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A Chicago original!

MERRITT  CREDIT  BUREAU, Inc. is a Business and Lending Information Services and Support company. We help bankers and tradesmen make prudent credit and lending decisions. Based in Chicago, IL for over 98 years, Merritt Credit Bureau, Inc. specializes in researching, compiling, and reporting public record information as it applies to business.

Just what are public records?

Public records are those documents on file with city, county, state, and federal agencies that are available for public inspection. These would include Deeds, Mortgages, Bankruptcies, Lawsuits, Tax Liens, Mechanics Liens and various UCC transactions.

What we do...

We make these records available to the business community for use in credit evaluation, to determine security interest in collateral, to find debtors and property ownership and for business-to-business marketing.

Examples of how our services support fiscal decisions before, during, and after transactions:

An electrical supplier receives an order from a new customer for $10,000 worth of materials. The credit application lists trade references but more information is needed. A "Merritt History" is ordered and reveals the potential customer to be involved in several lawsuits with other suppliers as well as having a large federal tax lien. With the information we provide, an informed credit decision can be made.

A landscaper is considering a job from a builder known to have had payment difficulties in the past. A search of our mechanics lien database will reveal whether there are any liens already on the property.

A bank has just found out one of its customers has filed for bankruptcy. A UCC (uniform commercial code) debtor search is ordered to determine who has a security interest in the debtor's assets and the date the instrument was filed. With this information, the bank is able to determine its position in relationship to other creditors.

A credit manager who receives The Merritt Report sees a lawsuit against one of his customers. A request is made for copies of the complaint. Merritt will retrieve document copies and provide them to the credit manager for his further deliberations.

From our signature publications, The Merritt Report, to the online Weekly Merritt Intelligence Report, The Merritt History database, State of Illinois UCCs and all points inbetween, the business community in and around Chicago has come to rely on us.

You Merritt The Best Information.

Read: Why Merritt