Question About New Rules for Credit Files

Nov 23, 2004 1 Replies

I've recently applied to Experian for a look at my credit file, and have noted that as of 1st November 2004, one can only view the information about your own credit history and no-one else in your household. The information states that lenders *can* still see the credit history of everyone in your household.



I was also told that lenders should not take account of anyone else's credit history but your own when considering an application.



My question is that since this rule has been brought into force, how can anyone tell what credit may have been taken out their own address that is not in their own name? What if someone has fraudulently used my address to obtain credit? Apparently I no longer have any way of knowing, but the lenders have!



Also, can anyone confirm that lenders do actually only take into account credit that is taken in ones own name and not somebody else's?



Doesn't this rule also make it difficult for people whose spouses have taken out hefty loans or something without their partner's knowledge?



"Maria" wrote

AIUI, it's not quite "everyone" - just those in the household who have a financial "association" with you (eg a joint mortgage).

What I'm now wondering about (and this would have also applied pre-November - even more so than now - altho' I hadn't thought about it previously), is that if you have a financial association with someone (not required pre-November) and *they* give permission for a credit lender to search *their* record, then the lender will end up searching *your* record as well - and **without your permission** !!

I wonder if a "financially-associated" person could bring a claim against the credit ref agency (under the DPA) for the CRA giving **your** details to a lender, who did *not* have **your** permission to do a search of your file?! [After all - lenders cannot, by law, search your file without your permission...]

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