LONDON, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Capital IQ, a leading provider of multi-asset class data, research and analytics, today announced an agreement with Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) that expands its offering of fundamental data for private companies in Western Europe and North America.

The comprehensive package procured from D&B will more than double S&P Capital IQ's coverage of private company financials in key markets including Germany, the Nordic countries, the United Kingdom and the United States.

"This initiative represents an important milestone for the industry, as private company financials will be presented in a more detailed and traceable chart of accounts that align with S&P Capital IQ data quality standards," says Silvina Aldeco-Martinez, Managing Director at S&P Capital IQ. "In addition, this content will be available via Xpressfeed – the firm's enterprise data feed management solution – for the first time."

This new expanded offering, combined with S&P Capital IQ's in-depth knowledge of financial data and thorough quality checks – which introduce an additional level of quality assurance –will provide customers with increased transparency on private companies throughout Europe and North America, supporting effective decision making for lending, exposure management, investments and M&A.

"With distressed markets leading to uncertain valuations and heightened risk exposures, the need for independent, timely data and in-house company analysis is more pressing than ever. This initiative will provide decision making support on private companies to those who need it most," adds Aldeco-Martinez.

As such, clients of S&P Capital IQ across multiple market segments will use this data to improve their in-house analysis of counterparties and targets. This content is therefore crucial for a variety of market participants – for instance, risk managers quantifying risk exposures, or private equity analysts and corporate finance teams at investment banks conducting research into prospective investments and M&A targets.

In addition, the expansion will assist corporates exploring supply chain and counterparty risk, commercial lenders quantifying potential borrowers' creditworthiness, and insurers performing due diligence on private clients and prospective customers.

"Trends have been pointing to a greater interest in analysis of private companies, as evidenced by a dramatic increase in the number of smaller M&A transactions and the globalization of business operations from both suppliers' and clients' perspectives," says Maria Shevchenko, Director of Financial Content and Analytics at S&P Capital IQ. "As such, private company data additions will continue to be one of the focal points of S&P Capital IQ's market positioning."

S&P Capital IQ plans to integrate the data – which will be subject to rigorous quality checks – into its market-leading S&P Capital IQ desktop and Xpressfeed channels.

About S&P Capital IQ:
S&P Capital IQ, a business line of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is a leading provider of multi-asset class and real time data, research and analytics to institutional investors, investment and commercial banks, investment advisors and wealth managers, corporations and universities around the world. We provide a broad suite of capabilities designed to help track performance, generate alpha, and identify new trading and investment ideas, and perform risk analysis and mitigation strategies. Through leading desktop solutions such as the S&P Capital IQ, Global Credit Portal and MarketScope Advisor desktops; enterprise solutions such as S&P Capital IQ Valuations, and Compustat; and research offerings, including Leveraged Commentary & Data, Global Markets Intelligence, and company and funds research, S&P Capital IQ sharpens financial intelligence into the wisdom today's investors need. For more information visit: www.spcapitaliq.com.                          

SOURCE S&P Capital IQ