Record #00338Economy archive
Earliest Specialized Commercial Credit-Reporting Agency in the United States
Lewis Tappan established The Mercantile Agency in New York City on 20 July 1841. The Library of Congress traces Dun & Bradstreet's origins to this enterprise, and Harvard Business School identifies it as the first successful commercial credit reporting service.
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Achievement date
1841
1841-07-20
- Achiever
- The Mercantile Agency (1841)
- Location
- New York City, United States · New York State
- Record status
- VerifiedView verification details ↗Report an issue
Overview
Archive NoteAs US trade expanded geographically in the nineteenth century, merchants needed reliable information about distant counterparties. Tappan built a subscription-based network of correspondents compiling reputational and payment-risk reports.
The enterprise changed management and evolved into R. G. Dun & Co., which combined with Bradstreet in 1933 to form Dun & Bradstreet. The 1841 founding belongs to a predecessor business and does not imply a single unchanged legal entity ever since.
Record history
1 Milestones- First achievementThe Mercantile Agency (1841)New York City, United StatesFirst achievement
Sources
Evidence & ReferencesVerification basis and limitations
VerifiedThe record conclusion has sufficient verification support.
Basis: direct confirmation by an authority
Harvard Business School historical collections explicitly call the Mercantile Agency the first successful commercial credit reporting service, and the Library of Congress confirms its 20 July 1841 founding and lineage within the United States.
- Verification assessment
- 2026-11-04
- Last editorial review
- 2026-11-04
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