9th Consecutive Month Nevada-based Businesses Worst In Paying Bills On Time

QUINCY, Mass. & BOCA RATON, Fla.– Cortera, a community-driven business information company, announced the publication of its October 2009 Past Due by States report, a monthly index of accounts receivable (A/R) activities by state.

 Measuring the payment activities of approximately 20 million public and private business locations and $150 billion in commercial A/R information, the report indicates that 25.55 percent of Nevada-based business accounts are past due, the highest percentage of any of the 50 states – the 9th straight month that Nevada has held the distinction.

Joining Nevada on the list are Utah (24.38 percent), Minnesota (24.02), Colorado (21.92), Arizona (21.64), Wisconsin (21.37), Hawaii (20.71), New Mexico (19.73), Oregon (19.63), and Texas (19.52). Nevada`s past due rate is 50 percent higher than the national average (16.99 percent past due) and over 262 percent higher than Alaska, which has the lowest percent of past due accounts of all 50 states.

The report comes less than a week after data from RealtyTrac US Foreclosure Market Report revealed that Nevada maintains the highest rate of foreclosures in the nation, at 1 in every 23 homes.*

"Past due A/R activity provides a window into the cash flow between businesses and offers a leading indicator of overall economic confidence. It`s no coincidence that states hit particularly hard by the economy, like Nevada, show the most stress when it comes to paying bills in a timely manner," said Jim Swift, president and CEO of Cortera. "It is positive to note that the latest data shows a plateau in such delinquencies, suggesting that while some states
may not yet be benefitting from a slow recovery, conditions don`t appear to be worsening."

The Cortera Past Due by State report tracks late payments against agreed upon terms, measuring the percentage of late accounts receivable by state.

About Cortera
In a sea of business information providers, Cortera is different. With over 15 years of experience serving finance professionals, Cortera combines premium business information and innovative tools with a fresh community approach to
commercial credit. It represents the first community for small business credit reporting and a fundamentally new way to capture the collective insight of millions of financial transactions. As a result, small businesses can make smarter, informed decisions to ensure optimal cash flow while attracting more favorable payment terms from existing and potential business partners.

For more information on Cortera, please visit http://www.cortera.com.