First name/middle name - credit score?

travelelogram

Hi!

I recently discovered that companies have been saving my name differently and I am not sure if/how this affects my credit score with Equifax/Experian.

I have two names (on my U.S pass):
Richard Lucas

My mobile phone provider’s systems show:
First name(s)/Given name/forename: Richard
Middle name: Lucas
Surname: Exampleman

My bank’s system says:
First name/Given name/forename: Richard Lucas
Middle name: none
Surname: Exampleman
Agent's response to my inquiry about their name policy: "Nah, middle names in the UK mean "maiden name"."

Cool, dude... OK.


HMRC:
Given name: Richard
Middle Name: Lucas
Surname: Exampleman
HMRC employee's words to my asking about it: "Yeah, Lucas is your middle name."
But my bank and GP both said... umm, ok, whateffa...:rotfl:

DVLA:
Given name (the field reads: given name/s): Richard Lucas
Middle name: none
Surname: X
... why ask me for my middle name if you're asking for forenameS anyway?

I know, the gov isn’t an issue… tho, HMRC is difficult to deal with.
I called Virgin and asked them (hypothetically) if they would change my record; they said I’d need to pay them £20 and fill out a form.


My question -
Do I need to care? Does this affect my credit score? More importantly, will this pose a problem in the future? 
I mean, not even the gov. is consistent…
Are Experian/Equifax smart enough to know that I’m the same person?

What does English law say?

What’s the deal with given names/middle names in the UK anyway? Looks like people can’t make up their minds…

Thankfully, I only have one last name. 
And before you say: “Drop Lucas”. I can’t. I need to use both, everywhere… because, visa. Because, Home Office. Gotta keep everything organized; records, records. records. Thank God, my name looks the same on envelopes/letters.

Help, please? I’d appreciate some advice.

Fun Fact, my wife has 2 given names, 1 last name + uses the middle name field for her maiden name. HMRC has her two last names X & Y saved under "last name", her first name Anne under "first name", her second name Laura under "middle name". City council - first name: Anne Laura & last name: X Y
Hah…
Huh,
I'm confused...
:rotfl::j:rotfl:
Is Lucas part of my forename or is it my middle name? lol

Thanks!

[Deleted User]

It's just an extra level of identifying you.

There are no credit scores in the UK beyond what any given lender chooses to give you upon application, and it won't have any impact on how lenders see you.

Candyapple

Your middle name is exactly that, your middle name. Whatever idiot told you it was for your maiden name was wrong.

Experian/Equifax will enter whatever details you have supplied on applications for credit, the onus is on you to check that they are correct and match.

travelelogram

Hey, thanks @Candyapple.

So... when an org/gov asks for my giving name(s) I'm supposed to tell them Richard and put Lucas in the Middle Name field, yes? When there is no middle name field, I'm supposed to give them both my names?



My other bank refuses to change my first name to Richard, saying Richard Lucas is my name. They got no middle name field though.

[Deleted User]

If there's no middle name field, then you don't put in a middle name. You don't try to squash it into the first name field.

travelelogram

Hey @zx81 ,



Thanks.
Both my baks are addressing me with two first names: "Hello Richard Lucas,". So does my mobile provider and my water company - among others. Thought it was an anomaly, Turns out their systems don't do middle names but they still insist I add my middle name to the first name field. The field reads: Forename(s) OR Given name(s) - that apprently means I'm to provide both, my first name and my middle name.

And thanks, I'll take the advice and ignore idiots asking me to put my maiden name in the middle name field.



I basically just want to make sure my credit score will not be impacted + will see me as one and the same person.

[Deleted User]

Check your three credit files to ensure that all major accounts appear on one or more of them.

Make sure nothing odd appears under financial associates.

And remember to keep ignoring that score. You're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

[Deleted User]

I’ve never entered my middle name on a form that doesn’t have a field for it.

Unless the first name field says something like (including any middle name/s) then I will only enter my first name.

Some sites only require a middle initial rather than the full name as well so I just enter that.

And as above ignore the credit score as they mean nothing in the real world in the UK - a mere marketing gimmick to sell you “improvement” products.

travelelogram

@zx81 ,



Maybe? Maybe not?



I still remember my first months here. Being unable to sign contracts, declined credit... declined APARTMENTS because "credit check failed". My first landlord was... dubiously dubious.
And companies didn't even want to talk to me. I had to purchase a SIM from 3, stay with them for three months, pay way more than i would have normally (paygo prices for unlimited internet are a joke) before i was even allowed to upgrade to a (cheaper..lol) sim only plan. Three/EE/Sky/Virgin: "Sir, your credit history in the UK is..blahblahblah" OR "We can't say, your credit history is likely...blahblahblah". Spent a year in the Netherlands before moving here. Banks, credit cards, media, had no issues - with my employment contract in my hands.

My brother is going through the same now - was denied a sim only plan, denied a smart meter (the apartment came with a prepaid meter), etc. Thank God, his company provided him with a place to sleep. He's been here for a year now; no credit history, no contracts - no internet, phone, nothing. Fortunately there's light at the end of tunnel - we got him a no credit check Sim Only plan, put his name on our bills - and are hoping for the best. :beer: I have no idea how locals do it - i keep hearing stories, 18somethings getting loans/phone plans, with no job history. We're all the same, except some of us are "alien" scum. :rotfl:I just got my first (!!!!!!) credit card. We wanna buy a place; I've just applied for financing. Took me a solid year n a half to build up my score... and i'm not exactly poor, and i wasn't back then... weird!!! What you are saying is not true, Islander. Credit file matters; the score maybe less... hard to believe local business trusts teenies more than a stable adult with no debts. Must. Raise. My. Score! lol



I've a feeling, we're still in Kansas...

[Deleted User]

travelelogram wrote: »

Maybe? Maybe not?

Definitely not.

The comedy scores aren't even visible to lenders. Over here, lenders build their own risk models.

It"s just a little gimmick for you to enjoy. Like a magic 8 ball or tarot cards. Fun, but ultimately a crock of horse poo.

Focus on your credit files - that's what drives lending decisions.

[Deleted User]

Files matter yes.
History matters yes.
The score - NEVER