Update September 15, 2025: This news article has been updated with the latest information about Failure Score v8.
On October 31, 2025, Dun & Bradstreet will introduce a renewed version of the Failure Score for companies in the United States. This Failure Score v8 provides a more accurate picture of the financial health of companies and predicts the likelihood that a company will go bankrupt or have to cease operations within 12 months.
Preview Release
Important to know: the new Failure Score v8 will only be available as a Preview Release from October 31, 2025. This means that you will not receive the score automatically.
- The current Failure Score (v7.1) will remain active until the complete transition in Q3 2026.
- Would you like to use v8 sooner? Then you can have it added to your existing batch files or API package. In that case, v7.1 and v8 will be available in a parallel setup.
Why this update?
The updated Failure Score was developed based on customer feedback and responds to the need for more powerful and up-to-date risk predictions. Thanks to new data sources, improved data elements, and advanced machine learning methodologies, the score is better aligned with current economic conditions.
The decision to introduce the changes in phases was also based on customer feedback: this gives organizations time to obtain the necessary approvals from their internal and external risk governance teams.
Interesting read:ย Everything about our Failure Score
What does the Failure Score do?
Failure Score v8 is a series of predictive models that provide a quantitative assessment of the risk of business failures, including the likelihood that a company will:
- Seek legal protection from creditors
- Under receivership or reorganization
- Is under receivership or reorganization, or has reached an agreement with creditors
- Business operations cease without paying all creditors in full
- Voluntarily ceases business activities and leaves outstanding obligations behind
For FDIC-insured institutions, there is also a separate model that specifically looks at liquidity, profitability, solvency, and capital ratios.
What's new?
The latest version of the Failure Score builds on modern technology and more comprehensive data. The improvements provide a more reliable and up-to-date risk perception:
- Developed using advanced machine learning methods
- Enriched with new and improved data sources
- Offers higher predictive power and a more accurate risk ranking
- Includes a specific model for FDIC-insured institutions
- Better reflects current economic conditions thanks to an improved failure rate.
What does this mean for your company?
Starting October 31, 2025, the new Failure Score v8 will be available as a preview release via batch or API. The current Failure Score v7.1 will remain active until the full transition in Q3 2026.
Would you like to use v8 sooner? Then you must actively request this. V8 will then be added to your existing batch or API as an extra element alongside your current deliverables. If you do nothing, you will automatically continue to receive v7.1 until the transition.
If you have any questions, please contactcustomer service or your account manager.
