If you think your identity may have been stolen or you have reasonable grounds to believe you have been a victim of fraud, you can request a suppression on your credit report.

No. Your credit score is a number that reflects positive and negative credit behaviour. New Zealand's focus on comprehensive credit reporting means that lenders can see your repayment history. If you're making repayments on time, lenders can see that as a positive behaviour.

No, it is straightforward. If you see information on your Equifax credit file that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete, you can contact Equifax who will investigate the correction request with the relevant lender. Alternatively, you can contact the lender or creditor directly to correct any error and remove it from your file. If it’s not resolved by a lender, you can make a complaint to Equifax.

There are many factors that could impact your credit score such as time at an address, collection defaults and/or judgments on a credit file are very powerful indicators of increased credit risk and therefore lower credit scores.

There are several strategies for improving your credit score - pay your bills on time, if you get into trouble talk to the lender, reduce the number of credit applications and get engaged with your credit score and your credit file. Find out more with Yonda.

A credit score above 600-700 and above indicates that you're on top of your finances. A credit score below 600 indicates you are less creditworthy. Find out more about Yonda’s categories.