Have I ruined my credit rating?

Destined_to_be_skint

Just a quick question. I changed my credit card last year, and tried to pay by direct debit. The bank with my current account messed this up - TWICE, so it went down as missed payments. They weren't interested in sorting it out for me, so I have two late payments against my name now. This wouldn't be a big problem if I hadn't forgotten to post the cheque for the card last month! I wrote it out and even stuck a stamp on it! So, now it looks like I have three missed payments on my record.

I don't have any loans, (and pay the card off in full each month) except my mortgage and I have no plans to take out any loans, credit cards, etc. but I am really worried that I have messed my rating up and it might reflect badly on me in future. How long do late payments stay on yoru account, and where can I get a free credit rating report?

Thanks.

Scaredy_Cat_3

Is this the only card you have? It might be worth getting another one and spending a little on it each month purely so that you can pay in full each month - that will improve your credit rating. At least that way, it wouldn't just show one card with missed payments, it would show 2 or more cards, and only one with a minor problem.

Also, if you think it might be causing problems I think there must be a way that you can get the bank which messed up to inform the credit reference agency they use that this was their error, and not yours.

iceicebaby

Get a copy of your credit report and see what it says regarding the missed payments

Destined_to_be_skint

Thanks for the replies folks!