When looking into getting finance of any kind, it is important to know your own credit score. The best way to get an overall picture of your financial situation is by getting your credit report from one of the credit rating agencies. This article will help you find out what credit agencies operate in the UK and how they measure your credit score.
What are the Different Credit Agencies?
There are 3 main UK credit rating agencies that offer credit scores. They are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Each CRA uses a slightly different method, but they all consider similar factors to generate your score.
Your credit score is measured by your credit report, which shows:
- Payment history: This is a big one! Making bill payments on time, every time, significantly boosts your score. Late payments or defaults can have a negative impact.
- Electoral roll registration: Being registered to vote helps verify your identity and residency, which can be a positive factor.
- Credit card utilisation: This refers to how much credit you are using compared to your available limit. Keeping your utilisation ratio low shows responsible credit management.
- Credit history length: A longer credit history with a good track record is generally viewed more favourably.
- Recent credit applications: Making too many loan or credit card applications in a short period can be seen negatively.
Find out all you need to know about credit rating agencies with our comprehensive guide to credit scores…
What are Credit Rating Agencies?
Think of CRAs as the scorekeepers of your financial reputation. There are three main CRAs in the UK: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. These agencies collect information about how you handle credit, such as your payment history, credit card usage, and any loans you have. They then analyse this data and generate a credit report, which includes your credit score.
Are Credit Rating Agencies Regulated?
Yes, CRAs are licensed by the Financial Conduct Authority. Government bodies may also access this credit data to check that individuals are entitled to certain benefits and to recover unpaid taxes and similar debts.
Are Credit Rating Agencies Reliable?
All credit rating agencies are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and can be relied upon to be accurate when calculating credit scores. They may differ slightly, simply because they use different methods to work out your score. It is important to make sure the information they have on you is up to date, i.e. address history, name changes, contact information etc.
Experian
The Experian credit score runs from 0-999 and is one of the most used CRAs in the UK. They would consider a ‘good’ score to be between 881 and 960. Below that is the ‘fair’ scores, between 721 and 880.
Below that is considered ‘poor’ credit scores, between 561 and 720 and below that is the lowest ‘very poor’ credit score between 0-560.
Equifax
Equifax have a different way of measuring your score. Scores range between 0-850, with any score over 800 considered ‘excellent’. 740-799 is considered ‘very good’ and 670-739 falling into a ‘good’ credit score category.
Scores between 580-699 is seen as ‘fair’ and anything below 580 is considered a ‘poor’ credit score.
TransUnion
Finally, TransUnion use a range from 0-710 to measure your credit score. Scores from 628-710 are considered ‘excellent’, while 604-627 fall into the ‘good’ credit category. If your score is between 566-603, then it is seen as a ‘fair’ credit score.
Below this, 551-565 is a ‘poor’ credit score, and from 0-550 is the ‘very poor’ category.
