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Mortgage and credit check = failed

Hi all,

We've been looking around for a while and found a house we've set our hearts on and we made an offer which has been accepted.

We've also been looking around for mortgages for a while too and found the Nationwide 2yr tracker. However, today when I asked the mortgage advisor to check if our application would go through they did a credit check. Unfortunately they came back with a no, not even for the 85% LTV deal. We were told by most lenders when looking that they couldn't see any problems with us getting a mortgage as we've set out own budget way under what they're are prepared to offer us and we have managed to save up easily. Our repayments would be below what we are able to afford too so we could have overpaid most months without penalty.

We've basically hit a brick wall here. There is one thing on my wifes credit report which we think is causing her to have a 'poor' score (according to experian). However, that item has been disputed and a note has been left on it. The company is taking their time to get back to Experian though.

The Nationwide check is all automated and they basically do one credit check to get your score and they compare against their internal score card for any of their deals that you're interested in. Problem is that the mortgage advisor I spoke to said it just came up with a code which meant that it didn't go through and that we can't get a mortgage. Is there any way that we can get it put through manually so an actual person looks at it to make the decision?

I'm not sure if it's worth bothering to look at other lenders as it'll most likely come up with the same problem where we get turned down because of a poor credit check.

There's also another anomoly that we noticed on her report, which is that there seem to have been a number or credit checks (6 in the past year) that have been done for insurance quotes when she didn't even apply for insurance. She's not sure what's going on with that and it going to get that looked into as well.

We're both so upset and unsure of what to do with regards to getting a mortgage. It's all getting too much especially with a little one now living out of a bedroom at my parents.
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Comments

  • herbiesjp
    herbiesjp Posts: 8,499 Forumite
    Enigma80 wrote: »

    I'm not sure if it's worth bothering to look at other lenders as it'll most likely come up with the same problem where we get turned down because of a poor credit check.


    What you have been told about Nationwide does not sound like anything I have heard before.

    Have you gone via a whole of market mortgage adviser or a Nationwide adviser?

    Not all lenders score in the same way - so you may well find your application sails through with a different lender
    I am a Mortgage Adviser
    You should note that this site doesn't check my status as a Mortgage Adviser, so you need to take my word for it. This signature is here as I follow MSE's Mortgage Adviser Code of Conduct. Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as financial advice.
  • Pammy
    Pammy Posts: 267 Forumite
    Sorry to hear of your dilema, I know how upsetting it can be.

    Do you know which credit reference agency Nationwide use, it is probably worth checking equifax as well as Experian to ensure you are not missing anything.

    Although the process is usually automated but ewhen you put notes on your file as in the dispute it has to be checked manually, but if they use Equifax the dispute is probably not registered.

    Thats my understanding anyway. Is it a default on your wifes account?
  • Enigma80
    Enigma80 Posts: 211 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 1 December 2009 at 9:01PM
    Well we've been with one independant mortgage advisor who cam up with an interest only deal alongside a repayment plan.

    The 2yr tracker i got direct from Nationwide and it's them who told me how they work with the credit check and internal score-card system.

    If we have our credit scores do the lenders need to do checks or can we tell them our scores just to see if it goes through or not?
  • Enigma80
    Enigma80 Posts: 211 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Pammy wrote: »
    Sorry to hear of your dilema, I know how upsetting it can be.

    Do you know which credit reference agency Nationwide use, it is probably worth checking equifax as well as Experian to ensure you are not missing anything.

    Although the process is usually automated but ewhen you put notes on your file as in the dispute it has to be checked manually, but if they use Equifax the dispute is probably not registered.

    Thats my understanding anyway. Is it a default on your wifes account?

    They used Experian, and yes it was a default which she's disputed but they still did an automated check and not manual.
  • sidebar
    sidebar Posts: 17 Forumite
    I was turned down for a Nationwide mortgage last week due to credit score (see thread 'No credit history = no mortgage'). In my case I have a poor score due to not having taken on credit before.

    I've now gone to a different mortgage broker, explained my circumstances, and through them have a decision in principal with another lender. It's still early days of course so we're not getting too excited yet, but it's better than a flat out rejection :) It may also help that I already bank with the lender.
  • Enigma80
    Enigma80 Posts: 211 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Just saw this on the Guardian website. It seems that it's quite common and there doesn't seem to be much that can be done about it. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/mar/27/experian-credit-check-first-time-buyers
  • Pammy
    Pammy Posts: 267 Forumite
    Enigma80 wrote: »
    They used Experian, and yes it was a default which she's disputed but they still did an automated check and not manual.

    Thats odd then, as far I know from talking to Experian they have to do a manual check once there are notes on your file.

    Regarding the experian score, this is just an aid and its not the same score Nationwide would use. They all have their own scoring process which is not public.

    You could try and find the lending criteria from the banks. For example some will accept one default £250.00 and under, some accept none, others 2. It really needs you to do your research or find a broker who is clued up. Sadly I have not found a clued up broker.
  • Enigma80
    Enigma80 Posts: 211 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    I think the main issue with my wifes credit report is one default which is in dispute. It's basically her old mobile network operator. She's had been with them since 1997 and in 2007 she changed to a new network and a few months after moved in with me. She thought she'd settled the account with her old network and that there were no issues.

    However a year she received a letter last year at my address asking for the money. She contacted them and explained the problem and promptly paid the bill. It's only after that we saw the credit report and noticed it was on a default. She had been with them for 10yrs and they can see that she never missed a payment. What are the chances that the network operator will remove the defaul from her report? Is there a way that this can be speeded up?
  • Pammy
    Pammy Posts: 267 Forumite
    Yes they can remove the default, contact the company and explain the situation. They should have sent a letter warning of the default and requests for payment. But they might do it in kind, you can try.

    But this isnt the end of the road. How much is it for?
  • Enigma80
    Enigma80 Posts: 211 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Well my wife called the company and they said they won't respond to either her or Experian, the amount was £108.

    I've started a new thread here about the credit issue:
    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=27472667#post27472667
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