Important information: Mortgage Bridge provides general information and administrative support as a mortgage introducer. It does not provide mortgage or debt advice, assess eligibility, affordability or suitability, or recommend products. Mortgage advice comes from an adviser acting through an FCA-authorised and regulated network.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
National Hunter checks use an application data-matching service for participating financial organisations’ fraud-prevention work. An application record by itself does not establish fraud or a mortgage outcome.
The presence of an application record does not, by itself, establish fraud. However, information recorded following checks can affect a lender’s assessment. Explaining an inconsistency or correcting information does not guarantee mortgage acceptance.
National Hunter checks: What Is National Hunter?
National Hunter holds application information submitted by member organisations. Data can be submitted as part of their normal application processing, so having information recorded is not necessarily an indication that something is wrong.
It is a separate service from a consumer credit report. It should not be treated as a credit score or a list of people who are automatically ineligible for borrowing.
Not every financial organisation submits information to National Hunter. A lender may also use other checks and information sources when assessing an application.
Why Might a Mortgage Application Involve a National Hunter Check?
A participating lender may use application data matching to help verify information and identify matters requiring investigation. This is separate from assessing whether the proposed mortgage is affordable and meets its lending criteria.
An inconsistency can have different explanations. Information may have been entered incorrectly, circumstances may have changed, or different applications may have asked different questions. Concerns can also involve misrepresentation or impersonation.
A difference between records does not, on its own, establish which explanation applies. The relevant organisation needs to consider the information and circumstances.
Application Records, Statuses and Lender Decisions
A routine application record, an inconsistency identified for investigation and a record reflecting a member organisation’s findings are different matters. They should not all be described simply as a “Hunter flag”.
If you receive information containing a status or reason you do not understand, ask the organisation that submitted it to explain the entry. Do not assume that the status describes a particular field solely because it appears alongside that field in a report.
Being directed to National Hunter after an unsuccessful application does not necessarily mean its data caused the decision. Ask the lender about the application outcome and any information it can provide.
A lender may request further evidence, decline an application or take another decision under its procedures. Resolving a question about application information does not remove its other lending requirements.
Does Every Concern Receive a Manual Review?
Do not assume that every application follows the same review process. Depending on the organisation and circumstances, checks and decisions may involve automated processing, staff review or both.
If you have questions about how a decision was made, contact the lender. You can also ask about any applicable rights relating to automated decisions and how to challenge the outcome.
National Hunter and Credit Reports
National Hunter checks and credit reference checks serve different purposes. A consumer credit score does not tell you whether application information has raised concerns through National Hunter or another fraud-prevention process.
A high credit score therefore does not guarantee acceptance. Equally, a mortgage decline should not automatically be attributed to National Hunter without information from the lender.
Checking a standard credit report is not a substitute for requesting the personal information held within National Hunter.
How Can You Request Your Information?
You can make a subject access request for your personal information held within National Hunter. Its website provides instructions for making a request and supplying identification.
Use the current instructions on National Hunter’s subject access request page. Follow the specified process when sending identification or other personal documents.
A response can help you understand the personal data held, but it is not a mortgage eligibility assessment and may not explain every aspect of a lender’s decision.
What If Information Appears Incorrect?
National Hunter directs disputes about recorded information to the member organisation that submitted it. That organisation controls the data and is responsible for considering amendments.
When raising a query, identify the application or entry concerned, explain what you believe is inaccurate and provide relevant supporting evidence through the organisation’s specified process.
A genuine change in circumstances is different from an error in an earlier application. For example, an old employer recorded accurately at the time does not become inaccurate simply because you have since changed jobs.
If you do not recognise an application, explain that concern to the organisation concerned. Ask it to investigate whether the information relates to you and whether impersonation may be involved.
If the issue remains unresolved, use the organisation’s complaints process. Concerns about the handling of personal information can also be raised with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Where applicable, an eligible complaint about a financial firm may be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service after the firm has had the opportunity to respond.
Need help with your mortgage?
What happens after a mortgage enquiry?
This is an initial enquiry for administrative support and an adviser introduction where appropriate. It is not a mortgage application or an eligibility assessment. Any mortgage advice comes separately from an adviser acting through an FCA-authorised and regulated network. The receiving firm explains its service, fees and information requirements.
Mortgage Bridge has commercial relationships with receiving firms and receives a percentage of the adviser’s commission when an introduced case completes. Acceptance is not guaranteed.
Ask about an adviser introduction
Send details of your enquiry for administrative support and an adviser introduction where appropriate. Mortgage Bridge does not provide mortgage or debt advice, assess eligibility, affordability or suitability, or recommend products. Mortgage advice comes from an adviser acting through an FCA-authorised and regulated network.
Make a mortgage enquiryNo obligation. Mortgage Bridge acts as a mortgage introducer.
Mortgage Bridge has commercial relationships with receiving firms and receives a percentage of the adviser’s commission when an introduced case completes.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
How Long Is Information Retained?
There is no single retention period that should be assumed for every National Hunter record. The applicable period depends on the application’s status and the relevant member organisation’s retention arrangements.
Ask the submitting organisation about the period and basis applying to the particular entry. Do not assume that the credit-report retention rules for a default or court judgment also apply to National Hunter information.
An accurate entry is not automatically removed because it affects a mortgage application. A correction or deletion request must be considered under the applicable data-protection rules; making a request does not guarantee removal or a different lending decision.
Providing Accurate Application Information
Answer the questions on each application accurately for the circumstances and period being asked about. Where a question is unclear, ask the receiving adviser or lender how it should be completed.
Applications may ask for different information, such as current salary, income over a previous period or particular components of variable earnings. Differences should be explained with relevant evidence rather than changing accurate figures merely to match an earlier application.
If you discover an error after submission, tell the adviser or lender promptly and ask how to correct it. Keep copies of the information supplied and correspondence about the correction.
Accurate information supports proper assessment but does not guarantee that a check will raise no questions or that a mortgage will be offered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does having a National Hunter record mean fraud has occurred?
No. Application information can be recorded as part of normal processing. The meaning of any status or concern depends on the particular entry and the submitting organisation’s findings.
Can National Hunter information affect a mortgage decision?
Yes. A lender may use information from National Hunter in its assessment. The lender is responsible for its decision, and correcting or explaining information does not guarantee acceptance.
Do all mortgage lenders use National Hunter?
No. Participation and checking processes vary. A lender may use National Hunter, other information sources or a combination of checks. Its privacy information can explain the organisations with which it shares application data.
How Mortgage Bridge Can Help
Mortgage Bridge provides general information and administrative support and passes mortgage enquiries to advisers acting through an FCA-authorised and regulated network. We do not recommend mortgage products, assess suitability or confirm whether a lender will accept your circumstances.
The receiving adviser can discuss your circumstances, explain their service and any fees, and assess potential mortgage options. Questions about a National Hunter entry should be directed to the organisation responsible for submitting it. Mortgage Bridge cannot promise to remove records, bypass checks or secure acceptance.
Mortgage Bridge has commercial relationships with receiving firms. When an introduced case completes, we receive a percentage of the commission earned by the adviser. We therefore have a financial interest in completed introductions.
Read more about our role on our About Us page, in our Terms and Conditions and in our Privacy Policy.
This guide provides general information only. It is not mortgage or legal advice and does not confirm eligibility or guarantee acceptance.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Eligibility, affordability and suitability
Eligibility concerns a lender’s current requirements. Affordability concerns whether repayments can be maintained, taking account of relevant income, expenditure and commitments. Suitability concerns whether a recommended mortgage meets individual needs and circumstances and is assessed when an adviser acting through an FCA-authorised and regulated network provides mortgage advice. Meeting one assessment does not establish the others. Mortgage Bridge does not carry out these assessments.
Costs and independent debt support
Free, independent debt advice is available through MoneyHelper’s debt advice locator. This guide does not recommend changing debt repayments, using savings or taking additional credit to obtain a mortgage.
Securing previously unsecured debts against a home increases the risk to the home. Lower monthly payments do not necessarily mean lower total costs. Longer repayment terms and fees can increase the total amount repaid.
Referral disclosure
Mortgage Bridge has commercial relationships with receiving firms and receives a percentage of the adviser’s commission when an introduced case completes. An introduction does not guarantee acceptance or completion.
Read about us, our terms and conditions and our privacy policy.
Sources and review
- FCA Handbook: responsible lending
- FCA Handbook: mortgage advice and suitability
- TransUnion: account information and reporting
- ICO: credit records and accuracy
- MoneyHelper: consolidation risks
- National Hunter: public FAQs
- National Hunter: application data
Last reviewed: . This article is subject to periodic review. Information and lender criteria may change. General information only; this is not a personal recommendation.
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