A Bureau Score is a credit score which is provided to lenders to help them make an informed lending decision on an applicant.

Typically, the information used to calculate the Bureau Score is limited to public data – namely Electoral Roll, insolvency and judgment information only.

Bureau Scores may be used by new lenders, who do not have a large sample of established accounts to use to come up with their own scoring criteria. They are also used by the relatively small number of lenders who are not members of data sharing groups such as Experian’s CAIS or Equifax’s Insight. Some established lenders also use Bureau Scores to add weight to their own internal risk assessment systems.

Can I see my bureau score?

No, it isn’t publicly visible. However the score on its own isn’t particularly useful as it only takes into account public information on you, which is available to view on your credit file.

You can however see the information that makes up your score by checking your Credit Report for yourself. This will give you the best indication of how likely you are to be accepted for credit by a lender. If you haven’t already, you can try checkmyfile free for 30 days, then for just £14.99 a month afterwards, which you can cancel at any time online.