Copyright 1997 Times Newspapers Limited, Sunday Times, April 27, 1997, Sunday

SECTION: Features

LENGTH: 192 words

HEADLINE: Helpline on credit launched

BYLINE: Debbie Hill

BODY:

PEOPLE worried about their credit rating can phone a help-line set up to answer growing concern about how the system works, writes Debbie Hill.

Callers can find out who is responsible for calculating their credit-rating score and how to go about changing it if they feel it is wrong. They will also be told what rights they have over their credit rating and what to do when refused credit.

The taped information help-line has been introduced by Instant Search, the business-information provider, after it received an increasing number of calls, faxes and e-mails about personal credit ratings. "We are generally a business-information service but there appears to be so much confusion that we decided to launch this new help-line," said Anthony Capstick, managing director of Instant Search.

Capstick said people overlooked many factors which could have a big influence on whether they were granted credit.

And he advised those who retrieved information from a credit-reference agency to watch out for the simplest of mistakes. Calls are charged at Pounds 1 a minute and the tape lasts 3 1/2 minutes.

Helpline: 0991 190020.

LOAD-DATE: April 28, 1997