CREDIT REFERENCE AGENCIES In order to process your application, the chosen funder will perform credit and identity checks on you with one or more credit reference agencies (CRAs). They may also make periodic searches at CRAs to manage your account. To do this, they will supply your personal information to CRAs and they will give us information about you. This will include information from your credit application and about your financial situation and financial history. CRAs will supply to us both public (including the electoral register) and shared credit, financial situation and financial history information and fraud prevention information. They will use this information to: - Assess your creditworthiness and whether you, your financial associate(s), or your business can afford to take the product - Verify the accuracy of the data you have provided to us - Prevent criminal activity, fraud and money laundering - Manage your account(s) - Trace and recover debts - Ensure any offers provided to you are appropriate to your circumstances. They will continue to exchange information about you with CRAs while you have a relationship with them. We will also inform the CRAs about your settled accounts. If you borrow and do not repay in full and on time, CRAs will record the outstanding debt. This information may be supplied to other organisations by CRAs. When CRAs receive a search from us they will place a search footprint on your credit file that may be seen by other lenders. If you are making a joint application, or tell us that you have a financial associate or business partner, we will link your records together, so you should make sure you discuss this with them, and share with them this information, before lodging the application. CRAs will also link your records together and these links will remain on your and their files until such time as you or your partner successfully files for a disassociation with the CRAs to break that link. The identities of the CRAs, their role also as fraud prevention agencies, the data they hold, the ways in which they use and share personal information, data retention periods and your data protection rights with the CRAs are explained in more detail at any of these three links: - Equifax www.equifax.co.uk/crain - Experian www.experian.co.uk/crain - TransUnion www.transunion.co.uk/crain IDENTITY VERIFICATION AND FRAUD PREVENTION CHECKS The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with fraud prevention agencies who will use it to prevent fraud and money-laundering and to verify your identity. If fraud is detected, you could be refused certain services, finance, or employment. The identities of these fraud prevention agencies and further details of how your information will be used by them, and your data protection rights, are explained in more detail at any of these two links: - CIFAS www.cifas.org.uk/fpn - National Hunter www.nhunter.co.uk/privacypolicy
