Your credit report may contain more addresses than you supplied on your application form. Your previous address or any other addresses at which you have lived may be linked and listed on your report. These links are created when a Lender conducts a search at your current address immediately followed by a search at your previous address. Searches conducted in this way link the 2 addresses. Addresses are also linked when you inform the Lender that you moved to another address. When the Lender next submits its account information with Equifax your account in question will move to the new address and a link is created between your new address and your previous address.

How does this data affect me?

This information is primarily used by Credit Lenders to: confirm residency; distinguish between members of the same family and determine length of residence. Electoral Roll information can show that you live at the address that you provided on an application form. Proof of where you live and how long you have lived there is important to a Lender.

It may adversely affect your ability to obtain credit, with some Lenders, if you are not registered on the Electoral Roll. If you opted to exclude your Electoral Roll information from the Edited Register when you completed the annual canvass, the information we hold will only be used for purposes permitted by the relevant regulations, for example to vet credit applications, and, in particular, will not be used for direct marketing.

What can I do if there is Electoral Roll information relating to another person/s?

Your Credit File may contain Electoral Roll details relating to current or previous occupants of one of your addresses. The fact that other names are shown in this section will not affect your creditworthiness, as the Electoral Roll is not financial information. Financial information relating to previous occupants is not included in your Credit File.

What can I do if I believe there is Electoral Roll information, which is registered incorrectly?

If you have registered to vote and your Credit File does not show this, or there is some other inaccuracy please contact us by clicking here.

If you wish to register to vote, or check if you are already registered, please contact your local Electoral Registration Office.

Please Note:

• If during the course of the year you move address, you can contact your Local Authority with your new address details. Your Local Authority will in turn notify us.
• The fact that you pay your Council Tax does not mean that you are registered on the Electoral Roll.
• If you do not qualify to register on the Electoral Roll within the UK you may wish to add a Notice of Correction to your file. To do this click here.

How does this data affect me?

Evidence of late or missed payments on your credit report may adversely affect your ability to obtain credit.

How long is this data kept on my Credit File?

The information will stay on your Credit File for 6 years from the date the account was ended.

What can I do if there is Insight information relating to another person/s?

If information appears in this section of your Credit Report relating to a person/s with whom you have no financial association you can apply for a Notice of Disassociation. To do this click here.

What can I do if I believe there is Insight information, which is registered incorrectly?

If there is Insight information in this Section of your Credit Report, which you believe is incorrect, this information can be disputed with the appropriate Credit Lender who supplied the information, or directly with Equifax. This service is called Notice of Dispute. If you wish to dispute information with Equifax click here.

How does this data affect me?

Evidence of a County Court Judgment/Decree or Administration Order, on your Credit Report, may adversely affect your ability to obtain credit.

How long is this data kept on my Credit File?

This information is held on file for 6 years from the date of Judgment, even if it is satisfied/paid. However, if you satisfy or pay the outstanding amount within a month of the judgment being issued, it will not show on your credit report.

What can I do if there is Court information relating to another person/s?

If information appears in this section of your Credit File relating to a person/s with whom you have no financial association you can apply for a Notice of Disassociation. To do this click here.

What can I do if I believe there is Court information which is registered incorrectly?

If you believe a County Court Judgment/Decree has been registered incorrectly, you should contact the relevant court directly.

Use the following links to find the contact information for the court that holds your record:

• England and Wales: #www.courtservice.gov.uk/
• Northern Ireland: #www.courtsni.gov.uk/about+us/contact+us.htm
• Scotland: #www.scotcourts.gov.uk/

To enable the court to locate the record, you will need to provide them with the Judgment/Decree case number and for Scottish courts; the full date of the Decree may be required. This information is provided in your Credit File. If a Judgment/Decree is set-aside/recalled, the relevant court will notify Registry Trust, who in turn will advise Equifax and this information will be removed from your Credit File.

Defendants having a Judgment listing the court as Northampton (except for those with case numbers starting NN) can contact the Northampton Bulk Centre on 01604 601636 for further information.

How to satisfy and amend Judgments/Decrees & Administration Orders

The procedures governing Court Information vary depending upon the geographical areas and the court jurisdiction, as detailed below:

England & Wales

When a Judgment has been paid in full, your Credit File can be amended. To do this you must supply the court, listed in your Credit File, with proof of payment, enclosing the court fee of £15. The court will issue a Certificate of Satisfaction, which, if the debt was repaid within one calendar month of the Judgment date, will authorise the removal of that Judgment from the Register and your Credit File. If repaid outside the one-month period, the Judgment will be marked as 'satisfied'. Notification of any such changes will automatically be sent to Registry Trust Ltd who will then advise Equifax. The appropriate amendment will be made to your Credit File normally within one month of payment.

When an Administration Order has been paid in full, you can pay the court fee of £15 and obtain a Certificate of Satisfaction. However, this will not satisfy any County Court Judgment contained within that Order. A separate Certificate is required and can only be issued if the full amount of the Judgment debt has been paid.

Scotland

When a money Decree, issued in the small claims or summary causes sheriff court, has been paid in full, your Credit File can be amended once proof of payment has been supplied to Registry Trust Ltd, 173-175 Cleveland St, London W1T 6QR with a search fee of £8.00 (per named person or company at a specified address). You must make sure you provide details of the address where the Decree is held if that is different from your current address. The proof of payment must be an original letter or receipt from the pursuer (the person or company to whom you owed the money) or the pursuer's agent/solicitor, confirming the following:

• Sheriff Court concerned
• Amount of Decree and case number
• Date of Decree
• Date paid in full

Registry Trust Limited will notify Equifax and your Credit File will be amended to show the Decree as 'satisfied'. If the debt was paid within one calendar month from the Decree date, the Decree will be removed from the Scottish Register held by Registry Trust and from your Credit File. This amendment will happen within one month of Registry Trust receiving your proof of payment. Registry Trust is also notified of any Recalls of Scottish Decrees and upon Equifax's receipt of this information, details of the Decree are removed from your Credit File.

Isle of Man

When a Judgment has been paid in full, your Credit File can be amended once the General Registry (Isle of Man Courts of Justice, Deemsters Walk, Bucks Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 3AR) is notified. This can be done either by the Creditor/Plaintiff (the person or company claiming the money from you) or when the defendant (the person being asked to pay the money) presents a Certificate obtained from their local Coroner's Office. If the debt was repaid within one calendar month, although the General Registry will record the Judgment as satisfied, Registry Trust will instruct Equifax to remove the Judgment from your Credit File. If the debt was repaid outside the one-month period, the Judgment will be marked as 'satisfied'. Equifax are also notified when any Judgment has been set aside or cancelled and upon receipt of this information details of the Judgment are removed from your Credit File.

Jersey

When a Judgment recorded at either the Royal Courts of Justice or the Petty Debts Court has been paid in full, your Credit File can be amended once proof of payment has been supplied to Registry Trust Ltd, 173 - 175 Cleveland Street, London, W1T 6QR with a search fee of £8.00 (per named person or company at a specified address). You must make sure you provide details of the addresses where the Judgment is held if that is different from your current address. The proof of payment must be an original letter or receipt from the Creditor/Plaintiff (the person or company to whom you owed the money) or the creditor's solicitor, confirming the following:

• Amount of Judgment
• Date of Judgment
• Date paid in full

On receipt of this information, Registry Trust Ltd will notify Equifax and your Credit File will be amended to show the Judgment as 'satisfied'. If the debt was paid within one calendar month from the Judgment date, the Judgment will be removed from the Jersey Register held by Registry Trust Ltd and from your Credit File. This amendment will normally be completed within one month of Registry Trust Ltd receiving your proof of payment. Equifax is also notified of any Judgment that is set aside or cancelled by Jersey Courts and upon receipt of this information; details of the Judgment are removed from your Credit File.

Northern Ireland

These Judgments relate to unenforced small claims and default Judgments received from the individual county courts in Northern Ireland. When a Judgment has been paid in full, your Credit File can be amended once proof of payment has been supplied to Registry Trust Ltd, 173 - 175 Cleveland Street, London, W1T 6QR, with a search fee of £8.00 (per named person/company at a specified address). You must make sure you provide details of the address where the Judgment is held if that is different from your current address. The proof of payment must be an original letter or receipt from the creditor/plaintiff (the person or company to whom you owed the money) or the creditor's solicitor, confirming the following:

• Name of Northern Ireland court
• Amount of Judgment
• Date of Judgment
• Date paid in full

Upon receipt of this information, Registry Trust Ltd will notify Equifax and your Credit File will be amended to show the Judgment as 'satisfied'. If the debt was paid within one calendar month from the Judgment date, the Judgment will be removed from the Northern Ireland Register held by Registry Trust Ltd and from your Credit File. This amendment will normally be completed within one month of Registry Trust Ltd receiving your proof of payment. Equifax is also notified of any Judgment that is set aside by the Northern Ireland courts. Upon receipt of this information, details of that Judgment are removed from your Credit File.

Please Note:

• If your Credit File has not been amended one month after a Certificate of Satisfaction has been issued by the court (for England and Wales or Isle of Man), or one month after you have sent your proof of payment to Registry Trust Ltd for the other areas, you can contact Equifax who will investigate on your behalf. Please send the original certificate of satisfaction or proof of payment to Equifax Plc, Credit File Advice Centre, PO Box 1140, Bradford, BD1 5US, quoting your Credit File Reference Number. We will notify you when we have made the appropriate amendment, returning any documents you have supplied.
• All Judgments/Decrees and Administration Orders (satisfied and unsatisfied) will be deleted from our database six years from the date of Judgment.
• Equifax does not hold details of the person or company who took you to court (the Creditor or Plaintiff). The County/Sheriff Court concerned will be able to give you these details.

How does this data affect me?

Searches show Credit Lenders that you have made applications for Credit or Services. Searches would not normally be viewed as adverse information. If however there were an unusually large number of searches, this may be interpreted by a Credit Lender as being indicative of over-commitment or maybe even fraud. As not all searches are for lending purposes, the type of company making the enquiry is also shown.

How long is this data kept on my Credit File?

Searches remain on your Credit File for 1 year from the record date.

What can I do if there is Search information relating to another person/s?

Searches belonging to individuals with a different surname to you may appear on your Credit Report. This may happen if you are formally financially connected to another individual. Examples of a formal financial connection would be a joint search (where you have applied for credit together with another individual), a joint County Court Judgment or evidence of a shared credit agreement with another individual i.e. Loan or Mortgage accounts.

If search information appears in this section of your Credit Report relating to a person/s with whom you have no financial association you can apply for a Notice of Disassociation. To do this click here.

What can I do if I believe there is Searches information, which is registered incorrectly?

If there is search information in this Section of your Credit Report, which you believe is incorrect, this information can be disputed with the appropriate Credit Lender who registered the search, or directly with Equifax. This service is called Notice of Dispute. If you wish to dispute information with Equifax click here.

Please Note:

Searches do not indicate whether an application was accepted or declined.

How does this data affect me?

The presence of CML data, on your credit report, may adversely affect your ability to obtain credit.

How long is this data kept on my Credit File?

CML information is automatically removed from your credit report six years from the date of repossession.

What can I do if there is CML information relating to another person/s?

If information appears in this section of your credit report relating to a person/s with whom you have no financial association you can apply for a Notice of Disassociation. To do this click here.

What can I do if I believe there is CML information, which is registered incorrectly?

If there is CML information on your credit report, which you believe is incorrect, this information can be disputed directly with Equifax. This service is called Notice of Dispute. If you wish to dispute information with Equifax click here.

If you have been the victim of a mugging or burglary and personal identification documents have been stolen, there is a risk that they could be used by the thief to obtain credit or other product/services fraudulently in your name. For an administration fee of £11.75 (£10.00 plus £1.75 VAT) CIFAS offers a service, provided on their behalf by Equifax, to protect your name and address from misuse. You may contact Equifax on telephone number 0870 010 2091, and request 'Protective Registration'. A CIFAS warning will then be placed against your address marked Category '0' which indicates that this has been recorded at your request for your own protection.

As a result of the entry CIFAS members will verify further the identity of applicant(s), and in some cases request further proof of identification, and this may mean you personally experience delays while your credentials are fully checked out. Whilst this might cause you some inconvenience it could prevent someone obtaining credit in your name.

There are a number of CIFAS categories used by Lenders which are explained in the table below:

How does this data affect me?

If your address or other personal details are being misused, the CIFAS warning protects your details from further misuse. Only CIFAS member organisations are able to see CIFAS warnings and they are very careful to establish the identity of any applicant subsequently being approved for a product or service from the address. This may lead to a delay when applications from you are being processed, as your identity will need to be confirmed and the information on your application will be verified. However, this helps to prevent others misusing your address or other personal details and avoids the distress and inconvenience this would cause you.

No CIFAS member organisation is allowed to automatically refuse to supply a product or service to you because of a CIFAS warning. The Lender is required to make further enquiries, eg. to confirm your identity, before making a decision. However, there are occasions when, even though a CIFAS warning is present and your identity has been properly confirmed, your application will not be approved. This is because your application is still subject to the member's standard credit checks or underwriting criteria and you may not meet them. If this is the case, the Lender will be able to tell you whether the decision was due to a Credit Score, Credit Reference Agency information or the Lender's own policy.

How long is this data kept on my Credit File?

The time a CIFAS warning remains on your Credit File depends on how long the fraudulent activity continues.Members are able to extend the time a warning is placed against an address to protect the address from fraud. In all cases, the warning remains on the database for at least a year from the date of the most recent fraud.

What can I do if there is CIFAS information relating to another person/s?

The information may not directly relate to you but may for example, indicate that someone has tried to impersonate you. For your own protection, this information must remain on your Credit File.

What can I do if I believe there is CIFAS Information, which is registered incorrectly?

In the first instance you should write to the CIFAS member organisation that placed the CIFAS warning on your address, as they are responsible for the accuracy of this data. Their name is supplied as part of your Credit File. CIFAS member organisations operate their own internal complaints procedures, details of which will be given to you by them upon request.

If you and the CIFAS member organisation are unable to reach an agreement on your complaint, you should receive a letter from the member confirming the complaint procedure is completed or exhausted. Sometimes this is known as a Final Response Letter.

If you decide you want to take your complaint further you may ask CIFAS to investigate your complaint. CIFAS will contact the member and review the details of your complaint. CIFAS will confirm whether the member adhered to the correct procedures.

Please Note:

• If you believe that you are being impersonated and someone has opened an account in your name, you should contact the organisation concerned and make it aware that the application or account was not originated by you. This will ensure any CIFAS warning they may have placed at your address is clearly marked as a Category 2, to show you have been the victim of an impersonation fraud.
• If the organisation concerned is not a member of CIFAS, CIFAS offer a service provided on their behalf by Equifax, to protect your name and address from being misused in this way. You should contact Equifax and request 'Protective Registration' on telephone number: 0870 010 2091.
• A Lender will not necessarily make you aware that they are placing a CIFAS warning at your address. Great care is taken to strike the right balance between the need for confidentiality and the need to be open about fraud prevention. In the past, letters to consumers advising that a CIFAS warning has been placed on their address has alerted the perpetrators of the crime to the fact that the police have become involved in a case. To maximise the likelihood of successful apprehension and prosecution of offenders, consumers are not advised of CIFAS warnings in the majority of cases. However, in the event of an impersonation, the Member will always advise the innocent party, if they have a current address for the innocent party and are sure that the fraudster will not be alerted.
• The Notice of Disassociation service cannot be used to remove CIFAS information from your Credit File, even if this information is registered in another name.

How does this data affect me?

The presence of GAIN data, on your credit report, may adversely affect your ability to obtain credit.

How long is this data kept on my Credit File?

GAIN information is automatically removed from your credit report six years from the original date of repossession.

What can I do if there is GAIN information relating to another person/s?

If information appears on your credit report relating to a person/s with whom you have no financial association you can apply for a Notice of Disassociation. To do this click here.

What can I do if I believe there is GAIN information, which is registered incorrectly?

If there is GAIN information on your credit report, which you believe is incorrect, this information can be disputed directly with Equifax. This service is called Notice of Dispute. If you wish to dispute information with Equifax click here.