Credit Reference Agencies

A question about : Credit Reference Agencies

LAST UPDATED: Friday 7th April 2010

Hi all

Thought I'd start a thread where everyone can post which company uses which Credit Reference Agency (CRA).

Below is a list of major financial companies which provide bank accounts, credit cards, mobile phone contracts, loans, home shopping catalogues, mortgages and motor finance which I will update with which agency they use to search and report to as people post it up.

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

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

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

BANK CURRENT ACCOUNTS

Alliance & Leicester
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Allied Irish Bank (First Trust Bank)
Search:
Report:
Bank Of Cyprus
Search: EQ
Report:
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
Coventry Building Society
Search: EQ
Report:
Halifax & Bank of Scotland
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
HSBC (incl. First Direct)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Lloyds TSB
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Nationwide
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Northern Bank
Search: EX
Report:
Royal Bank of Scotland & NatWest
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Santander (incl. Cahoot)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Yorkshire Bank & Clydesdale Bank (National Australia Group)
Search: EX
Report: EX

CREDIT CARDS

Allied Irish Bank (incl. Saga, First Trust Bank)
Search:
Report:
American Express
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Bank Of Ireland (incl. Post Office Card)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ
Barclaycard (incl. Bhs, Hilton HHonors, Leeds Building Society, Orange, Priority Club, Thomas Cook)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Capital One
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Citicard (Not accepting new applications)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Co-op (incl. smile)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Egg (issued by Citibank)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Halifax & Bank of Scotland (incl. ipoints, Marriot Rewards, Sainsbury's)
Search: EX (+ EQ for Aqua Card)
Report: EX, EQ, CC
HSBC (incl. First Direct, M&S, The GM Card)
Search: EX, CC (EQ for John Lewis Card)
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Lloyds TSB
Search: EX, CC
Report: EX, EQ
MBNA (incl. AA, Amazon, bmi, BT, ICICI, Newcastle BS, Norwich & Peterborough BS, Play.com, SonyCard, Virgin)
Search: EX (+EQ for credit limit increases)
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Monument Card (Not accepting new applications)
Search: CC
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Nationwide
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Northern Bank
Search: EX
Report:
Royal Bank of Scotland & NatWest (incl. Tesco, Ulster Bank)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Santander Cards (incl. Asda, House of Fraser, PayPal, Ryanair)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX
Sygma Bank (All Saints, Donate As You Spend, Flybe Card, JJB Card, myWorld, Silver Card)
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ
Vanquis (incl. Freemans Card, Grattan Card)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Yorkshire Bank & Clydesdale Bank (National Australia Group)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ

MOBILE PHONES / LANDLINES / TELEVISION / BROADBAND / UTILITIES

3
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
BT
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ
British Gas
Search:
Report: EX
Carphone Warehouse
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ
O2
Search: EQ (EX for business tariffs)
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Orange
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
T-Mobile
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ
Virgin Mobile
Search: EQ
Report: EQ
Virgin Media
Search: EQ
Report: EQ
Vodafone
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC

CATALOGUES

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

LOANS

Alliance & Leicester
Search: EX, EQ
Report:
Black Horse
Search: EX
Report:
Clydesdale Bank
Search: EX
Report:
Halifax
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Lloyds TSB
Search: EX
Report:
HSBC
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Provident
Search: N/A (not credit searched)
Report: EX, CC (+EQ if defaulted)
Royal Bank of Scotland & NatWest
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Tesco
Search: EQ
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Zopa
Search: EQ
Report: EX

STORE CARDS / STORE FINANCE

Argos Store Card
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
HFC Bank (DSG Retail - Currys, Dixons, PC World)
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX
Ikano Financial Services (Habitat, IKEA, Mango, New Look, Oasis, Principles, Warehouse)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Next
Search: EX, EQ
Report: EX, EQ
Santander Cards (Arcadia Group [Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit, Topshop, Topman, Wallis] & House of Fraser)
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ

MORTGAGES

Cheltenham & Gloucester
Search: EX
Report:
Co-operative Bank
Search: EX
Report:
GMAC RFC (through an IFA)
Search: EX
Report: EX
Halifax
Search: EX
Report:
HSBC
Search: EX
Report:
Nationwide
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Norwich and Peterborough
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC
Northern Rock
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Royal Bank of Scotland & NatWest
Search: EX, EQ
Report:
Santander
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ
Yorkshire Building Society
Search: EQ
Report:

MOTOR FINANCE

Alphera Finance
Search: EX
Report:
Black Horse
Search: EX
Report:
Santander Consumer Motor Finance
Search: EX
Report: EX, EQ, CC

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

UNDERGROUND

Best answers:

• CATALOGUES:- The Shop Direct Group formed when Littlewoods took over GUS also includes Argos & Homebase. From the 11th July 2008 the group includes the Redcats brands Empire Stores & La Redoubte.
  The Shop Direct Group is owned by the Barclay brothers (95%) & Bank of Scotland (5%).
• I opened a NatWest Current Account recently and did not apply for an overdraft and they only search Equifax, not Experian. They did check Experian only a year before when I applied for a credit card.
  Hope this helps.
  James
  Edit: Next Directory search Equifax.
• Post removed
• Halifax Bank Account - Report to experian
  Credit Cards
  Cahoot - Report to experian
  Post Office - Report to experian
  Barclaycard - Search Experian
  Capital One - Search Experian
  Egg - Report to experian
  HSBC - Report to experian
  MBNA - Search & Report experian
  Vodafone - Search & Report experian
• and Halifax Current Account also report to Equifax and Call Credit.
• Lloyds TSB search Experian when offering current accounts
• Thanks for your replies
  KEEP 'EM COMING!!!
  The gaps are filling up!
  Regards
  UNDERGROUND
• GE Money also report to experian
• Barclays/Woolwich reports to Experian.
• Vanquis report to Experian
• citicards report to eq and ex, they searched ex only for me
• Barclaycard and barclaycard masterloan only search equifax but report to all three CRA.
  All royal bank fo scotland companies, ie mint, RBS,Natwest initially search equifax but then do a second search with experian. They report to all 3 CRA.
  Lloyds TSB search experian only
  Mercedes and mitsubishi both only search equifax for car loans, dont know yet on reporting.
  HTH
• Oh forgot that creation cards so JJB, Flybe only search equifax but again report to experian and equifax on account conduct.
  Argos card part of barclays only search equifax
  sky card again barclays only search equifax but report to all 3 CRA
• Vanquis use Experian for searching ...
• That's great! Thanks very much for the information.
  I noticed that the JJB and Flybe cards are actually issued by Sygma bank, hopefully the CRA info is still correct.
  Still a load of gaps, so keep em coming everyone!
  UNDERGROUND