Am I Credit Blacklisted? by:Ben McGinn

In the current economic climate it is important that you pay attention to your credit standing

, especially if you believe you have a poor credit rating. So, are you on a credit blacklist?

The straight answer is no, you're not. In fact there is no such thing as a credit blacklist. This is popular myth.

Credit reference agencies by law may only display factual information about people, most of this information is provided directly by lenders and financial institutions with whom we interact.

Credit reference agencies do not and cannot offer opinions about whether you are likely repay credit. Can you imagine how much time it would take up if they did?

Actually companies most often make their lending decisions using a credit scoring technique based upon the information held by credit reference agencies, additional information you may have provided in your credit application, plus their own internal processes. It may surprise you but as a general rule the information credit reference agencies hold shows that most people are actually good payers and make repayments on time.

OK, so what is credit scoring?

Well, credit scoring is a straightforward method used by lenders and other financial institutions to assist them in assessing the risk involved in lending someone money. Essentially it involves building a score based upon the information you have provided them in your credit application form together with the information held on your credit report by the credit reference agency.

It may be that the information that you supplied on your application form has resulted in you not fitting the lender's 'customer profile' and that the information held by a credit reference agency did not affect the decision at all. Different companies take different information into consideration and as a consequence it is quote possible that your application may be accepted by one company but declined by another.

Should a lender or financial institution decline your credit application they should tell you what the main reason for your rejection was. They should inform you whether their decision was based upon a credit score, information held on your credit file or on their own specific policy. In the event that the decision was based upon your credit report, the lender should tell you the name and address of the credit reference agency they used.

This should be a big red flag for you - always check your credit report!

You should regularly obtain a copy of your credit report and check the information contained within it is accurate and complete. This is especially important either before you make a credit application or if you are declined credit as a result of the information held by a credit reference agency. Your credit report will include all the information that any lender or financial institution you apply to will see and should assist you in establishing why your application to them was declined. Your credit report by itself however will not state the reason you have been declined because only the lender or financial institution you applied to will know this.

One last piece of advice. Do not make multiple applications for credit once you have been declined. Each application you make is likely to result in a search of your credit report. You may not be aware of this but each time a lender searches your credit report the search is registered and evidence of multiple credit applications may well affect your chances in future applications.

Establish why your application was declined and repair your credit. Make sure you do this before making any further applications.

About the author

Ben writes articles on how you can repair your credit status without using expensive credit repair companies. Ben tells you how... http://www.creditrepair-today.co.uk

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