When is a credit application not a credit application?

brightonian

I have had a current account with the Halifax since 1996 and on Friday my wife and I decided that we should have all household bills in one joint account.

Now, the way to do this is to open a new current account myself (as I'm the customer) then add my wife (as a new customer).

I specifically requested NO overdraft facility and a cash card only.

Today we went to the bank and my wife had ID checked and was added to account.

This afternoon I notice TWO credit searches (one when I applied last week and one today when my wife was added) for me from Halifax on my Experian. At no point was I asked if I agreed to a credit search and the Experian site (https://www.creditexpert.co.uk/MCCCreditReport.aspx?HelpLink=sec8) states there are two types of search - unrecorded (ie ID checks/tracing) and recorded (ie for credit).

I'm sure there are some who will say "well, you could become overdrawn through fees or other methods" to which I say "do I need a credit check to use a pay and display car park in which I could overstay, running up a tab?".

Cycrow

there are many types of searches, were they actually credit searches?

or just ID checks?

brightonian

One shows as "Enquiry" (the help page says "Unrecorded Enquiry" is unrecorded, so I'm assuming this shows as a credit search) and the other is "Current Account".

Rosco32

They credit checked you for the account and then ID checked you. ID checks are not seen by other creditors, only yourself.

Rosco32

I'm also sure unrecorded enquiries are not seen by other creditors apart from yourself too.

brightonian

So is "Enquiry" the same as "Unrecorded Enquiry" then? And why did they need to credit check me today (the "Current Account" one is today) when my wife was added, even though the account itself wasn't changed in terms of overdraft etc when she was added?

Why would you need a "credit application" check when you aren't applying for "credit"?