Do different cards use different reference agencies??

toni999_2

Hi there,
Any advice on the following would be much appreciated.

I recently had a credit reference taken on me by a letting agency. The agency refused my application. I contacted two credit reference agencies - CreditCallCheck (who the agency used to research me) and Experian - for my credit report. After a whole day of worry and stress, it turned out that the letting agency had refused me on the basis that I have had 7 different addresses in 5 years and I have not registered my new address on the electoral roll each time I'd moved (I now know that this is important to do - I had no idea!). They gave me a score of 737 (or 2 out of 5 stars).

I do have debts of several thousand pounds but both credit reports show that I have not missed a single payment and have not had any other problems.

My Experian credit report, however, gives me a high score of 91/100 as I am told (I called them to clarify this) that they do not take number of addresses in to account like CreditCallCheck do.

My question is - I would like to apply for a 0% card to move some of my debt to, as the interest I am paying at the moment is crippling me. Is there a way of knowing, before applying, which credit card provider will use Experian - rather than CreditCallCheck- to check up on me? I am likely to be refused if they use the latter and I expect that that will damage my credit score further?

Thank you

Paul_Herring

CallCredit IME are not worth the £2 spent on the report. I notice you don't mention Equifax, the other 'major' CRA - maybe get your report off them?

Note that a 'credit score' is an elusive concept, since it differs between the people providing them. Credit Card providers will naturally score you differently to the CRA's selling their version of it.

Even a 1000/1000 from Experian/Equifax does not guarantee you a credit card with any random CC supplier.

adrianelliott

Credit reference agencies don't provide credit scores to lenders. They simply keep a file of factual information, your credit report.

Each individual lender uses different criteria to 'score' you, the only thing they all have in common is that they rely on the facts provided by credit reference agencies to work out high it should be.

I have seen my Experian report, and it does state whether or not you were on the electoral roll for your past and present addresses.

toni999_2

Thanks both for your replies. I understand now the idea that there is not one credit score, but just a bunch of facts and each lender makes its own decisions.

I am now wondering where to go from here. I need to cut the interest I am paying and therefore need to transfer at least some of the debt to a 0% card, but I have now applied for 3 and have been accepted by 1 of them (abbey zero) so thats half the debt sorted but should I keep applying to other lenders or is the applying-and-being-turned-down damaging my credit score further?

Thanks again

Sammy_Girl

Hi,

Be careful with the applying as too many applications are a bad thing as lenders will start to think that you are "desperate". take a look at Underground's very useful thread:


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1033817&highlight=underground+cra

He has started to compile a list of who uses what agency. I would advise you to check both Equifax and Experian online to see what info they hold on you. I believe that they both do a 30 day free trial. And get on the electoral role asap!!

toni999_2

Fantastic, thank you Sammy - exactly what I was looking for and couldn't find.

And yes, filling in the electoral role forms as we speak!!