FAQ
No. Only people who are, or have been, credit active in New Zealand will have a credit file. Credit information held on an individual will only remain on the file for up to 5 years.
FAQ
- Full name
- Last reported and previous addresses
- Date of birth
- Who has made credit inquiries about you and when
- Records of credit payment defaults (if any)
- Records of Credit Accounts, (e.g. credit cards, personal loans, utility accounts, mobile phone accounts and mortgages in your name), which show:
- Creditor Name
- Account Limit
- Account Status
- Opened/Closed Date
- Payment Frequency
- Your repayment history over the past 24 month period
Note: your credit file may not reflect all your credit accounts as not all creditors supply information to us.
- District and High Court judgments (if any)
- Insolvency information (if any)
- Records of any ID you have reported lost or stolen
- Collections Data (if any)
- Collection Agency defaults (if any)
FAQ
Not in all cases.
However, most credit providers have a credit checking process in place when considering applications for credit or supplying goods and services where payment is deferred. A credit check helps to ensure that their credit decision is sound before approving or declining an application for credit.
All credit providers need to be assured that before offering credit that the applicant has a good credit history and has the ability to manage their credit exposure.
FAQ
You are entitled to access any credit information that we hold about you. When applying for access please provide us with sufficient data to enable us to verify your identity. Please note; where we are unable to verify your identity we may ask you for additional information before we can provide you with your credit file. This is to protect you from identity fraud.
You are entitled to get a copy of your credit report for free (to be supplied within 10 business days) or if you require this more quickly for a modest amount (to be supplied within 3 business days).
In addition, Equifax does offer other services. All services are set out below and described in detail on our products page.
- My Credit File - Your credit file will be dispatched to you within 10 business days, free of charge. You can request your credit report online or download an application form.
- My Credit File Express – Your credit file will be dispatched to you within three business days, for $9.95 inclusive of GST.
- My Credit Alert – For a 12 month subscription receive an email alert whenever certain changes occur on your credit file. This includes new credit enquiries which could alert you to potential fraud. You will also receive your credit report, dispatched to you within one business day for $59.95 per year inclusive of GST.
Please note that you may only request a copy of your own personal credit file. Find out more about these services.
* Equifax Score Ratings are not provided when any insolvency information is present on your credit file. Insolvency information remains on your credit file for four years from the date of discharge.
FAQ
From 1 July 2019 your Equifax Score Rating is included with all credit reports ordered from My Credit File.
Prior to this date, a score may not have been included.
FAQ
The decision to decline your application for credit is made by the credit provider, not Equifax.
You are responsible for managing your finances and all applications for credit that you have applied for.
Have you been declined credit?
It's important to understand that your past behaviour, and management of your finances and accounts, can affect your ability to get access to credit. In some cases if you have lost your identify documents, or had them stolen, and not reported this to Equifax, criminals can attempt to apply for credit in your name and, if successful, they can open accounts and not repay them. This information will be reflected against your name.
You may discover that:
- You have payment defaults or collections (overdue accounts) that you had forgotten about
- The information on your credit file is incorrect
- Someone has been using your identity to obtain credit fraudulently and has defaulted on the payments.
It is also very important to understand that a credit provider may decline an application for credit even if payment defaults or collections (overdue accounts), court judgments, or insolvency information is registered on your credit file with a paid in full or settled status.
All credit providers have their own lending criteria and they will use their own methodology and credit decision metrics together with the information provided in your credit file. Depending on the amount of risk they wish to take they will decide on whether to approve or decline your credit application.