Noddle (credit report service)

Last updated

Noddle
Noddle Logo.jpg
Type of site
Credit report service
Owner Credit Karma
URL www.noddle.co.uk
RegistrationYes
LaunchedDecember 2011;10 years ago (2011-12)
Current statusDefunct April 2019;2 years ago (April 2019)

Noddle was a credit report service offered by the British arm of American company TransUnion (formerly CallCredit). The business was launched in 2011 and was sold to Credit Karma in 2019.

Contents

History

In June 2011, 10,000 people were invited to test the service prior to its full launch later that year. [1] [2] [3]

In November 2018, Credit Karma said it would acquire Noddle from TransUnion. At the time, the company had 35 employees and four million users. [4] The acquisition closed in April 2019 and the Noddle brand was replaced with Credit Karma branding. [5]

Products

The service advertised that its clients were able to view a full credit report free for life, unlike the similar paid-for services [lower-alpha 1] from rivals Equifax and Experian. [lower-alpha 2] Noddle charged for extra services such as Noddle Improve, which told users how to improve their credit scores, and Noddle Web Watch, which scanned websites looking for fraudulent uses of users' information and warning users about anything that appeared awry. [6] [7] [8]

If clients saw any discrepancies in their reports, they had to dispute issues with the pertinent reference agency. [2]

Notes

  1. In the past, a user had to pay a £2 fee to review a single copy of their statutory credit report. Alternatively, a user could pay a monthly subscription to receive monthly copies of the report. [1]
  2. TransUnion (formerly Callcredit), the third-largest credit reference agency in the UK, as of 2011 was surpassed in size by Equifax and Experian. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 Jones, Rupert (16 June 2011). "Noddle website to offer free credit report service". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Murray-West, Rosie (16 June 2011). "Households offered free financial passport for life". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  3. "www.fastcreditinquiryremoval.com". Thursday, 28 December 2017
  4. Lunden, Ingrid (4 November 2018). "Credit Karma acquires Noddle from TransUnion and expands to the UK". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  5. Boland, Hannah (14 April 2019). "Fintech giant Credit Karma takes 'big swing' in UK and triples staff members". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  6. Gorst-Williams, Jessica (16 March 2015). "Could free credit checks be a scam? A reader is suspicious when a credit reference agency offering a free service asks for his credit card details". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  7. Meyer, Harriet (29 September 2015). "How to manage your credit rating". Moneywise. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  8. Gorst-Williams, Jessica (28 March 2013). "'I have been a victim of identity theft'". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 25 May 2016.