ICSM Credit
ICSM Credit is a UK-based business membership organization that provides credit reports, real-time payment intelligence, debt recovery, and legal letter services to SMEs, primarily in the printing, logistics, and construction sectors. It operates a proprietary member-contributed credit database covering 130+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersBridgwater, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ICSM Credit does
ICSM Credit is a UK-based private business membership organization founded in 1989-1991 that provides credit decision support and debt recovery services primarily to small and medium enterprises. The company operates a proprietary real-time credit intelligence database that aggregates member-submitted payment records with public records from Companies House, The Registry Trust, The London & Edinburgh Gazette, County Courts, and the Electoral Register, tracking company directors, CCJs, winding-up petitions, and insolvency events with automated monitoring. Members receive tiered credit reports (Gold, Silver, Bronze), free legal letters before action (with an 87% success rate), debt recovery services, international reports covering 130+ countries, and access to a member-shared payment intelligence community.
The company's core technology is a proprietary database described as not available from any other source, combining exclusive member-contributed payment data with public record aggregation. It offers automated monitoring with 90-minute response times during business hours and 24/7 online access, alongside partnerships with Douglas Wemyss Solicitors (legal services) and Equifax (bureau data integration via ICSM Equifax Protect). The platform is positioned specifically for sectors with endemic late payment issues, particularly printing and allied trades, logistics, construction, and SMEs more broadly.
ICSM operates a hybrid revenue model anchored by low-cost annual membership fees (described as 'the price of a tank of diesel'), supplemented by transaction fees for international reports, outcome-based commissions on debt recovery, and professional services fees. The member base is horizontally distributed across UK SMEs with deep penetration in the printing industry; the company is privately owned and operated by CEO Ian Carrotte with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or acquisition activity. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the business has operated continuously for over 30 years with a small staff of 11-50 employees across offices in Bridgwater and Chipping Sodbury.
ICSM Credit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ICSM Credit
- Legal name
- ICSM
- Website
- https://icsmcredit.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ICSM Credit is a UK-based business membership organization that provides credit reports, real-time payment intelligence, debt recovery, and legal letter services to SMEs, primarily in the printing, logistics, and construction sectors. It operates a proprietary member-contributed credit database covering 130+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ICSM Credit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Business Credit Information Services
- NAICS
- Credit Bureaus (561450), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223), Collection Agencies (561440)
- SIC
- Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alternative / Non-Traditional Credit Data Providers (FSAKAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Credit Bureaus & Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies (FSAKAKAA), Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP) (FSAKAJAH)
Keywords
Where ICSM Credit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bridgwater
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ICSM Credit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: ICSM operates as a business membership organization where companies pay membership fees to access credit intelligence services, debt recovery support, legal letters, and monitoring tools. The company states membership costs 'the price of a tank of diesel'.
- Debt Recovery Services: Charges a small administration fee to start the collection process, with the main charge being a commission fee upon successful collection of debts. Additional charges apply for litigation/legal action.
- International Reports: International company credit reports are sold at varying prices depending on country and speed of service required. Same-day service available for most European countries.
- ICSM SafetyNet Reports: Comprehensive company credit reports including credit ratings, limits, director information, group structure, CCJ data, and account information available at different tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard ICSM Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | ICSM SafetyNet Reports (Gold, Silver, Bronze tiers) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | International Reports |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Debt Recovery Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
ICSM Credit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ICSM Credit operates a business membership organization that provides credit decision intelligence by aggregating real-time, member-submitted payment data with public records to produce company credit reports, automated insolvency monitoring, and debt recovery support. Members receive access to tiered credit reports (Gold, Silver, Bronze), free legal letters before action, professional debt collection (UK and international across 130+ countries), director disqualification tracking, and an online credit community where members share information on bad debtors.
Product overview
ICSM Credit operates as a business membership organization offering credit management and debt recovery solutions. The core offering centers on ICSM Credit Reports (available in Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers) which provide comprehensive company credit information sourced from Companies House, The Registry Trust, and The London Gazette. These integrate with the ICSM Credit Community Data platform where members share real-time information about bad debtors. Additional modules include Legal Letters (free to members), Debt Recovery services (UK and international), Offline Monitoring, International Reports (130+ countries), Equifax Protect integration, and LegalEase legal services. The product suite is designed to help businesses make credit decisions with confidence and recover unpaid debts through a tiered approach from polite mediation to legal action.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ICSM Credit Reports (Gold, Silver, Bronze tiers) Tiered company credit reports providing credit ratings, recommended limits, director information, group structure, County Court Judgment (CCJ) data, and account information. Gold tier includes 5 years' accounts, full directors' information, group structure, CCJ information, and 12 months of online monitoring. Designed for UK businesses assessing customer creditworthiness.
- ICSM Debt Recovery UK and international debt collection service using phone calls, emails, and letters, ranging from polite mediation to hardline legal options. Charges a small administration fee to start the collection process, with a commission charged on successful collection; additional fees apply for litigation or legal action. Late-payment interest, compensation, and fees are recovered under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2002.
- ICSM International Reports International credit reports covering more than 130 countries worldwide, with prices varying by country and service speed. Same-day service is available for most European countries. Targeted at businesses needing credit information on overseas customers and suppliers.
- ICSM Legal Letters Final demands and legal letters (official debt recovery stationery) available free to ICSM members, including 7-Day Legal Letters. Designed to encourage payment from overdue accounts without incurring debt recovery charges; ICSM cites an 87% success rate for letters before action.
- ICSM LegalEase Legal services partnership with Douglas Wemyss Solicitors (a Quality Solicitors Panel firm) providing ICSM members with free initial consultations, court actions for debt recovery (winding-up petitions, bankruptcy petitions, county court proceedings), and advice on business sales, employment law, contracts, property, and tax planning. Reduced legal fees apply when members instruct the firm.
- ICSM Credit Community Member-to-member credit community where businesses share factual knowledge about their bad debtors, providing real-time payment information to other ICSM members. Forms the network effect underpinning the ICSM database.
- ICSM Offline Monitoring Tailored monitoring service that lets clients choose their own selection criteria, frequency, and severity of alerts, with information returned in formats suitable for integration into client databases. Enables automated ongoing surveillance of customer credit status.
- ICSM Equifax Protect Credit protection and monitoring service utilizing Equifax data and resources, offered as "ICSM Equifax Protect" within ICSM's service portfolio. Provides additional credit data capabilities on top of ICSM's own database.
Quantifiable outcome
- 87% success rate for legal letters before action
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ICSM Credit
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ICSM Credit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
ICSM Credit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Douglas Wemyss SolicitorscoreICSM has partnered with Douglas Wemyss Solicitors to provide exclusive legal services for members. The firm provides court actions on debt recovery, winding-up petitions, bankruptcy petitions, and county court proceedings. Douglas Wemyss has a place on the Quality Solicitors Panel. Services include first meeting without charge for ICSM members, reduced legal fees when instructed, and coverage of business, commercial, employment, property, and tax law matters.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ICSM Credit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Experian: Global credit bureau offering consumer and business credit reporting, monitoring, and analytics. Overlaps with ICSM's credit-reporting and monitoring offerings but operates across a far wider portfolio and customer base.
- Allianz Trade (formerly Euler Hermes): Global trade credit insurer and business information provider. Overlaps with ICSM's international credit reports and credit risk decision support, though at a much larger enterprise scale.
- Coface: Global trade credit management and business information provider. Competes in adjacent trade-credit-insurance and credit-information space relevant to ICSM's debt recovery and international report services.
- Bureau van Dijk (Moody's): Provider of business information and company data (Orbis, Moody's Analytics). Competes indirectly with ICSM on detailed company financials, group structure, and director information features.
- Dun & Bradstreet: Global incumbent in business credit data and trade credit management. Competes with ICSM at the larger end of the SME and mid-market on credit reports, monitoring, and analytics, with a much broader international dataset.
- Equifax: Global credit bureau with deep UK presence. Already an ICSM integration partner (Equifax Protect), and competes at the SME/enterprise level on credit reporting and monitoring.
Direct peers
- Graydon: UK and European business credit bureau providing company reports, monitoring, and trade credit data. Closely overlaps ICSM's SME and mid-market use cases and competes head-to-head on company credit reports.
- Company Watch: UK-focused financial health ratings and credit risk analytics provider serving credit managers and suppliers. Highly comparable niche UK SME credit intelligence proposition.
- Creditsafe: Direct competitor offering business credit reports, international coverage, and SME-focused monitoring. Like ICSM, it serves UK and European SMEs with subscription-based credit intelligence, but at significantly greater scale.
Emerging players
- SME Credit Solutions: UK-focused SME credit management and collections specialist. Comparable in customer profile (UK SMEs) and in bundling credit intelligence with debt recovery services, though a smaller and younger operator.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ICSM Credit social profiles
Digital presenceICSM Credit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ICSM Credit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ICSM Credit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ICSM Credit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ICSM Credit
What does ICSM Credit do?
ICSM Credit operates a business membership organization that provides credit decision intelligence by aggregating real-time, member-submitted payment data with public records to produce company credit reports, automated insolvency monitoring, and debt recovery support. Members receive access to tiered credit reports (Gold, Silver, Bronze), free legal letters before action, professional debt collection (UK and international across 130+ countries), director disqualification tracking, and an online credit community where members share information on bad debtors.
Is ICSM Credit a public or private company?
ICSM Credit is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ICSM Credit founded?
ICSM Credit was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ICSM Credit based?
ICSM Credit is headquartered in Bridgwater, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does ICSM Credit make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are debt Recovery Services, international Reports and ICSM SafetyNet Reports.
Who are ICSM Credit's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Experian, Allianz Trade (formerly Euler Hermes), Coface, Bureau van Dijk (Moody's), Dun & Bradstreet and Equifax. Direct peers are Graydon, Company Watch and Creditsafe. SME Credit Solutions is listed as an emerging player.
Does ICSM Credit have an API?
No public API is recorded for ICSM Credit.
What industry is ICSM Credit in?
ICSM Credit's product category is Business Credit Information Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAKAB, Alternative / Non-Traditional Credit Data Providers, with a secondary code of FSAKAKAA, Credit Bureaus & Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies. Its NAICS code is 561450 and its SIC code is 7320.