Businesses have credit profiles, and most small business owners don’t check theirs. Capital One just launched a new service — whether you’re a CapitalOne cardmember or not — called Business CreditWise. It provides access to a company’s credit report with data from LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

The new tool lets business owners access credit details, “correct mistakes and understand what is impacting their overall credit report, free of charge.”

Capital One’s head of small business marketing says their research shows “less than half of business owners have ever viewed their business credit reports.” In fact they claim almost a third of small business owners have never heard of business credit reports.

● Comprehensive view of key factors that impact business credit under four pillars: Business Details, Payments, Credit Usage and Public Records
● A guide to interpret your business credit report the same way lenders do with helpful, educational tips
● The ability to find and fix inaccuracies for free, with no hidden fees, by submitting disputes to LexisNexis Risk Solutions

This would be interesting enough if it was limited to Capital One customers. I imagine that by developing relationships with small businesses they believe they’ll both be able to raise their profile and standing with such customers and also have a channel through which to market their cards.

Small businesses spend far more on their cards than individuals, so it’s a lucrative segment though one that can be more challenging to reach than a consumer audience. There’s also less switching of cards for businesses (who hand out cards to employees) than for individuals. Switching entails lower transaction costs for a personal card cardmember.