What is the difference between an association and an alias?

Why do I have a financial association?

A financial association may be created in the following scenarios:

• Making a joint credit application with someone

• Holding a joint account with someone

• Acting as a guarantor on a credit agreement for someone

Essentially, if you have a financial relationship with another person, they will likely appear as a financial association on your credit report.

A financial association will remain on your credit report indefinitely, but you can request for it to be removed once the financial relationship has ended. So, it's a good idea to keep checking back to make sure any financial associations are still correct. Details on how to remove a financial association can be found in How do I remove a financial association?

What is an alias?

An alias will be created on your credit report where the credit reference agencies have recognised that you are, or have previously been, known by a different name. The most common reasons to trigger an alias are:

• Change of name by marriage.

• Change of name by deed poll.

• Application made in an abbreviated name format.

If the alias name is valid, you can expect it to remain on your credit report indefinitely. This alone will not have a direct impact on your credit score. However, you should bear in mind that any financial data recorded in the alias name will be returned on your credit report, and this will contribute to your credit score.