Improving your chances of getting credit Third party information Further to a Data Protection Tribunal ruling, which took effect on 31 July 1993, financial information for people with the same surname who live at the same address are linked on Experian's database.
Lenders sometimes take a family household's finances into account when making credit decisions.
This helps ensure that a family does not take on more commitments than it can afford. Lenders' experience shows that the finances of individual members of a family sharing a home often do impact on each other. Experian does not provide other surname financial information unless there is a financial connection between the people concerned, for example, a joint loan. You may also be linked to another individual when making an application for credit facilities if the application is made in joint names, or if you hold a joint account. Credit reference agencies provide lenders with financial information relating to the applicant and his or her family, if they have resided at the same current or previous address at the same time in the last six years.