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Everyone over the age of 18 in the UK has a credit score. This number represents of how appealing you might appear to potential lenders when applying for loans or a credit card or taking on a new contract for something like a mobile phone. A poor credit score will include anything that could put lenders off, such as a history of missed or late payments.

A Money CV

It often helps to think of a credit report as your financial CV. Applying for credit, whether a loan, overdraft, or mobile phone contract, is just like applying for a job. An employer wants to know about your work experience and qualifications, and a lender wants to know about your credit history through your credit report. A credit report sets out your money history over the past six years or so and provides information about whether:

• You have borrowed money in the past.
• How much you currently owe.
• If you have been paying back money on time.

Before applying for credit, or sending in your application for a new job which requires a credit check as part of the standard pre-employment checking, it’s wise to check your credit report yourself. This will minimise nasty surprises, just like you would update or proofread your CV and cover letter before sending a job application in.

Who Does Credit Checking?

There are three credit reference agencies in the UK which maintain your credit file. These are called Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. All three do basically the same thing, and lenders will choose which one they want to work with. Although checking your file at just one credit agency is better than nothing, it’s advisable to check all of them. There is no charge for doing this, and lots of apps which can help you. The numerical credit score you see (ranging from 0 to 999, depending on the agency) is for your personal reference only, as lenders do not use the number itself. The credit score gives general information about your credit health, with a higher number indicating better creditworthiness.

What To Look for on a Credit Report and How to Improve Your Score

The main thing to check is the information recorded on your credit file. Make sure that personal details are accurate, and that you recognise all the accounts listed under your name. If you spot an error, ask the credit reference agency to fix it.

Improving your credit report and score takes time, especially if you’ve made past mistakes like missing payments. There are also several easy ways to improve your credit score, such as making sure you are registered to vote at your current address and avoiding making multiple credit applications. Higher credit scores often lead to lower interest rates, but other factors come into play as well. Each lender has their own rules about who they will lend to, so check out the sites which tell you whether you’re likely to be accepted before applying for a new credit card or mobile phone contract.

Rising costs mean that more of us than ever are struggling to make ends meet, and perhaps thinking about taking out a credit card or loan to pay for larger purchases. When you apply for any type of credit, the lender will assess how likely you are to be able to pay it back. This is called credit scoring, and in general terms, the higher your score, the greater your chances of being approved. It’s also easier than ever to check your own credit rating, using websites like Clear Score, or apps like Credit Karma. If you’re thinking of applying for a new line of credit, or are going for a position which requires credit checking through a third party, then here are some easy steps which you can take to improve your score.

Register to Vote

One of the basic checks which a bank will do is to make sure you live at the address stated on the credit application form, which they do by checking the electoral roll or register. There is no charge for having your name added to the list, and you can add yourself at any time by googling “register to vote” and following the steps on the government website.

Limit Your Applications

If you apply for lots of new credit in a short period, lenders can perceive you as desperate and will be concerned that you may not be able to pay it back. Take advantage of the eligibility checkers which will give a general indication of whether you are likely to be accepted for credit rather than doing hard application checks. Only make a hard application for credit which you know you are more likely to be accepted for.

Pay By Direct Debit

Lenders give higher scores to people who opt to pay their phone contracts, electricity bills oy gym memberships direct from their bank account rather than waiting for a bill to come in, and then paying. Setting up direct debits to cover this cost demonstrates you are financially reliable, and have the income needed to cover regular costs.

Correct Errors

Not everyone’s credit record will have mistakes on it, but if yours does, asking the credit reference agencies to remove the error can raise your score instantly. Look at any CCJs or defaults on your account as these can be challenged if you can prove that they were applied unfairly, perhaps because you’d moved house and never got the letter. You may have to approach the original lender or court to get any unfair default removed.

Joint Accounts

If you have joint accounts with someone who struggles to manage their finances or who has a very low credit score, this can affect you too. This applies whether you are living together or not. Separating out finances and showing that you personally are a better risk should improve your credit rating. The downside is that this might take some time and isn’t the instant win of other steps such as challenging errors.

Credit scoring is a system used by financial services to assess the creditworthiness of either an individual or a business. In the UK, credit scoring is used by a wide range of lenders, including banks, credit card companies, and mortgage lenders, to help make decisions about who should get credit.

Any credit scoring looks at a range of factors related to an individual’s financial history, or the history of a company. A credit file contains information about someone’s debts or credit facilities, such as credit cards, loans, and mortgages, as well as details of any missed or late payments. Companies might also look at employment status, outstanding debt, and a range of other factors. All these factors are used to give the individual a credit score. This is a number between 0 and 999 which indicates the likelihood of the individual being able to repay the credit they have applied for. The higher the score, the better.

The main credit reference agency each have their own credit scoring system, which means that your score may vary depending on which agency is used by the lender. Although the numbers may differ between the different companies, the factors they look at to arrive at their calculation will be broadly similar.

Affordability

As well as looking at whether someone has defaulted on agreements in the past or is only paying the minimum each month on their credit cards, lenders have now introduced the concept of affordability. This move came in response to the financial crash of around 15 years ago, where lenders got into huge difficulty by lending money to people who had no hope of ever paying it back. Affordability lending involves looking at your financial outgoings such as rent and bills, and working out whether you have space in the household budget to take on another line of credit. Affordability is considered along with your credit score or history when deciding whether to give you a new credit card or mortgage.

Checking Your Credit Score

In the UK, individuals have the right to check their credit report. There are several ways of doing this, and you will probably have seen the adverts promoting apps or websites where you can log in and track your score. It’s not unheard of for people to spot mistakes on their credit file, and having those corrected can improve your score almost immediately.

Credit Checking for Employment

Credit Scoring and checking is standard practice for many jobs, especially in the financial services market. Positions which involve access to large sums of money are likely to have more extensive checking of credit, identity and criminal records than entry-level positions. Companies such as Verify Online work with employers to check out the backgrounds of people who have applied for employment. This process is entirely transparent, and it is good practice for employers to be very clear about what they are checking, and why. Companies which are not operating in the financial services market are unlikely to be interested in your credit score or record at all.

A recent survey by a leading credit referencing and scoring company has shown major discrepancies between residents of various countries when it comes to their credit scores. Your credit score is expressed as a numerical value, and is a measure of how good a risk you are for a financial services company. Put simply, it gives you a general idea about whether or not you’d be likely to be accepted for a loan or mortgage. The cost-of-living crisis means that more of us than ever are thinking about borrowing to meet rising costs, and understanding your credit score helps you judge whether your application is likely to be successful. Furthermore, many employers ask workers to have a credit check to verify their identity and help them in their recruitment process. If you’re a bit in the dark about what your credit score is, and how to improve it, then here are the basics.

Know Your Numbers

The main finding from the recent survey was that almost 50% of British adults do not know what their credit score is, and what steps they should take to improve it. In contrast, figures are much higher in other European countries, with only 40% of Germans saying that they don’t think about their credit scores. The survey also indicated that this lack of knowledge could be making it harder for people to get credit when they wish to access a new mortgage or loan. Around 10% of people surveyed say that they have been refused credit since the beginning of 2020, and the majority of those lack awareness of how to improve matters.

Consequence of Poor Credit Scores

Many consumers first try to access loans or other forms of credit through banks and building societies. If refused because of a poor credit score or other issues with their credit history, they are more likely to resort to much more expensive options, such as pay day loans or loans secured against a vehicle. These forms of credit come with much higher interest rates, making the applicant’s financial situation even worse, and creating an ever-increasing spiral of debt. Many more applicants were shocked to be turned down when applying for a credit card or other product, as they thought the had a good credit rating.

Checking Your Rating

British attitudes contrast sharply to those in the US, where the average American looks at their credit score about four times a year, and only a fifth of US adults don’t know what their credit scores are. The easiest way of becoming informed about your credit score is by downloading one of the apps such as Credit Karma, or by signing up for one of the websites such as Clear Score or Experian. Most offer a free membership level if you don’t wish to pay for additional services. Get into the habit of logging into the site or opening the app once a month to check how your credit score is looking. Any sudden changes in rating should be investigated, as it could indicate fraud or identity theft.

KYC is one of those abbreviations which is often used in the financial services industry, but what is it all about? KYC stands for Know Your Customer, and describes the steps which banks, building societies and other financial institutions must take to comply with money laundering legislation. In practical terms, KYC describes the checks and proof which a bank might ask you for when you open a new bank account, take out a loan or credit card, or apply for a mortgage.

Reliable Documents

Every bank will have its own rules and processes for implementing KYC, but all will follow a broadly similar process. When you go into a bank to talk about opening an account or applying for a mortgage, you will be asked to take with you some key identity documents to prove who you are, and your residential address. If you are applying for a joint account, both people named on the account must provide their identity documents to be verified. If the account is for an organisation such as a company or charity, other documents must be shown to prove that the organisation is properly registered and who the owners are.

The key requirements for documents used to prove identity is that they should have the owner’s photograph, and signature. The commonly used documents to prove identity are passports and driving licences. It is a common misconception that a British passport is required to prove identity to a British bank, but this is not the case. The legislation allows for the use of any passport officially issued by a foreign government, as long as it is machine readable and currently valid. A photo driving licence issued overseas which has not expired and has both signature and photograph can be used to prove identity too.

Proving Your Address

As well as proving your identity, the KYC regulations require banks to check that the addresses stated are genuine too. If you have used your passport to prove your identity, then you can use a driving licence as proof of address. Alternatively, customers can produce other documents such as a credit card or bank statement, a Council Tax statement, utility bills or mortgage statements. Banks will want to see recent and original copies of your address documents. “Recent” is generally defined as within the last three months, or in the case of something sent annually such as a Council Tax bill or mortgage statement, the most recent available. Banks will generally not accept any documents which have been printed off the internet. As most of us are managing our finances online these days, that could mean requesting a hard copy of a statement.

Credit Checking

Banks might also take steps to check that the documents you have presented are genuine and may want to take copies. They might also run basic credit checks, looking at whether you are registered to vote at the address you have given. If you are not on the electoral roll, this can make getting any sort of credit difficult.

A recent survey from a recruitment company indicated that as many as 83% of employers are missing out on top talent due to delays in background screening. The best candidates become frustrated with delays in waiting for checks to be completed and go elsewhere. At a time where companies in many sectors of the market are finding it difficult to fill all vacancies, any hold-ups in the checking process can put companies at risk.

Right to Work Checks

Levels of background screening will depend usually on the level of responsibility the job entails. Generally, a company will want to do more detailed screening and checking on someone who is being hired into a senior management position than someone much more junior. One of the non-negotiable checks however are the Right to Work checks, where an employer must verify that the people being employed to work in the UK are in the country legally and have the legal right to take up paid employment. There is a range of ways of doing this, and the best method will depend on the company. A small company might just ask new employees to bring their passports with them to an interview. Larger employers typically use a digital portal or third-party partner to allow applicants to verify their identity digitally.

Delays in DBS Checks

Disclosure and Barring Service checks – or their equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland – are legally required for many positions, especially in healthcare or education. In many cases, applicants will not be able to start work until their DBS certificate arrives in the post, or in cases where they start work, their duties may be restricted. Delays in processing DBS checks is nothing new, and the length of time for processing varies not only depending on the time of year, but also depending on where you live. Employers who request a large number of DBS checks should be aware of roughly how long it will take to complete, but you can maximise your chances by taking care over completing the form and getting someone else to proofread it before hitting the submit button online.

Other Screening Checks

Most companies will at the very least chase references for people applying to work with them. When a large volume of applicants all need verifying at the same time, this can take quite some time if handled in-house. Many organisations are also conducting more detailed checks, such as verifying academic qualifications with universities or schools, or looking through someone’s social media feed. These checks are not a legal requirement, so if a company is keen to get someone into position quickly, they may choose to skip some of these stages. Credit checking is also required for many roles in financial services, and online credit scoring and referencing sites make this a quick job. It also means that you as a candidate can also log in to the credit checking site and see the same information a prospective employer will be judging on.