Equifax Report & somebody else's bad debt

biged670

Hello, I've just got a copy of my equifax report and I'm alarmed to see that there are a number of credit agreements (Defaults) and credit searches for my half brother from when we both lived at my parents address.

I've already applied for this information to be removed from my report as I have no financial link to him what so ever, will this improve my credit score/profile? I know the score is only for my benefit and not for lenders but will this be something a potential lender would be worried about?

Thanks

Steve

Tixy

If they appear on your credit file then any potential lender searching your file will assume they are your accounts/debts so yes it will likely have a big impact on your ability to get credit.

The first step is to contact the credit reference agency to explain that this person is not you and ask for all the entries to be removed, which it sounds like you have already done.

I'd also check your experian and callcredit (noddle) files as well to see if the incorrect alias is repeated on those. If so you need to challenge the entries with those agencies as well.

biged670

Thanks for replying... Am I right in thinking I have to complete a form to remove this info? I've contacted there help desk but I'm waiting for a response...

Tixy

I don't think there is a form for this.
There is a form for a financial disassociation but in your case its a incorrect alias rather than an association.

biged670

Tixy wrote: »

I don't think there is a form for this.
There is a form for a financial disassociation but in your case its a incorrect alias rather than an association.

I was gonna go down the route of the disassociation as the person is my half brother and we did live at the same address, but we've never shared any credit or any type of account what so ever...

I'll give them a ring tonight and see what they say

GingerBob_3

Presumably your half brother has a different name and DoB from you, so I'd be interested as to how, simply by living at the same address, you have been "merged" with him. How could such a thing happen?

biged670

GingerBob wrote: »

Presumably your half brother has a different name and DoB from you, so I'd be interested as to how, simply by living at the same address, you have been "merged" with him. How could such a thing happen?

Well different first names obviously but same surname. Believe it or not though we were both born on the same day, just a different year. Do you think that could be the issue?

Surely someone somewhere at equifax looks at these type of things? I've checked my experian and noddle and that all looks fine.

GingerBob_3

biged670 wrote: »

Well different first names obviously but same surname. Believe it or not though we were both born on the same day, just a different year. Do you think that could be the issue?

Surely someone somewhere at equifax looks at these type of things? I've checked my experian and noddle and that all looks fine.

Unfortunately not. The CRAs are just bucket organisations that store data for everyone else to look at. They don't apply any QA to the data they receive and if data is incomplete or potentially ambiguous they just make a guess about it. Your case exemplifies these failings quite well. Either manually or automatically, a decision has been made on the basis of surname and birthday (not full DoB), that you and your half bother are one and the same person. A quite deplorable situation, allowed to happen by a lack of regulation in the credit reporting industry.

Tixy

The same date/month of birth could well be the reason for the mistake.
Generally the whole credit file update process is automatic, it is only likely to be reviewed by a person when someone raises a dispute or query.

If you can't get through to the help desk do they have an online messaging on their website somewhere?, I know experian do but can't recall if equifax do.

You should imagine what a mess twins can find themselves in with their credit files. Or fathers/sons with the same name.

GingerBob_3

Tixy wrote: »

The same date/month of birth could well be the reason for the mistake.
Generally the whole credit file update process is automatic, it is only likely to be reviewed by a person when someone raises a dispute or query.

If you can't get through to the help desk do they have an online messaging on their website somewhere?, I know experian do but can't recall if equifax do.

You should imagine what a mess twins can find themselves in with their credit files. Or fathers/sons with the same name.

Yep. No QA.

biged670

Thanks both, GingerBob I completely agree with what you say. Tixy, equifax online isn't very easy to operate at all. The support is on a completely different website for which you have to have a completely separate account., not the best. I've logged a help desk on their online system, think I'll give them a ring tonight though. It appears this is a bigger mistake than I initially thought...