Have you ever wondered what loans you've taken out over the years? Maybe you're trying to get your finances in order, or perhaps you need to check your borrowing history. Whatever your reason, we’ll explain how to find out what loans you've had.
There are lots of good reasons to look at your past loans:
Checking your loan history is a smart move. It helps you stay on top of your finances and spot any mistakes.
If the loans you’re looking for were taken out within the last six years, the best way to find them is to look at your credit report. This is a record that shows all your borrowing and payment history during this period.
In the UK, there are three main companies (called credit reference agencies) who keep credit reports:
It’s a good idea to check all three, as they may contain slightly different information. You can check your report either directly with them (sometimes there may be a fee for certain access), or for free with a credit score platform like CredAbility.
Getting your credit report is easy. Here's what you do:
Your credit report shows a lot of useful information about your loans:
Sometimes you might see a loan on your credit report that you don't remember taking out. This could be:
If you see something you don't recognise, don't panic - contact the lender. Ask them for details about the loan. If it's a mistake or fraud, you can report it to the credit reference agency and ask them to fix it.
Your credit report only keeps loan information for six years. After that, the details disappear from your file. This is true even if you still owe money on the loan.
So, what can you do if you need to find a loan from longer ago?
If you still have access to old bank accounts, look through past statements. You'll see loan payments going out each month. Your bank might let you view statements online going back several years.
Dig out old files, folders, or boxes of documents. You might have kept the original loan agreement or letters from the lender.
If you set up the loan online, search your email inbox for the lender's name. You might find confirmation emails or statements.
If you remember who you borrowed from, get in touch with them. Give them your name, the address you’d have lived in at the time, and date of birth. They often keep records for longer than six years and should be able to find your account.
If you didn't pay off an old loan, a debt collection agency might have taken it over. If you know which agency the debt went to, get in contact with them to see if they have records of the original loan.
Once you know what loans you have (or have had), it's a good idea to keep track of the active ones. You could:
This helps you stay organised and avoid missing payments in the future.
Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure content is correct when published. Information on this website doesn't constitute financial advice, and we aren't responsible for the content of any external sites.
Zubin is a personal finance writer with an extensive background in the finance sector, working across management and operational roles. He applies his experience in customer communication to his writing, with the aim of simplifying content to help people better understand their finances.
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