Being on the electoral role helps credit ratings
(31 January 2008)

Registering on the electoral role will help improve the nation's credit rating, especially for young people, according to an expert.

The rise in ID fraud has led lenders to be more vigilant about confirming an applicant's identity, with the electoral role being the most common way of doing this, says credit checking service Equifax.

Neil Munroe, external affairs director at Equifax, said: "The electoral roll is still one of the key areas that is used to identify somebody.

"Lenders … don't just make a credit decision - they want to check that it is the right person, because of the increase in instances of identity theft and fraud."

Mr Munroe went on to say that the government had made it a lot easier to register and that people can do it immediately.

Government ministers argue that the introduction of ID cards would reduce identity and benefit fraud, reports the Financial Times.