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No, only members of SHARE can access the information on the SHARE database. To see information SHARE members must contribute data to SHARE. There are strict guidelines on the use of the data that every SHARE member must comply with.
Not necessarily. Experian's database is called CAIS (pronounced 'keys') and Equifax's database is called Insight. The information held on these three databases is not necessarily the same. One lender may decide to contribute data to all three agencies, whereas another lender may decide to contribute data to only one agency.
We would advise all consumers to obtain a copy of your credit file from all three agencies on a regular basis to ensure the information held is accurate.
All active (open) SHARE accounts will appear on your credit file whilst the account remains active, as long as lender remains a member of SHARE. This is the case whether the account is up to date or in arrears (but not default).
Once a SHARE account is closed/settled, the record will remain on your credit file for a period of 6 years from the date of closure/settlement.
If any of your SHARE accounts are defaulted by the lender (this usually occurs when an account is in serious arrears and the lender issues a default notice) the record of the account will remain on your credit file for 6 years from the date of default. The date of default is confirmed to us by the lender.
Most lenders update the information they supply on a monthly basis.
Lenders accessing the SHARE database may take closed/repaid/settled accounts into consideration when assessing applications for credit. Even though the account is displayed to them as settled, it still contains information about how payments were made on the account before it was settled. The status codes recorded on a settled account relate to the period before the settlement date.
Callcredit can only make an amendment to a SHARE record with the authority of the lender concerned. If you believe the SHARE section of your credit file contains inaccurate information, we recommend that you contact the lender involved in the first instance. If they agree that the information is inaccurate, they can make the necessary amendment to the information. Please note that the current balance shown on active SHARE accounts can be up to 6 weeks out of date. The SHARE member will update the current balance each month so if the current balance shown does not reflect the actual balance there is no need to contact the lender (unless the current balance is significantly different).
If you would prefer, you may write to us to dispute a SHARE record. We will refer your dispute to the relevant lender on your behalf and respond to you within 28 days. If you write to us to dispute a SHARE record please do so within 6 months of receiving a copy of your Callcredit credit file. You should quote your credit file reference number in your letter, provide us with a detailed explanation of why you believe the information is incorrect and enclose any evidence (such as letters or statements from the lender involved). Please send your dispute to Callcredit plc, Consumer Services Team, PO Box 491, LEEDS, LS3 1WZ.
We now hold data from the majority of UK credit providers, however, there may some small lenders who are not member of SHARE at the moment, therefore they do not contribute information about their credit agreements to Callcredit. Some lenders supply data about their credit accounts to all three credit reference agencies, however others only supply data to one agency. Lenders are joining SHARE all the time, therefore your Callcredit credit file will change periodically. We recommend that you obtain a copy of your credit file from us on a regular basis to check the information we hold about you.
| Account Status Code | Description |
| AA | General code to indicate the account is in early arrears i.e. 1 to 2 months/payments in arrears |
| AE | Attachment of Earnings order obtained / Repayment deducted from pay |
| AO | Administration Order |
| AR | Arrangement to Pay in force |
| BB | General code to indicate the account is in sustained arrears i.e. 3 or more months/payments in arrears |
| BU | Balloon/Deferred Payment Unpaid |
| CA | Court Judgment Cancelled |
| CI | County court Summons Issued |
| CO | Court Judgment Obtained |
| CP | Court Judgment Paid |
| DA | Debt Assignment - transferred to another organisation |
| DF | Account is in default |
| DM | Debt Management Program in force |
| DS | Deferred Start |
| DT | Dormant/Inactive Account |
| EJ | Execution of judgment by charging order |
| ET | Enforced Termination |
| GO | Garnishee Order obtained |
| IC | Insurance Claim |
| IP | Insurance Claim Pending |
| LS | Low Start repayment plan applies |
| MP | Minimum Payment Made |
| OA | Overpayment - In arrears |
| OK | Okay - (repayment requirements fulfilled) |
| OP | Overpayment |
| PH | Payment Holiday |
| PS | Partial Settlement |
| QY | Query (account under review) |
| RI | Account Re-instatement |
| RP | Enforced Repossession |
| SF | Satisfied |
| ST | Settled/Closed |
| SV | Salvage; nominal payments sought pending improvement in fortunes |
| TC | Termination of Contract |
| UC | Unclassified or recently opened account payment delay |
| VA | Voluntary Arrangement |
| VR | Voluntary Repossession |
| VT | Voluntary Termination |
| WE | Warrant of Execution issued |
| WO | Account debt written off |
| .. | No update has been received to the account for the specific month |
| Payment Status Code | Description |
| ? | No update has been received to the account for the specific month and the account is not currently in Default. |
| 0 | Payments are up to date. |
| U | Account has an unknown or 'unspecified' update and is not in default. |
| 1 | Payments are up to one month late. |
| 2 | Payments are up to two months late. |
| 3 | Payments are up to three months late. |
| 4 | Payments are up to four months late. |
| 5 | Payments are up to five months late. |
| 6 | Payments are up to six months or more late. |
| D | Account is in default. |
If you have any queries regarding the content of your credit report, then please contact the Consumer Helpline on 0870 060 1414.
'Default' is a term used to describe a credit account where the relationship between the account holder and the lender has broken down. This occurs when the account is in arrears. At some point whilst the account is in arrears (most lenders make this decision on a case by case basis) the lender may issue a Default Notice to the account holder, formally requesting that the account holder repays the arrears or in some cases the full outstanding balance of the account. The lender should give the account holder 28 days to comply with this request. If the account holder does not comply with the Default Notice within the required timescale, the lender may start legal proceedings to recover the debt and may register a Default with one or more of the credit reference agencies.
SHARE is a database of credit account information held by Callcredit. The information is supplied to us by some of the UK's major financial institutions - banks, building societies, finance houses and retailers. These companies have agreed to share information about each other's credit agreements via Callcredit's SHARE database. SHARE allows member companies to check the details submitted by other SHARE members to help them assess whether to accept applications for credit. SHARE consists of information relating to credit agreements, payment history and defaults. SHARE members submit these details to us on a monthly basis.
This code is supplied to us by the lender each month. Normally the lender will indicate that the status of the Account Holder is normal by supplying 'N', however under certain circumstances (shown in the table below) the lender can indicate specific circumstances relating to that Account Holder.
| Status | Description |
| D | Deceased |
| G | Gone Away |
| U | Uncontactable |
| P | Guardian/Power of Attorney |
| N | Normal |
Every month the SHARE member provides us with an update for all their active accounts. They have the facility to provide us with two codes each month - the Account Status and the Payment Status. The Account Status code indicates the status of the Account e.g. OK, DF (Default), AA (early arrears) etc. The Payment Status code is a numeric field that indicates the level of arrears on an account, therefore if the most recent Payment Status code is 0, this indicates that the account is not in arrears. The combination of these two separate codes allows us to specify the status of each account in more detail than if only one status code was supplied by the lender. We believe the two codes allows lenders using SHARE for credit assessment purposes to have access to more complete information about the current status and previous statuses of accounts on the SHARE database.
SHARE members have agreed to share details of customers' credit agreements with each other. To enable them to do this, they store details of their credit agreements with Callcredit. Accessing SHARE information allows them to check how a person has repaid other lenders in the recent past and will give them an indication of whether applicants will be able to afford to repay or take on any new agreements.
