Our first result is that business credit information sharing substantially
improves the accuracy ratio of default predictions for private
firms. The additional consideration of this information
increases the accuracy ratio of default predictions by approximately
20 percentage points. We confirm this result in out-of-the-sample
tests and by means of a type I and II error analysis. Interestingly,
our main finding is present in most industries (although its magnitude
varies substantially). It is very general and robust; a finding that
goes beyond the insights of previous studies based on data from single
industries. Second, we find that the improvement in default prediction
accuracy is more pronounced for older firms and those with
limited liability. Interestingly, the value of soft business credit information
decreases in firm size and distance from the corresponding
local credit bureau office. Third, in a spatial and industry analysis,
we find that actual default rates of firms are lower in geographic
areas (or industries) in which the ex ante accuracy of default predictions
is more strongly improved by additional business credit information
sharing. Additional empirical checks confirm that our results
are robust.