Rejected twice to open a current account (First Direct and Halifax)

the_learner

Hi, during the last month I have tried to open two different account by switching from my current Barclays account. Both application were rejected.

In particulare, at the beginning of December I applied to switch from Barclays to First Direct and after few days I get an email saying that they weren't able to progress with my application.

Then yesterday I applied for a switch to Halifax and went to a branch with passport and proof of adress. Today I received another email from Halifax saying that my application was unsuccessful.

I relocated to UK from France 2 years ago and since then I have only used my Barclays account (I only have a debit card with them).

In France I have another account with also a credit card.

I am a bit sursprised and also worried about these rejections and unfortunately I wasn't able to get more information about their reasons to reject.

Few days ago I applied fo a credit report with creditExpert.co.uk
but I am still waiting for an account. When I login it still says:
"In order to process your Experian CreditExpert application, we just need to do some further checks to confirm your identity".

But they say they would complete the check in 2 days. Missed deadline already.

Anyone with similar experience? Did you find the reason for rejection in the end?

Ebe_Scrooge

Are you on the electoral roll in the UK ? If not, this will be a big no-no to most financial institutions.

Why do you want to switch from Barclays ? From the information you've given, I'd say stick with Barclays, build up a year or two of credit history in the UK, make sure your address is registered on the electoral roll, then you'll be able to choose from any of the mainstream current account providers.

I'm assuming it's a current account you're wanting, rather than a credit card ? Current accounts are somewhat easier to set up than credit cards, purely because they are not offering you credit ( i.e. no overdraft facility, at least initially ).

the_learner

Thanks for the answer. I am not on the electoral roll in UK but I moved my residence here in UK even if I am still a French citizen.
I wanted to switch because of better interest rates since with Barclays they are very low.
I would also need a credit card just to build/improve my credit history here in UK.
I wanted the Clarity credit card from Halifax cause was good for my needs (spending abroad).
But if they don't allow me to change I can only stick with Barclays and hope that I can apply for their credit card instead.
Why is the electoral roll so important in credit check?

CLAPTON

it may or may not make a lot of sense but being on the electoral roll is seen a very important in the UK

as an EU national you are eligible and it costs you nothing so just enroll

the_learner

I am just looking online to enroll and I'll do that ASAP. I am wondering why it wasn't a problem at all when I opened a Barclays account.

Tixy

It is generally harder to get access to credit without 3 years UK address history, and without being on the electoral roll.

But different banks have different criteria. Is your barclays account a 'full' account or just a basic bank account?

the_learner

Tixy wrote: »

It is generally harder to get access to credit without 3 years UK address history, and without being on the electoral roll.

But different banks have different criteria. Is your barclays account a 'full' account or just a basic bank account?

I think it is just a basic account and I have no credit card or loans.
I enrolled yesterday online so, as soon as I get the confirmation from the electoral registration office, I will try again to switch to Halifax just to see if the problem persists (in which case I really don't know what to do).

Experian_company_representative

Hi The Learner,

When you apply for CreditExpert we have a number of checks to confirm you identity, to make sure no one but you can access your information.

If we can't confirm your ID we will occasionally need to ask for documentation from you. It sounds like your application is currently in the stage of being reviewed to see if we need further information.

If you still haven't heard anything back yet about this [EMAIL="uksocialsupport@experian.com"]email[/EMAIL] your details to us and we will get this checked for you.

Regards
Neil

YorkshireBoy

the_learner wrote: »

I enrolled yesterday online so, as soon as I get the confirmation from the electoral registration office, I will try again to switch to Halifax just to see if the problem persists (in which case I really don't know what to do).

It's not confirmation from the ER office you need...it's verification from viewing your CRA files (all three of them) that matters, ie you need to check the same information that the banks will check...because they won't be going to your ER office!

the_learner

Experian_company_representative wrote: »

Hi The Learner,

When you apply for CreditExpert we have a number of checks to confirm you identity, to make sure no one but you can access your information.

If we can't confirm your ID we will occasionally need to ask for documentation from you. It sounds like your application is currently in the stage of being reviewed to see if we need further information.

If you still haven't heard anything back yet about this [EMAIL="uksocialsupport@experian.com"]email[/EMAIL] your details to us and we will get this checked for you.

Regards
Neil

Thanks,

I just emailed you about this.

the_learner

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

It's not confirmation from the ER office you need...it's verification from viewing your CRA files (all three of them) that matters, ie you need to check the same information that the banks will check...because they won't be going to your ER office!

Thanks, but how can I get access to these CRA files to check if anything is wrong?