How to find out if you are a debtor?

Borrower status can cause several complications. For many institutions, you are not a trustworthy person in this case and they may not provide you with their services. But how and where can I check my payment history?

Two debtor registers

In Slovakia, we have two basic debtor registers, which are consulted by almost all institutions before they provide you with their services (for example, a consumer loan or a mortgage). These registers are:

• Common Register of Banking Information (SRBI) – as its name implies, it is maintained by banks. It contains information on loans granted to individuals, i.e. ordinary citizens or entrepreneurs. All the data it contains is updated regularly, once a month. The records are kept for a period of 5 years after the end of the contractual relationship between the bank and the client.
• Non-Bank Register of Customer Information (NRKI) – Unlike the SRBI, this register is maintained by non-bank financial institutions. Its information is slightly broader as it also contains records of corporate loans. The method of updating and the retention period of the data are the same as for the SRBI.

In addition to SRBI and NRKI, you will also encounter several other registries. However, these are not maintained by financial institutions and are therefore not relevant to them.

How can I find out if you are on one of the registers?

The good news is that information about whether you are part of SRBI or NRKI is very easy to obtain. Just register on my-finance.co.uk, where you can buy a credit report from either or both registers.

The price per statement varies depending on whether you choose an electronic or paper version. The first alternative costs 8 euros, the second 14 euros, but you have to take into account the postage costs. The third option is to visit a client centre in Bratislava, where you can get a credit report on the spot.

How to find out if you still have any debts?

Other registers you can check include, for example, the Central Register of Executions. You can use it to find out if you are under execution. In this case too, you can sort everything out electronically. Register on the cre.sk portal, pay the fee (the amount depends on the number of accesses required) and start searching.

If you want to know if you are in arrears with your health insurance company, visit its client centre and have a debt document issued while you wait. Or request one by email.

The Social Insurance Office maintains a list of debtors directly on its website. It can be consulted free of charge.

Watch out for debts with clients and suppliers

Along with debts with finance companies and insurance companies, beware of those with clients and suppliers. Regular late payments undermine good working relationships and can cause the other party to stop working with you after a certain period of time.

When someone owes you

Have you discovered that a client or customer has not paid your invoice for several weeks? If he or she is not responding to your calls, it’s a good idea to think about debt collection. Call centre professionals will contact the client on your behalf and try to settle the debt with them. If they are unable to do so out of court, they will recommend a course of action based on the information they have gathered. This is usually a judicial recovery.

In the framework of judicial recovery call centre staff will prepare a cost estimate for you. Once this is agreed, they will begin working with a lawyer to represent you in the court proceedings.

Both in-court and out-of-court debt recovery is complicated and time-consuming. Instead of worrying about it, leave it to the experts at Credit Call who know what they’re doing. Based on your current situation, they’ll create an effective strategy and guarantee the best results.