What's changing?
Currently, your credit report contains information about your repayment history for loan account like home loans, personal loans, personal overdrafts, and personal credit cards. However, it does not contain information specifically about financial hardship arrangements.
From 1 July 2022, your credit report will also contain information about financial hardship arrangements (whether temporary or permanent) for your loan accounts. The credit report will show that a financial hardship arrangement has been entered into for the loan account. It also means that your repayment history information in your credit report will show whether you have missed a payment or made a payment late under the financial hardship arrangement.
How credit reporting works
A credit report is a detailed record of your credit history, including the types of credit you’ve had and how you have repaid those debts. Your credit report includes the most recent 24 months of history of whether you have made repayments on time. Your repayment history information and making your repayments on time will help you in your application for a loan.
The types of information that Suncorp Bank shares with credit reporting bodies includes:
- type of loan (e.g. personal credit card, home loan, personal overdraft)
- date the loan account was opened and closed
- credit limits
- Repayment History Information (RHI) which records whether a payment was missed or made late over a 24 month period.
And from 1 July 2022, financial hardship arrangements and whether you have made your repayments as part of that arrangement (whether temporary or permanent).
What does CCR mean for our customers?
To ensure repayment history is reflected positively on your credit report, it’s important you meet your repayments on time, by the due date (e.g. making at least the minimum repayments on time). This is because your credit report will include your RHI and whether you have missed a payment or made a late payment on a loan.
Your RHI may be used to assess your application for a loan which is why it is important to ensure that you make your repayments on time. If you missed a payment, it may be recorded as missed on your credit report.
When we assess your application for a loan we may look how your repayment history over the past 24 months. Each time you make your required minimum repayment, this will have a positive impact on your credit report.
Reporting of repayment history information under financial hardship arrangements
A financial hardship arrangement is the assistance we agree to help you with your loan repayment obligations when there is a change in circumstances that affects your ability to repay. For more information on financial hardship arrangements visit CreditSmart.
Your credit report includes your RHI for your loan accounts including home loans, and personal credit cards. During a financial hardship arrangement, your credit report will record whether you have entered into a financial hardship arrangement for a loan. Your RHI on your credit report will also record whether you missed or made a late payment required under that hardship arrangement (in place of your usual repayment obligations).
Do you need financial assistance?
If you are struggling to make repayments on your credit accounts or have experienced an unexpected change to your circumstances that might impact your ability to make your repayments, you should get in touch and talk to us about hardship assistance.
We will look to offer hardship assistance that meets your needs.
What happens to your credit report when you have a financial hardship arrangement?
During a financial hardship arrangement, your credit report will show that you have entered into a financial hardship arrangement for a loan and it will record whether you have made your repayments under that arrangement.
Financial hardship information will appear on your credit report for 12 months, compared to 24 months for usual repayment history information. The credit report will not include the reason for the hardship arrangement or the details of the arrangement.
Where can I get more information?
To learn more about financial hardship assistance & your credit report, visit the CreditSmart website at www.creditsmart.org.au.
You can access credit information a bank holds about you and request to amend any incorrect information at the time of application. Please refer to Suncorp Bank’s Privacy Policy and Suncorp Bank Credit Reporting Body for further information on your rights to access your credit information.
