Public records can stay on business credit reports as long as the account is not fully paid, and can stay on a business credit report for seven years after the account is paid. A lien, for example, will always be on public record if the debt associated with the lien is never paid. If the debt is paid, the lien will still be on public record and affect a business credit report for seven more years. 

Many pieces of personal and business information are on public record such as birth certificates, military records, property records, bankruptcies, liens, judgments, and collections. The public records that influence business credit reports the most are bankruptcies, liens, judgments, and collections. 

Bankruptcies may remain on public record for seven to ten years. hapter 7 focuses on liquidation of assets and may stay on public record for ten years. Chapter 11 focuses on reorganizing a company’s finances and may also remain on public record for ten years. 

Liens may be the result of different kinds of debt. If a debt goes unpaid, the debtor may have property that can be claimed as security of payment. A tax lien may be placed by the government on a piece of property a company owns and has not paid property tax on. Automobiles used for the business may have liens placed on them the by car loan agencies if payments are not up-to-date. These liens may be on public record for five to seven years, and have a negative effect on business credit. 

How long  judgments remain on a business credit report depends on the kind of judgment, if payments over a period of time were part of the judgment, and if payments were part of the judgment, when the payments were completed. A business may be sued over a number of kinds of debts among them are bankruptcies and liens. The judgment may remain on a business credit report as long as seven years after the settlement. That means seven years after all payments have been completed. If the judgment involved payments over a number of years, that judgment may remain on the credit report for the time payments are being made in addition to another seven years after the payments are finished. 

Collection accounts come from any kind of debt that has not been paid over a period of time. Companies can have their own collection services, or turn a delinquent account over to a collection agency. Any kind of collections may show up on a business credit report for as long as nine or ten years.

Although private citizens are entitled to three free credit reports a year, businesses must pay for their credit reports. Companies that provide business credit reports are Equifax, Experian, and Dun & Bradstreet. Prices start at about forty dollars, but if a business wants credit management, improvement or other services with their report, prices can reach almost $700.

Different States in the United States may have different statute of limitations for certain debts, but any negative financial information on public record will probably be on a business credit report for seven to ten years.