Experian's leaflet entitled Helping you to understand your credit file'states
'The finances of people living in the same household are often linked. If
one member gets into financial difficulty, it may have an adverse effect on
the finances of the other members of the household'. Also that they will
remove information about another individual from your file provided they are
satisfied that there is no financial connection between you.
it's difficult to see though how the disclosure can be justified in terms of
the first principle. I suggest your wife takes it up with the credit
reference agency and then the DPC if necessary.
Gail Waters
DP Coordinator
OPen University
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Howley [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 25 January 2001 14:09
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Credit file data
>
> I recently sent for my credit file (value for money for a £2 fee) from a
> well know credit refernce agency. It promptly arrived and much to my
> surprise it contained pages of information about my wife's financial
> affairs. Now I guess its reasonable for the file to record that the
> mortgage
> is in joint names and for it to show that I am the main holder of a credit
> card account for which I have approved a second card in her name.
>
> But I was surprised (and she very angry) that it also contained the
> details
> of her personal credit cards, the date she took it out, her credit limit,
> her current balance and so on. It also showed a list of previously held
> and
> now closed accounts for catalogues, credit cards, store cards, etc, in her
> (sole) name. Also shown was a monthy update on payments to all these
> accounts, ie. ontime, missed, etc.
>
> Is this legal?
>
> Richard
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