Credit Scores explained and myth busted
MoneyHub publishes a ground-breaking guide to
personal credit reports and scores, myth-busting
misinformation and breaking down complexities. Personal
credit reporting and scoring have until now been relatively
unclear in New Zealand, triggering an investigation to be
commissioned by MoneyHub. The results have now been
published, and a comprehensive guide walks unfamiliar New
Zealanders through everything they need to know when it
comes to their personal credit
file.
MoneyHub’s Senior
Researcher Christopher Walsh said “We’re thrilled to
be able to release this comprehensive guide, and believe it
has tremendous value for every New Zealander”.
“In New Zealand, credit scores, credit reports and the process of a credit check are still somewhat smoke and mirrors despite the free data readily available by a number of providers. MoneyHub now outlines everything you need to know about credit scores, checks, files and ratings. We’ve also included a number of easy-to-action tips on how to increase credit scores in the short term and ongoing”.
“We want to
put it out there that New Zealand doesn’t have a credit
score “blacklist”, but individual lenders may refuse to
give an applicant credit if they’ve proven to be an
unreliable customer in the past. So if you’ve previously
defaulted on loans, credit card and/or phone contracts, your
credit score will be low but you won’t appear on any
so-called national blacklist, nor will you be banned from
applying for new credit”.
“We’ve
also published a list of items that are NOT on a credit file
– these include speeding fines, parking tickets, declined
credit applications, salary, race, religion and medical
history”.
“A big misunderstanding
was the actual importance a credit score or report actually
had when applying for credit. Our research confirmed that
the actual application process, which indicates income,
expenses, debts and personal finance commitments was far
more important to a lender. For example, mortgages were
ultimately considered by affordability, and not how
impressive an applicant’s credit score was”.
“We encourage every New Zealand to
request their free credit report from at least one agency,
and challenge any irregularities immediately – the process
is straightforward and you can resolve any problems before
they hold up a credit application later on”.
“To ensure New Zealanders have ready
access to their credit history, MoneyHub walks through each
credit data currently providing free credit reports –
these include Equifax, illion (formerly Dun & Bradstreet)
and Centrix. The guide also includes the process of
requesting data from Credit Simple, the only credit score
company operating in New Zealand”.
The page would be updated on an ongoing basis, and MoneyHub confirmed a positive experience with all credit agencies and the credit score company it dealt with in the preparation of the comprehensive guide.
More: Credit Scores
ENDS