P.M. BRIEFING : Dun & Bradstreet Stock Falls

Shares of Dun & Bradstreet Corp., the largest vendor of corporate credit information in the United States, fell today after a newspaper report that alleged the company used questionable practices in selling credit reports.

Dun & Bradstreet stock was down $1.875 at $50.50 at midday as the most actively traded issue on the New York Stock Exchange, running counter to a rally in the broader market. An article in the Wall Street Journal discussed charges that the company had misled its customers into overbuying its services. The report said that some customers had sued the company and that the total amount of disputed and potentially disputed charges could be in the millions of dollars.