Overview
The Financial Screening section of a CDD report checks for County Court Judgments, Insolvency (IVA, DRO, and Bankruptcy), and debt collection activity against Equifax data. It also shows whether Equifax found any addresses linked to the individual's credit history. This check is only available for individuals with a UK address.
Where you will see this
Financial Screening appears as a section within a CDD report, on the Full application details page for an Engage request or an in-person CDD check.
What this means
Financial Screening checks the individual against Equifax data across four categories:
County Court Judgments: a judgment made by a court that the individual owes money. This stays on their credit record for 6 years, regardless of when it is paid off.
Insolvency: covers three separate result types, each checked and shown on its own — IVA (Involuntary Agreement), DRO (Debt Relief Order), and Bankruptcy.
Debt Collection Searches: whether a debt collection agency has made a credit check against the individual in the last 24 months. This does not mean the individual is in debt, only that an agency has been following up with them.
Linked Addresses: whether Equifax found any other addresses associated with the individual's credit history. See below for more detail.
Linked addresses
Linked addresses are addresses associated with the individual through their credit history with Equifax. An address becomes linked when:
The individual gave a company their current and a previous address during a credit application, and the company ran a credit search against both.
A lender updated its records to link the individual's current and previous address after being told they had moved.
A result of "No linked addresses" means Equifax found no other addresses linked to the individual's credit history. This is a normal, low-risk result and does not indicate a problem with the check.
Linked address information stays on the individual's Equifax record indefinitely, unless the individual successfully has it removed by Equifax directly.
What you need to do
No action is required for a "No linked addresses" result.
Where a result needs review, for example a CCJ, an Insolvency result (IVA, DRO, or Bankruptcy), or a debt collection search, follow your firm's risk-based approach to decide whether further due diligence is needed.
If a client tells you they believe a linked address shown is incorrect, this needs to be raised directly with Equifax, not with your firm or Legl. They can do this through their Equifax Online Support account, selecting "Errors on my Credit Report" so the query reaches the right team. Equifax can take up to 28 days to investigate this type of request.
Important information
Financial Screening is only available for individuals with a UK address. Clients with a non-UK address will receive an N/A result for this section.
Financial Screening does not affect the individual's credit score.
Linked address information comes directly from Equifax and reflects the individual's own credit history. It is not something Legl or your firm can amend on their behalf.
CDD results represent the outcome of automated checks at the time the request was submitted. They are not a legal determination and must be interpreted using your firm's own risk-based approach.