I am a private person and I have a question about:
1. the list of defaulters (the "blacklist”)
I received a letter from the National Bank informing me that I’ve been put on the blacklist. What should I do?
Whenever you borrow money for personal reasons, you must of course pay back the sum you’ve been lent. When you take out a loan, if you fail to make a payment or pay late, the lender (be it a bank, insurance company, finance company, etc.) must inform the National Bank’s Individual Credit Register.
You will then be included on the blacklist of defaulting borrowers. This can be annoying because it will be very hard for you to obtain another loan or a new credit line, as lenders are required to consult this list before extending loans or granting credit.
How do I get off the blacklist?
First you have to pay back your arrears. Once you have settled your debt, the lender is legally bound to report the repayment to the ICR within eight days. You do not have to approach the ICR yourself.
PLEASE NOTE that after the reporting of a repayment, a record of the default remains in the register for another year.
MORE INFO about the data retention period can be found at About the ICR | nbb.be
My bank sent reminders to my old address. Can I be taken off the blacklist?
Even if you move house, you are still responsible for the timely repayment of your debts.
You are also required to inform your lender of any change of address. This should be done as stipulated in the loan (or credit) agreement. We advise you to contact your lender as soon as possible.
I was blacklisted for failing to respect the clearance date for my revolving credit line. My bank did not let me know or send me a reminder. Can I be taken off the blacklist?
Debt clearance means that the borrower must repay the loan in full by a given date, the so-called “zero balance” date.
The borrower may be informed of this obligation in various ways, not necessarily in writing. We therefore advise you to first contact your lender to verify how you were informed of this deadline. If it turns out that the lender failed to inform you, the latter is obliged to rectify the data contained in the ICR.
I am divorced, and my ex defaulted on a loan taken out in both our names. Because of this, I ended up on the blacklist. The divorce agreement clearly states, however, that my ex is solely responsible for paying back the loan.
In the event of divorce, you remain liable under loan and credit agreements signed jointly with your former spouse, even if the divorce agreement or court order specifies that only one party is responsible for making payments.
In practice, however, lenders often allow loans to be paid back by a single person in the event of divorce. Therefore, you should send your lender the divorce agreement or court order. Based on this information, the lender may, under certain conditions, agree to terminate your joint commitment so that you will no longer be responsible for paying back the loan. This obviously means that the lender will remove your name from the loan agreement registered in the ICR.
I am a victim of fraud which led to my inclusion on the blacklist. What should I do?
You should file a complaint with the police and contact the lender who reported your details to the Individual Credit Register as soon as possible.
Can I get another loan if I am no longer on the blacklist?
The National Bank of Belgium cannot answer this question. It is the lender that decides whether or not to grant a loan to a prospective borrower.
2. the rectification of data
How can I have my data corrected if I do not agree with them?
You should contact the lender that submitted your data to the ICR. If the data are indeed incorrect, the lender is obliged to correct them.
MORE INFO Rectification of data | nbb.be
3. the consultation of data
Can I consult the data pertaining to me in the ICR?
Yes, every consumer can consult their own credit data in the ICR, free of charge.
The fastest and easiest way to do so is online via Online consultation | nbb.be.
You can also request your credit data by e-mail or letter or in person at the NBB upon presentation of your identity card.
MORE INFO Information for consumers | nbb.be
How are loans with more than one borrower, such as a couple, registered?
When applying for a loan, each potential borrower is required to request an overview of his or her indebtedness from the ICR and provide this document to the lender along with a double-sided copy of the borrower’s identity card. If the loan is approved, the lender will submit this information to the ICR after signature of the loan agreement.
If the loan application is signed by only one person, however, only the data on this person will be submitted to the ICR. This is also the case when a copy of only one borrower’s identity card is provided or when only one side of the identity card is copied.
4. specific situations
I have been declared bankrupt and have obtained debt relief. What are the consequences for the loans registered under my name?
You must notify your lenders of the decision that has been taken. In the event of a court order writing off the debts of a bankrupt person, lenders are required to cancel all loan agreements in the bankrupt person’s name.
Debt forgiveness extends to the lawful current and former spouse or partner of the bankrupt person for debts incurred during the marriage or period of cohabitation, provided they were incurred in the context of the exercise of a professional activity.
Why can I no longer open a bank account?
You may be on the blacklist. To find out whether this is the case, you can consult the ICR. More information on how to do so can be found here.
What should I do with credit cards I no longer use?
Credit cards are effectively credit lines, whose limits are recorded in the Individual Credit Register even if you no longer use a particular card.
If you are no longer using a credit card, you may ask the card issuer to cancel it. The latter is required to notify the ICR when a card is cancelled, after which the data will be automatically deleted.
I have stood surety for a loan. Am I also registered in the ICR?
No, people who only stand surety are not registered in the ICR.
I have another question.
You may find the answer to your question at Individual Credit Register (ICR) | nbb.be.
I did not find the answer to my question.
Please contact us. You can find our contact details at Contact us | nbb.be.