SBSS score

Definition

A small-business credit score some lenders screen SBA applicants with.

Why It Matters

It blends the business credit file with the owner's personal credit, which is the part that surprises people: a company with no borrowing history of its own is scored largely on the buyer, before anybody has read the deal. Lenders use it as a first cut rather than a decision, so a low score does not end an application, it moves it out of the fast lane and into a full manual review. The practical consequence is that cleaning up personal credit is worth doing months before you have a business under contract, not after.