National Hunter

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National Hunter is a UK system that helps banks and lenders spot credit fraud. It runs an anti-fraud data sharing system used by about 90 British financial firms, including banks, building societies, mortgage lenders and finance companies. When you apply for credit with a member, the information you provide is stored in the system and can be checked against other applications. For example, if you say you earn £10,000 in one application and £100,000 in another, your later application could be flagged or rejected.

The process is not fully automated. Suspicious applications are flagged by National Hunter and then checked before the lender decides whether to decline.

Barclaycard has described the flow: they send almost all card applications to the system each night, and the next morning the system replies OK or flags potential fraud. If fraud is suspected, the lender may contact the applicant, depending on other factors.

People have a legal right to see the information held about them. National Hunter suggests you check your credit report first to understand why you were rejected, but the report may not show the data National Hunter holds.

The system started in 1993, created by MCL Software of Southport, now part of Experian. The Guardian has called National Hunter the UK’s “secret credit reference agency.”