Equifax - "credit searches" and "other searches"

mercexe

Is the number of "other searches" bad for your credit score or is it just the number of "credit searches" that is important?

Thanks!

matttye

I had reason to ask the same question earlier and here's what I found on Google:

http://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/questions/askjames206.html

"Credit-application footprints can affect your credit score, but other search footprints, such as those created by ID checks or quotations, cannot."

It's not clear whether they are talking about it not affecting the Experian credit score (useless) or what most lenders will consider when deciding whether to lend (useful).

I've been obsessively checking my file because I have a dispute open and now have about ten Equifax searches in my 'other searches' history

I don't think there's a simple yes/no answer to this. The fact is that the information IS there and I guess it's up to the lender to decide how to use the information, unless there's some law I'm not aware of that prevents them from using quotations etc. in their decisions.

YorkshireBoy

matttye wrote: »

I don't think there's a simple yes/no answer to this.

Seems pretty black and white to me...

"Unrecorded enquiries show you that an organisation has looked at your report for a purpose not related to credit (such as checking your identity). As a result, they do not affect credit scoring. A record of these unrecorded enquires are not revealed to other lenders."


http://www.experian.co.uk/downloads/consumer/experian-YCRE.pdf (page 5)

matttye

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

Seems pretty black and white to me...

"Unrecorded enquiries show you that an organisation has looked at your report for a purpose not related to credit (such as checking your identity). As a result, they do not affect credit scoring. A record of these unrecorded enquires are not revealed to other lenders."


http://www.experian.co.uk/downloads/consumer/experian-YCRE.pdf (page 5)

Thanks! That makes it clearer.