Popular credit score myths

If you apply or enquire online you will be subject to some automated decision making based on criteria - such as your age, residential status and credit score – to make sure we are able to offer you a loan or service. If your online application or enquiry is declined, you can contact us by telephone to have the decision reconsidered.

We will also collect information about you from outside sources such as credit reference agencies (“CRAs”). We use agencies to confirm your identity, including searching the electoral roll and we obtain your credit report when we are processing your application. Information provided by the credit agencies may also contain information about people you are associated with or who live at the same address as the one you have provided. Information you give over the telephone is retained in recorded calls.

In some situations, and only where this is considered relevant, we may collect sensitive information about you related to your health to ensure that we offer you loans that are suitable for your circumstances. We also take a change in your health into account when we are managing your loan. We will only record and retain such information with your permission.

The first part of processing your information will be used to assess your creditworthiness and whether the loan is suitable and affordable. We will either offer you a loan or tell you why you have been declined. If you take out a loan with us, we will process your information to manage your loan. We may also use the information to trace and recover any debts.

Your information is stored electronically within our servers and case management systems. Your information is segregated to reduce risk, access is controlled, and our systems are backed up regularly to ensure integrity.

If applicable, from time to time, we may - with your agreement - contact you by email, SMS, post or telephone with information about other products or services which may be of interest to you. These communications may be from us or other members of the Group. They may also be from other organisations offering financial or other products and services we think may be of interest to you. We will only share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes where you have given your express opt-in consent to do so. You may change your opt-in preferences at any time by simply contacting us on
FPNandmarketing@darwinloansolutions.co.uk or 0161 814 9210.

We have a legitimate interest in processing data about your loan so that we can monitor the performance of our business and help to improve our products in the future. We use your data for statistical analysis which is carried out by us and sometimes other firms on our behalf.

When we share data for analysis we do this securely and within the EU. We only use a reference number to identify your loan, so that you cannot be identified personally. We don’t use this information to make any decisions that apply directly to you.

If we decline to offer you a loan, or if you fall into difficulties whilst your loan is active, we may provide you with the details of debt advice agencies. If you fall into difficulties whilst your loan is active, and you enter a debt solution of any sort we are required to share certain information with the provider or supervisor of your solution, if they provide a signed authority from you enabling us to share the information with them.

We also share your information with credit reference agencies (“CRAs”). When CRAs receive a search from us they will place a search footprint on your credit file that may be seen by other lenders.

If your application is successful we will continue to exchange information about your loan with CRAs while you have a relationship with us. If the loan is not repaid in full and on time, CRAs will record the outstanding debt. This information may be supplied to other organisations by CRAs.

The identities of the CRAs, their role also as fraud prevention agencies, the data they hold, the ways in which they use and share personal information, data retention periods and your data protection rights with the CRAs are explained in more detail from each of the three CRAs – clicking on any of these three links will take you to the Credit Reference Agency Information Notice (CRAIN) document: Callcredit (www.callcredit.co.uk/crain); Equifax (www.equifax.co.uk/crain); Experian (www.experian.co.uk/crain).

We may share your information with a third party (that is based outside the European Economic Area) which undertakes monitoring solely for internal training and quality purposes.

We may share your data with our debt recovery agents if you fall into arrears.

We are also required to share your information with our regulators or any government agency if they make an appropriate request or if we are required to do so by law.

Any party with whom we might share information is required to comply with data protection regulations.

If you have asked that we do not use your details for marketing purposes, we may still need to keep them to ensure our systems reflect your preferences.

If we don’t provide you with any loan documents or if you decide not to take up the loan offer, we’ll keep your details for up to 12 months unless regulations say we must keep them for longer.

We will generally keep records of any transactions you enter into for a minimum of six years from the completion or satisfaction of the loan. This is so that we can respond to any complaints or disputes that arise in that period.

We will keep other information about you if it is necessary for us to do so to comply with the law, regulations, or where appropriate for legitimate business needs. For any marketing purposes which you consented to, we shall keep your information no longer than it is necessary to comply with this objective.

If you wish to find out how long your information is held by the third parties we share your information with, their contact details are provided in the “What are my rights?” section of this notice.

If you are unhappy with how we have dealt with your query or request, and you wish to do so, you can complain directly to the Information Commissioner at: www.ico.org.uk/global/contact-us

Should you wish to obtain a copy of the personal data credit reference agencies (“CRAs”) hold about you please write to:

Callcredit Plc,
Consumer Services Team, PO Box 491, Leeds, LS3 1WZ

Experian Limited,
Customer Support Centre, Experian Ltd, PO BOX 9000,
Nottingham, NG80 7WF

Equifax Plc,
Customer Service Centre, PO Box 10036, Leicester, LE3 4FS

CRAs keep a wide range of information. This includes information from the electoral roll (sometimes known as the voter’s roll) and records of most county court judgements and bankruptcies. They also retain information relating to previous and existing credit and a record of searches made against the file. Lenders share information through the CRAs providing a history of how punctually payments are being made or have been made. Loan information is usually held on file for 6 years once settled. Details of the electoral roll may be held for much longer. Information about credit searches is kept for 12 months.

The Information Commissioner provides a useful leaflet which explains how to request changes to your credit reference file. The easy to read leaflet includes examples of letters and details of various actions you may take to amend a file.

Information is available at www.gov.uk/data-protection

1) The contents of the completed enquiry form on Evolutionmoney.co.uk
2) The contents of the completed enquiry form on Progressivemoney.co.uk
3) The contents of the submitted loan application on Progressivemoney.co.uk
4) The contents of the submitted loan application on Guarantor online

The portable data relates to the fields populated by you through completing enquiry forms or applications. You should note that information obtained from your credit file held by the CRAs is not covered by this portability right.

The information will be provided free of charge.

Your request should be submitted to FPNandmarketing@darwinloansolutions.co.uk or call us on 0161 814 9210. We will respond initially within 1 month, but it may take us a further 2 months to supply your personal data if your request is complex.

If you request it, we may transmit the data directly to another organisation, where this is feasible. We are not required however, to adopt or maintain processing systems that are technically compatible with other organisations.

If the personal data concerns more than one individual, we must consider whether providing the information would prejudice the rights of any other individual.

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Progressive Money Limited, 9 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 3BE
Email – FPNandmarketing@darwinloansolutions.co.uk
Phone – 0161 814 9210