Our study contributes to the literature on credit information
sharing and the growing field of research on private firms in three
ways. We highlight a not yet explicitly analyzed channel through
which the positive effects of business credit information sharing
occur: the improvement in the accuracy of aggregate and firm-specific
default predictions. None of the related papers has directly
examined the existence and functioning of this channel. We also
provide comprehensive evidence on the factors that influence the
strength of the channel. This channel is indeed effective: more
accurate default predictions due to business credit information
are associated with lower future default rates.