Credit Scoring

Credit Referencing Explained

Your FREE Loanfinder score is not the same as the report you would receive if you exercised your right to obtain a full copy of your credit file from any credit agency. When you apply for credit, the lender may check you and your credit history with these agencies.

What is a Credit Report?

Personal information compiled from credit applications you've filled out. This information normally includes your name, current and recent addresses, date of birth and current and recent employers.

Who Can Look at Your Credit Report?

Anyone with what is considered a permissible purpose can look at your report. These companies, groups, and individuals include:

• Potential lenders
• Landlords
• Insurance companies
• Employers and potential employers (usually only with your written consent)
• Companies you allow to monitor your account for signs of identity theft
• Any government agency (although they may be allowed to view only certain portions)
• Someone who uses your credit report to provide a product or service you have requested
• Someone that has your written authorisation to obtain your credit report

Checking Your Credit Report

Many different lenders and other businesses who need to make decisions about you, use your credit report. When it comes to your credit report, it's what you don't know that can hurt you. Credit card companies, mortgage loan companies, car loan and insurance companies, even landlords and employers check credit reports to find out about your credit past. The reason? They assume if you were responsible in the past, you will most likely be responsible in the future. When it's time to consider any sort of financial move -- a new home or car, a new credit card, a new auto insurance policy, even a new job -- it's time to check your report. You have the right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to obtain your credit file by post at a cost of £2.

Checking Your Credit Report

Because your credit report contains information about you that is not publicly available, it is important that you know your legal rights as a consumer to access this information. The Data Protection Act and Consumer Credit Act restrict who has access to your sensitive credit information and what uses can be made of it. The major credit reference agencies have also adopted voluntary guidelines to enhance their consumer services. This legislation gives you the right to access the information held by companies and sets time periods and fees that they must comply with. More information about ordering your Statutory Credit Report is provided below.

Your statutory rights include the right to:

• Be posted a copy of your Statutory Credit Report within 7 working days of the request being received by and payment made to Credit reference agencies.
• Dispute inaccurate information.
• Have errors corrected within 28 days. Credit Reference agencies are permitted by law to charge you £2 for each request you make for your Statutory Credit Report under the Data Protection Act.
• Request it any time. This is a paper-based report. It is sent to you by post. The report will contain all details that are included on any check that companies may have made against you with the agency in question.