Cashzilla

Credit checking part 1

Posted on 11. Aug, 2005 by Cashzilla in credit cards

In my personal finance travels across the Web, including research for articles I write from time to time, I came across lots of financial expert sites emphasising the importance of monitoring your credit record.

I was a student for 6 years and have had 13 different addresses over the past 8 years. From time to time I had bills in my name, from which i am sure there may be late payment records. I have exhausted all savings and currently have approximately 11,000 of student loans outstanding. Not good news for a credit check!

However, post graduation – I am now earning a reasonable amount of money (though Steve if you’re reading this – more dosh would be great ;-D ) and I paid off my credit card bill in full two months ago. I intend to take up a professional qualification next month and whilst I still have no savings or pension or mortgage or any other investments the media rant on about – I do feel I’m making progress (albeit in small steps).

But what about the credit record?

Applied through myCallcredit and paid – and was given the impression that it was a straight-forward procedure, but upon logging into my account (and waiting for the password through the post) – I am now told that they have insufficient information on me to give a credit check. I have to provide them with physical copies of statements from previous addresses.

This may be fine, but I also know that there are some addresses about which I have no evidence. For most of my time at uni, mail was nearly always redirected by my parents from home. In my current flat – council tax and utility bills are included in the rent – so I have very little paperwork coming through by post.

I rarely get bank statements changed – as it works well just collecting them periodically from my parents and I may well move again in the not too distant future.

Fortunately I am sure that I have some evidence kicking about at home, but surely there must be lots of other graduates like me – who maybe haven’t kept any bills or bank statements. What do they do?

Ok – lots of us mess up at uni – but when we try to clean up our act in graduation, why is it so hard to monitor the progress we’ve made?

Watch this space, I’ll keep you posted on how the process of checking your credit record goes.

Frogs and fishes,

Cash Z ///

Related personalfinanosaurus posts:

1. Praying for the death of credit card cheques
2. Tune on, tune in and switch off
3. 40 years of credit cards
4. Rargh – doom and gloom rargh – the end is nigh – rargh – bleak future

Tags: credit rating, student