Credit Karma hard search made - no idea why

Doc_N

Email recently from Credit Karma:
Hi ,

A credit application came through on your report and we wanted to make sure this was definitely you.

Not you? Check who searched you and contact them.

Account shows this:

Alert status:  Hard credit search

Lloyds Bank PersonalCurrentAccounts7.2(CR BSB API) has carried out a credit application search.

Lloyds Bank plc (SA,TAC,CT,SR ML CVAL,R, CT Batch)

Checking Credit Application

No credit applications made by me, and I suspect this is some sort of batch processing job - but at face value it's worrying.
Anyone seen this before?

[Deleted User]

You wouldn't generally get a hard search without knowing what is was for. 

Do you have any financial associates - an application by them could result in a hard search on your file. 

If not, this one might be worth querying.

Also check your other three files to see if anything else looks untoward.

Doc_N

Deleted_User said:

You wouldn't generally get a hard search without knowing what is was for. 

Do you have any financial associates - an application by them could result in a hard search on your file. 

If not, this one might be worth querying.

Also check your other three files to see if anything else looks untoward.

Thanks - odd, isn't it.  No financial associates.  Other three files?  Credit reference agencies?
Lloyds can't provide any information (no surprise there) and the fraud team are closed until Tuesday - impressive, isn't it.  No wonder there's so much bank fraud!

[Deleted User]

Have a look at Experian and Equifax (or the free versions).

I wouldn't overly worry right now, but I'd you saw another application elsewhere, you may have a problem.

Have you actually checked your file on Credit Karma? Sometimes their alerts are completely wrong and don't reflect the actual data.

Doc_N

Deleted_User said:

Have a look at Experian and Equifax (or the free versions).

I wouldn't overly worry right now, but I'd you saw another application elsewhere, you may have a problem.

Have you actually checked your file on Credit Karma? Sometimes their alerts are completely wrong and don't reflect the actual data.

Checked the CK file, which confirms the search.  Nothing on Equifax.  I'll check Experian.

Mrp791

Have you had any old debts , I’ve recently been having a nightmare with piggy bank a statute barred debt over 7-8 years old I refused to pay as told them statute barred they then carried x2 hard searches saying I had applied for credit , which I hadn’t not in over 8 years ! 

Have a look into that maybe. It’s only on my credit karma tho! As far as I can tell

Doc_N

Mrp791 said:

Have you had any old debts , I’ve recently been having a nightmare with piggy bank a statute barred debt over 7-8 years old I refused to pay as told them statute barred they then carried x2 hard searches saying I had applied for credit , which I hadn’t not in over 8 years ! 

Have a look into that maybe. It’s only on my credit karma tho! As far as I can tell

Thanks, but nothing like that. I’ll try to find out from Lloyds what’s going on, but it’ll be like wading through treacle.

molerat

Overdraft review ?

Malkytheheed

I had a hard search i knew nothing about from RBS about 2 years ago. Totally unsolicited. I'm not a customer of theirs either. Never did get to the bottom of it. 

Doc_N

I have the answer now, in case anyone’s interested - and it’s a bit worrying.

The reason for the hard search is that a person with whom I once had a joint account (closed a couple of years back) applied for a bank account.  She was associated with me, and I fully understand why my file would have taken a hit then, but since the account was closed there should be no association.

Talking to one of the banks, I’m told that old association could be indefinite. That doesn’t sound right.  Any further thoughts?

cymruchris

I don't have the knowledge to give anything constructive other than - do you still know that person, have contact details, and are on talking terms? If so, I'd let them know what's happened, as within their credit files, the association still exists, and they would be able to remove that association with the click of a mouse in each of the CRA's.  You mentioned previously that you have no associations showing on your side.  Is that something you could investigate?