An account on your report you don't recognise
Work through the ordinary explanations first. Lenders often report under a trading name you won't recognise, similar names and addresses get confused, and…
Practical guides
Reading your credit report
Make sense of accounts, payment markers and updates on your credit report.
6
pieces of guidance
How long information stays on your credit report
Six years is the standard retention period, set by the Information Commissioner's Office. Closed accounts, defaults, CCJs and insolvencies all run for six…
How often your credit report updates
Lenders report roughly once a month, and their update can take up to two months to show. Court information arrives within about 28 days. Electoral Roll…
What the payment markers on your report mean
OK means you paid on time. The numbers 1 to 6 count how many months you're behind. Everything else is a status code — D for default, AR for an arrangement…
Why your bank account isn't showing on your report
Unlike other lenders, banks were never required to report customer information. More of them do now because it helps their own lending decisions, but not…
Why your credit report looks empty
Credit reports are assembled by automated matching, so a small difference in how your name or address is recorded can stop information being returned. If…