investment in data modernization, cloud delivery, analytics, and business-risk products.
2019
Sale to an investor consortiumM&ABackground
Dun & Bradstreet was taken private after a consortium led by CC Capital and Cannae Holdings agreed to acquire the business.
Action taken
The investor group acquired the company and pursued a subsequent public-market transaction.
Aftermath
The transaction was followed by the company's return to public markets in 2020.
Recent events
Reported
Google Cloud launches Gemini Enterprise for Financial Services and Legal[7]
Google Cloud announced Gemini Enterprise for Financial Services and Gemini Enterprise for Legal, the first in a planned series of industry-specific solutions built on its Gemini Enterprise platform. The financial-services product includes a Google-managed Financial Research agent, more than 50 specialized skills and 13 data connectors to providers including FactSet, LSEG, Moody's and MSCI, with Deutsche Bank as a design partner and CME Group among early users. The legal product targets contract review, due diligence, regulatory monitoring, legal research and privacy requests, connecting with iManage, NetDocuments, RelativityOne, Thomson Reuters, Harvey and CourtListener, with law firms including Cleary, Freshfields, Weil and Williams & Connolly among launch customers.
Reported
Vilja receives Superföretag 2021 status[8]
Vilja received Superföretag 2021 status from Dun & Bradstreet, a designation for successful Swedish companies that grow quickly, are profitable, and have sound finances.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Ventec Taiwan receives D&B TOP 1000 Elite SME Award[9]
Ventec announced that its Taiwan subsidiary, Ventec Electronics Corporation, received the 8th Annual Dun & Bradstreet TOP 1000 Elite SME Award.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
RITES wins Dun & Bradstreet Corporate Award 2021[10]
RITES received the Dun & Bradstreet Corporate Award 2021 for Best Growth Performance in the Engineering Projects/Capital Goods category.
Reported
ValueMomentum wins Global Business award[11]
ValueMomentum received the best Global Business award at the Dun & Bradstreet SME Business Excellence Awards 2019, held on November 20 in New Delhi.
Reported
Newgen receives special recognition at SME Business Excellence Awards[12]
Newgen Software received the special recognition award at the Dun & Bradstreet–RBL Bank SME Business Excellence Awards 2019, presented on November 20, 2019.
Reported
Dun & Bradstreet announces planned Tucson call-center closure and layoffs[13]
Dun & Bradstreet announced plans to close its Tucson customer-service call center, a move the report said would leave 245 employees without a job. The company said the center was expected to close December 31 as part of a consolidation effort and that it would provide support to affected employees through the transition.
Reported
Dun & Bradstreet launches Lattice Campaigns App for LinkedIn[14]
Dun & Bradstreet announced that it had launched the Lattice Campaigns App for LinkedIn, which enables D&B Lattice customers to create and activate AI-based audiences for LinkedIn Ads.
Sources14 sources
- 1Dun & Bradstreet company historydnb.com
- 2Dun & Bradstreet official websitednb.com
- 3D-U-N-S Number informationdnb.com
- 4Dun & Bradstreet investor relations news releasesinvestor.dnb.com
- 5Clearlake Capital Group completes acquisition of Dun & Bradstreetclearlake.com
- 6Federal Trade Commission receives complaints involving Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp.en.wikipedia.org
- 7谷歌云推出面向金融与法律行业的Gemini Enterprise解决方案techmoran.com
- 8Vilja 获评 2021 年 Superföretagmynewsdesk.com
- 9Ventec台湾获得邓白氏TOP 1000精英中小企业奖iconnect007.com
- 10RITES荣获2021年邓白氏企业奖equitybulls.com
- 11ValueMomentum获得全球商业奖aninews.in
- 12Newgen获得中小企业商业卓越奖特别认可equitybulls.com
- 13邓白氏宣布计划关闭图森呼叫中心并裁员knau.org
- 14Dun & Bradstreet 推出面向 LinkedIn 的 Lattice Campaigns 应用prnewswire.com
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