The Truth About Dun & Bradstreet’s Payment Processing Role

Founded in 1841, Dun & Bradstreet is a publicly-traded company that provides credit assessments and financial analysis for businesses. Although it does not process payments or provide merchant accounts, the company has formerly partnered with Change Merchant Solutions to provide merchant services for its business clients. This means that business owners who wished to obtain a merchant account through Dun & Bradstreet were referred to Change Merchant Solutions for the setup and maintenance of the account. However, in 2021, CMS was purchased by Fortis and absorbed into their brand. We can’t currently find any information saying that the relationship was continued with Fortis or that Dun & Bradstreet are still in the merchant processing business.

2022 FTC Action

In 2022, the FTC charged Dun & Bradstreet over allegedly deceiving the public and its customers. According to the FTC, “To settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it engaged in deceptive and unfair practices, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) has agreed to an order requiring substantial changes in the firm’s operations that will benefit small- and mid-sized businesses. Under the proposed order, D&B will also provide refunds to certain businesses that purchased the company’s products in the belief that using the products would improve their business credit scores and ratings.”

Business Services

Dun & Bradstreet is primarily recognized as a corporation that provides commercial data, analytics, and insights for businesses. Their services typically include business credit reports, supplier risk management, compliance solutions, and sales and marketing solutions among others.

No Red Flags

Although we’ve located over two dozen negative Dun & Bradstreet reviews, none are related to its merchant services offering. Additionally, there are zero complaints about Change Merchant Solutions, suggesting that neither company is involved in scams or ripoffs. Both companies boast impressive complaint totals given their size and time in business. If you have a Dun & Bradstreet review to share, please do so in the comment section below.

Dun & Bradstreet Lawsuits and Fines

It’s important to note that Dun & Bradstreet faced an FTC charge of deceiving customers in 2022. According to the FTC, “To settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it engaged in deceptive and unfair practices, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) has agreed to an order requiring substantial changes in the firm’s operations that will benefit small- and mid-sized businesses. Under the proposed order, D&B will also provide refunds to certain businesses that purchased the company’s products in the belief that using the products would improve their business credit scores and ratings.”

Dun & Bradstreet Customer Support Options

At present, we’ll assume that the majority of the company’s merchants are satisfied with the service they receive. Change Merchant Solutions advertises 24/7/365 phone support, likely provided by its backend processor. While the company’s complaint record earns it an “A” at this time, its customer support options don’t quite match up to those offered by top customer service processors.