Question:
I would like to apply for a consolidated bond account at another bank. I have been using my overdraft for the past three months. Will this have implications on my application, and does using an overdraft give a bad credit record?

Answer:
As long as you promptly repay the credit that you use, and do not pay your accounts late, there should be no negative information given to the credit bureaux.

However, if you have too much credit available to you, banks may decide that you're nearing the upper limit of how much credit you can afford. So if you are turned down for credit, try closing some accounts and re-applying.

The mere that you use credit doesn't send out a negative message to financial institutions. If you signal you're a responsible payer, they will feel happy about doing business with you.

However, I would suggest you look at why you need to use your overdraft. If you're constantly going into overdraft because your expenses are too high, that's a sign that you don't need to take on any more debt, and that you need to cut back.

When granting bond applications, as with ordinary loans, the bank will assess how much you can afford to take on. That's why all your credit history is examined. It's your responsibility to ensure that history is a good one, and that you aren't in over your head.

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