Information on your credit report

Your Personal Credit report contains information about you and your credit history, including:

• personal details
  name, date of birth, current and past addresses, employment and driver's licence number
   
• credit applications made
  credit provider, amount of credit and type of credit (for example interest free loan, home loan, credit card)
   
• unpaid credit defaults
  overdue payments of 60 days or more when you have been sent a letter notifying you of the default
   
• paid credit defaults
   
• serious credit infringements or 'clearout' listings
  This is when the credit provider has unsuccessfully tried to contact you in writing and has reported you as a missing debtor.
   
• information on the public record
  for example judgment debts or bankruptcy orders

If you have you been declined credit due to a default on your credit history, you should obtain a copy of your credit report and review it.

Perhaps you did not know about the default or it relates to someone else not yourself.

If you have found an error on your credit report do not despair. There is something that you can do.

The first thing to do is to identify who has placed the default on to your report. Then you need to contact them and explain the circumstances in order to have the error rectified. You may be required to provide documentary evidence supporting your explanation or even a Statutory Declaration.

If you are unable to fix any inaccuracies on your credit report you can also take your complaint to:

• an independent complaints scheme for complaints about banks or credit unions
• the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman for complaints about phone companies: www.tio.com.au  or
• the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner for all credit reporting complaints: www.privacy.gov.au