Credit Reference Agencies

A question about : Credit Reference Agencies

Hello everybody!

Here is the latest UPDATE which Credit Reference Agency (CRA) lenders use to credit check your credit applications - Most of this work is done by Underground i am just merely updating the thread (as promised).

Below is a list of major financial companies which provide bank accounts, credit cards, mobile phone contracts, loans, home shopping catalogues and mortgages which I will update with which agency they use to search and report to as people post it up. As a result of the credit crunch, more lenders have become very cautious and in some respects tightened up their criteria and because of that, they tend to search more than one CRA, opposed to just one in the past to ensure the applicant salary/debt ratio is good (i.e lower risk of defaulting). ALSO more lenders are reporting to Callcredit (CC) for account conduct.

PLEASE HELP KEEP THIS THREAD UP TO DATE BY POSTING UP ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE - T H A N K S

Key:
EQ = Equifax
EX = Experian
CC = Call Credit

BOLD = Lender

**** DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS A GUIDE ONLY AND ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN IS NOT GUARANTEED TO BE ACCURATE. ALL INFORMATION POSTED IS BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER MSE FORUM USERS ****

Bank Current Accounts

Abbey (incl. Cahoot)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Alliance & Leicester
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Bank Of Ireland
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Barclays
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Citibank
Search:EX
Report: EX
Co-op (incl. smile)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Halifax & BOS (Now part of Lloyds Banking Group)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
HSBC (incl. First Direct)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Lloyds TSB (part of Lloyds Banking Group)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Nationwide Building Society
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
RBS & NatWest
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Yorkshire Bank
Search: EX
Report: EX

Credit Cards

American Express
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Bank Of Ireland (incl. Post Office Card)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ
Barclaycard (incl. Sky Card, Argos Credit Card, Leeds BS)
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Capital One Bank(Europe)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Citicard
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Co-op (incl. smile)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Egg
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Halifax & BOS (incl. Sainsbury's)
Search: EX (+ EQ for Aqua Card)
Report: EX, EQ, CC
HSBC (incl. First Direct, M&S)
Search: EX, CC (EQ for John Lewis Mastercard)
Report: EX, EQ
Lloyds TSB
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
MBNA (incl. Alliance & Leicester, Virgin, ICICI)
Search: EX (+EQ for credit limit increases)
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Monument Card
Search: CC
Report: EX, EQ, CC
National Australia Bank Group (Yorkshire Bank, Clydesdale Bank)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Nationwide Building Society
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
RBS & NatWest (incl. MINT, Tesco, Ulster Bank)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Santander Cards (incl. Abbey, GE Money, Asda)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX
Sygma Bank (JJB Card, Flybe Card)
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ
Vanquis (incl. Grattan Card, Freemans Card)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ

Mobile Phones / Landlines

3
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
BT
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ
Carphone Warehouse
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ
O2
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Orange
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
T-Mobile
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ
Virgin Mobile
Search: EX
Report: EX
Vodafone
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC

Catalogues

Candid Collections Limited / JD Williams (Simply Be, Ambrose Wilson, Premier Man + numerous small brands)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Express Gifts (Studio, Ace, Health & Home Shopping)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Next Directory
Search:EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Otto Group (Freemans, Grattan)
Search: EQ, EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Redcats (LaRedoute, Vertbaudet, Daxon)
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Shop Direct Group / Shop Direct Financial Services (Littlewoods, Great Universal, Kays, Choice, Marshall Ward, Additions Direct, Empire Stores)
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC

Loans

Barclaycard Masterloan
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ
Halifax
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
HSBC
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
NatWest
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Provident
Search: N/A
Report: EX (+EQ if defaulted)
Tesco
Search: EQ
Report: EX
Zopa
Search: EQ
Report: UNKNOWN - Please fill this in

Store Cards

Argos Store Card
Search: EX
Report: EQ
GE Money / Santander (House of Fraser, Arcadia Group, River Island et al)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Ikano Financial Services (Store cards: IKEA, Habitat, Oasis, Warehouse, Principals, New Look, Mango)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Next
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ

Mortgages

Abbey
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
GMAC RFC (through an IFA)
Search: EX
Report: EX
HSBC
Search: UNKNOWN - please fill this in
Report: UNKNOWN - please fill this in
Cooperative Bank
Search: UNKNOWN - please fill this in
Report: UNKNOWN - please fill this in
Woolwich
Search: UNKNOWN - please fill this in
Report: UNKNOWN - please fill this in

**** DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS A GUIDE ONLY AND ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN IS NOT GUARANTEED TO BE ACCURATE. ALL INFORMATION POSTED IS BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER MSE FORUM USERS ****

Best answers:

• Well done Noah. I'm sure Underground will be pleased with this.
• Cheers noah!!
  Just one point - It's not Yorkshire Building Society but Yorkshire Bank, YBS don't do current accounts or credit cards!
  Regards
  UNDERGROUND
• Well informative Noah
• Pls add John Lewis Mastercard search Equifax
• Just a minor update..
  Jd Williams group also report to Call Credit in addition ti Experian and Equifax.
  Hope this helps
• Tesco report to Experian
• Anyone know who GE Money report to? NID?
  More info on mortgages would be very valuable.
  Thanks
• Well done Noah - very nice..
• By GE Money which i think is the same as GE Capital bank ltd which Arcadia use they report to Experian and Equifax
  
  
• From my experience O2 search Equifax. I applied for another contract with them last night and no search was done with Experian. This was also the case when I got my contract out in January.
• NID, do you know who Bank of Ireland report to? I know you got BOI mastercard but just wondering?