CRA - Credit Scores - Help!!!

[Allyxia]

After being turned down for the 3rd time for a mortgage, I decided to obtain a copy of my and my Hubs Credit File and Credit Score from Experian.

 

Credit File for both

 

No Defaults

No CCJ

All Credit Markers (8)

7 Zero

1 Two

 

No other adverse info

 

As for searches

 

20 of them over a two year period - mainly Insurance purposes (car, home, Life etc etc) but obvisouly we've got the three mortgage ones in the past month.

 

So generally a very good credit record.

 

Now here come the bad news:

 

My credit score 510

Hub 221

 

Ive spoken to Experian and basically they just say that is our score so tough luck.

 

Spookidly hubby score was 410 in December then it dropped - around this time the court ordered a CCJ be removed from his credit file as it was unlawful - so surely his score should have gone up not down?

 

Now all the bumph on the website explains how to improve your credit score and credit file but as far as I can can see there is noway for us to improve our score as our file reads prefectly?

 

Can somebody help us - as the more mortgage apps we apply for the more searches are getting done and I have no idea where to go from here?

[lookinforinfo]

Rather than going to individual mortgage companies and perhaps racking up

more searches with companies with whom you possibly had no chance with from the outset, are you not better going to broker? Thay will run through

hundreds of possibilities only picking the most apt for your situation?

[Allyxia]

Yep been to a broker?

 

WE keep getting an offer in principal but when it comes to finalising things, we are getting our offers "revoked" due to credit score?????

 

Broker doesnt know why either by the way!!!!!

[lookinforinfo]

Now the broker knows that extra piece of information, can they not look

again?

[ClintMccutcheon]

It might just be me, but is no one concerned that with a credit history like that, the scores are so low...?

 

I mean my credit is drgged through the mud because of one small default which im trying to get removed, but even my score was nearly 400!

 

Thats more than spooky, sounds like something fishy is going on there!

[lookinforinfo]

I know Allyxia says there is nothing too detrimental showing on her file, but

if you look at her signature, she has had problems. Now though they are not

showing up on her file, is there another file [in the archives perhaps] that

companies can see, that we can't?

[ClintMccutcheon]

Possibly, although im sure if there were some 'undocumented' systems in place for people to share information with each other then that grossly crosses the DPA surely....

 

Maybe it is a case of allyxia being noted as a 'bad customer' on the compnies she claimed off of, and i suppose it is possible that the mortgage companies could have been underwritten by any of those,

 

On a related note, my IFA suggested northern rock as a lender for mortgages, 5.2x individual income with some of the least harsh lending critera out there,

 

I find it funny how you can have such a poor credit score with a pretty much sound file!

[bathgatebuyer]

Allyxia - my own score is 455 which puts me in the 'very poor' category. Something I'm slightly surprised by as all missed payments and things were all due entirely to a period of unemployment. I have had lots of credit, but these have been met without any problems. There are quite a few credit records on there which relate to accounts which have been settled but I thought that would help my status?

[Allyxia]

Well the point was the default showing and the CCJ were removed by court order - and therefore should have left my file as if they had not appeared there in the first place. this is what the Judge personally told me when he ordered the set aside!!

 

To clarify

 

WE currently have 7 "current" files showing all of them have last 12 months at 0, which means they have all been met, apart from one 2 four months ago when I went £25 over a £100 over draft.

 

This is not a default or anything.

 

Clearly there IS somethig else going on here. Which is the Point I am making. The fact the CJJ and Default have been taken off has still effected my score.

 

I asked experian what was the score for excellant/v good/good etc etc and they wouldnt tell me.

 

I also asked what would you expect a file to look like in each of those brakets ie

 

A few CCJs and Defaults in Very Poor whilst Excellant being all O.

 

On this guess I would have fallen into very good or at worse good wouldnt you think. I was also told that that information was confidential.

 

I concluded my call with the "robot with a script" by saying on the basis of this call and the credit scoring system I concluded that it actually ENCOURAGES people to deafault and get into debt.

 

Because if people like me with only one 2 marker cant even get a high street product then I may as well not pay any of my other debts get loads of defaults and CCJs, keep my monthly repayments because Im not going to be offered any more favorable products than now when I do make all my payments!!!

 

And the government are going to give these more powers over us!!!!

[Guest willowb]

I may be totally off-key here but can we SAR companies as to what data they are processing to each other? CRAs were set up to replace the system of 'black marks' made by FIs on our records weren't they? I seriously believe that anyone who has claimed re bank charges, defaults, CCJ removals...anything will be avoided like the plague, yet! our files may be squeaky clean.....they must have their ways of processing to eachother. Alot FIs are linked in some way anyway aren't they?

 

I dunno

 

Wxxx

[Allyxia]

Well it certainly appears that way doesnt it!!!!!

 

Hey W - you stalking me now ive popped on hun - gosh you must have missed me!!!

[Guest willowb]

Yep! fancy a boiled rabbit for tea? lol

 

Wxxx

[Allyxia]

Me veggi - so I'll take the straw!

 

How I miss you!!!

[Guest willowb]

Well, I don't want to turn this important thread into another 'chat room' lol but if you do want to 'have a larf' check out 'messing about in threads' in the BG....lots of lovely peeps in there hun:D

 

Wxxx

[MadgeXXX]

Hello Ally!

 

Not sure if I can add anything to this but here is my experience of credit scores:

 

Companies say they have credit scored you when they have not, they look at other products you have with the company (and they might be trading under a different name) and look at how you have managed your account. I think that they like to keep people where they make them money. NatWest said I had a poor credit score and refused me a new account. At the time I was using a 30 day trial with experian, and they notified me every time my credit file had been accessed. NatWest had not carried out a credit check.

 

I applied for a credit card and was refused because of the way another credit card had been run. Not aware at the time that I was applying for a card from the same company as the one I already had!

 

7 years ago I purchased a bike on interest free credit over 9 months. All paid off, but a rounding error meant that I had been in arrears (1 pence outstanding) for something like 72 months! I had to write to the company concerned to ask them to remove it, which they did without problem.

 

Nationwide said I had a poor rating

 

NPBS said there was no problem

 

Northern Rock no problem - here have this very cheap loan!

 

There could be no problem with your credit rating - you may have been labelled as a difficult customer as you seem to have taken most of the major banks to the cleaners!

 

I really think it is a lottery and you have to keep trying! Let me know how you got on!

[Allyxia]

Yes lets face it there not many banks I havent taken to court now eh!!!!!!

 

Im on round 2 with many as I type!!!!

[MadgeXXX]

Have you got your mortgage sorted then? We have found in the past that it pays to go and talk to people rather than let the computer say no!

 

I have been getting ready to go off to a hot and sandy place for 6 months and so have not been around much! And will not be around much for the remainder of the year as I will be in the said hot and sunny place!

[skbuncks]

Hi All,

 

Money saving expert has some good articles on this subject see here, for credit scoring:How it works and how to beat it, and here for Which FI uses which credit agencies

 

skb

[knoxvillain]

Are you looking at your credit report/score online or did you request a paper copy from Experian? My online one shows much less information because I haven't given them all my addresses. Make sure all your details are up-to-date so that it shows all relevant info. Remember also that other things go towards your score, have either of you changed employment recently? have you moved house frequently or recently? are you on the electoral roll at your current address? I'm really surprised at your husbands score. I have 2 default and am on a debt management program and my score is 401 so how you get down to 220 i've no idea! Hope you get it sorted though.

[mochamoo]

I have written this to all the credit agencies, I have been advised to then go to the Information commisioner if this doesnt work. Posted it this morning so will let you know if it works. If you can get rid of some of the searches it might help!

 

 

I am writing to you regarding an incorrect account information entry on my credit file that has since been removed.

The entry was placed in error on my credit file by NTL and regarded payments that I should not have been charged for in the first place. This mistake was noted by NTL and they subsequently removed the late payment markers from their entry on my consumer credit file on 15th March 2006.

On 24th March 2006 NTL confirmed that this action had been taken on 15th March and informed me that records with all consumer credit file companies should show zero against all accounts/entries, also only 'Q' for query, and/or 'S' for satisfied

However, as a result of this erroneous entry a number of credit searches on my file were unsuccessful. These credit searches are still listed on my file and as a result my credit rating has been significantly affected and has led to further credit refusal and therefore more unsuccessful searches. As all of these failed searches only exist due to an error on my file I am requesting that all credit searches listed on my file since the first incorrect entry was placed on my credit file by NTL (September 2005) are removed with immediate effect.

I would appreciate it if you could please send me a letter confirming that you have remedied the situation.

[bathgatebuyer]

Oh, wee check of my scores has shown a wee bif of an increase in recent months:

 

417 on 7/9/06

455 on 11/1/07

469 on 25/4/07

 

So, some minor improvements! Noticed today that a Halifax default has reappeared on my account (despite them writing to me from their Chief Exec's Office nonetheless) to admit that it was in error! So, if that default is taken into consideration on today's score, I probably should be considerably higher. Guess it's just a case of banging off some more letters to the Halifax and asking them to confirm to the CRA that they have to remove that again!

 

Writing the same letter for the past 6 months to the Halifax has started to get decidedly boring

[Azazal23]

Different companies use different crredit agencies, likes of Natwest use both Experian and Equifax whislt Nationwide just use Experian. Thats why some companys give you credit and some dont.

 

I have been monitoring my credit scores over 6 months, whilst i have had a CCJ and 2 defaults removed, going on the way my scores increased it works out like this

 

have checked back through my reports, its seems the more defaults the less your score is likely to reduce by i.e 1st default maybe 150 - 2nd maybe 100 and so on.

 

plus the way they score to be as follows, 0 -500 equals 1 * 500 650 2** 650 - 800 3*** 800 - 900 4**** and over is 5*****

 

1 default and a ccj your score will alomst certainly be 1* even one of them will knock your score down significantly. So the averyage rating is 3*** if you get a default or CCJ chances are you are reduced to 1* and fu**ked basically

 

This may diifer from person to person, but my scores have gone from all being around the 250 -300 mark to around 600 -650 by getting a CCJ and a default off. I have just had my last one removed whoch hopefully will take to to around the 750-800 mark which is just on or above GOOD

[jackster77]

HI folks - I was was very afraid of getting my credit report this time last year because I wasn't sure if i wanted to see how bad it was

anyway i bought the bullet and got it with experian - and my credit score was 992 out of a possible 1000 - or excellent

Very surprised but happy I applied for sainsburys credit card - they declined it based on my credit score i was shocked

 

Anyway I think it must be because I had a partial settlement on a credit card with MBNA (Don't we all just love these guys )

and not based on my credit score at all

just goes to show that while lenders say they credit score you sometimes they don't and even though my credit score was virtuality perfect I couln't even get a crappy credit card

 

still not feeling brave enought to get my equifax credit report yet!!!