Confusion about credit report/ application

eingedi

Hi,
I am new to the forum as I have just committed to getting debt-free this year. I applied for a 0% balance transfer with a new provider and am still waiting for the outcome, so I can move (for the last time !) my debt of £7500 from Virgin to the new card.

However I then received a letter from Virgin explaining that my security details may have been breached by one of their "vendors" and offering 12 months free membership of creditexpert and a CIFAS flag for my reassurance.I have never spent any money on this card, it was strictly for a balance transfer, (so I assume it must be Virgin or one of the companies they offshore to who has potentially leaked details in this careless way)

I joined and checked my file. Currently the CIFAS part has "0" entries, but it has occurred to me that this will affect my credit rating. Also, my current account which I have held for 15+ years is not on there, but the one I have had for 2 is. So it may look like I am lying on my appliaction about no. of years with my bank.

I have never been refused credit but am now waiting nervously for the response to my application. Is it worth ringing them up pre-emptively and explaining all this? What impact could the Virgin mess-up have on my rating?

izools

If there are no CIFAS entries, then Virgin lied, but it should mean the applicaiton goes more smoothly.

If your current account has been open a very long time it is not unexpected for it not to appear on your report, only current accounts that I've opened in the last three or four years have shown up on my file. This shouldn't affect the application as the creditor will know that very old bank accounts don't normally show up.

It may take a referral for the application as £7,500 is a lot to transfer and they may be running extra checks with your employer etc.

How long ago did you apply? It shouldn't hurt to call up

eingedi

Thanks, I applied a week ago, so not sure if phoning up now would smack of desperation, which I'm not, but I didn't want to wait for rejection (due to the Virgin problem) if up-front explanation would help.

I can see a new search was done on the same day I applied, so they must either be slow responding or be doing other checks. I will post the outcome.

eingedi

Well I called and my application has been accepted, but they could not tell me the limit over the phone so I will have to wait to see if it is enough to transfer all of my outstanding balance. That's a relief anyway!