Refused credit or a loan? How to find out why and get it looked at again

"We are unable to offer you credit at this time" is where most people stop. You do not have to. Ask the lender in writing for the specific reasons, the credit file it used, a review by a person and a copy of your data. In the US the lender must give specific reasons, or tell you that you can ask for them within 60 days. In the UK, if a credit reference agency's data led to the refusal, the lender must tell you which agency. In the EU you can ask for a person to review a credit decision made solely by automated means, and from 20 November 2026 the new Consumer Credit Directive makes that review part of consumer credit law.

Why you were refused, and why it matters

A refusal is usually one of three things: a score, a lending rule, or a mistake in your file. All three can be asked about, and the answer decides what you do next.

• A score. Many applications are decided in seconds by a scoring system. You can ask how it reached its result.
• A rule. Income below the lender's minimum, too many recent applications, too short at your address. You cannot change the rule, but you can plan around it.
• A mistake. An account that is not yours, a paid debt shown as unpaid, a wrong address. This is the most fixable cause of all.

No law makes a lender lend. What you can get is the reason, your data and a fair second look.

What the lender must tell you

The rules depend on where you live.

Where you live	What you can ask for	Time limit
US	Specific reasons for the refusal, and the name of the credit bureau if a report was used	Ask within 60 days of the notice; reasons within 30 days
UK	The credit reference agency the lender used	The lender must tell you if its data led to the refusal; ask in writing within 28 days for the name of any agency consulted
EU	A review by a person of an automated decision, and meaningful information about the logic	One month for a data request
Brazil	The main criteria used in the risk analysis, and a review of an automated decision	Ask the lender in writing

In the US, "you did not meet our internal standards" or "you did not reach a qualifying score" is not enough. The reasons must describe the factors the lender actually considered. If a credit report was used, you can also get a free copy of it if you ask within 60 days.

Automatic refusals and your right to a person

In the EU, the GDPR says you have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that significantly affects you. Its own example is the automatic refusal of an online credit application. Where such a decision is allowed, you can ask for human intervention, give your point of view and contest the decision.

The Court of Justice of the EU has gone further. In 2023 it said a credit agency's score is itself an automated decision when a lender relies heavily on it. In 2025 it said the explanation you get must set out the procedure and principles actually applied, in a way you can understand. A company that claims trade secrets cannot simply refuse: the material goes to the data protection authority or a court to weigh.

From 20 November 2026 the new Consumer Credit Directive adds a right to a clear explanation of an automated credit check, to give your view and to a review of the assessment and the decision. It also covers most buy now, pay later credit and loans under 200 euros.

In the UK, the UK GDPR gives similar safeguards for significant decisions made solely by automated means. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 has reworded these rules, so check the ICO's current guidance.

What to do, step by step

1. Stop applying. Each new application can leave another search on your file.
2. Note your dates. The day you applied, the day you were refused and the exact wording.
3. Write one message. Ask for the specific reasons, the credit file used, a person's review and a copy of your data, with a date.
4. Get your credit files. Free from each agency named, and from the main ones where you live.
5. Check every line. Accounts you do not know, wrong addresses, a paid debt shown as unpaid.
6. Dispute any error with the file holder, then ask the lender to look again.
7. Plan the next application around the reason you were given.

The message to send

Subject: Refused application HLF-55812: request for reasons, review and my data

On 2 November 2026 I applied online for a £6,000 car loan, reference HLF-55812. It was refused within a minute, and your email of 3 November says the decision used your internal scoring and information from a credit reference agency.

Please: 1. Give me the details of the credit reference agency you used, as section 157 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 requires. 2. Tell me the main reasons my application was refused. 3. Confirm whether the decision was made solely by automated means and, if so, have a person review it. I would like to add that I have been in the same job for three years. 4. Send me a copy of my personal data under Article 15 of the UK GDPR, with meaningful information about how the decision was reached.

Please reply by 12 November 2026 on points 1 to 3, and by 5 December 2026 at the latest on point 4.

Swap in your own details. In the US, name the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and ask for the specific reasons. In the EU, name Articles 15 and 22 of the GDPR.

Time limits and where to complain

• No reply by your date: send a short reminder with a new date seven days away.
• A stock answer: ask again for the specific reasons and the credit file used.
• UK: the lender has eight weeks to send a final response to a complaint. Then the Financial Ombudsman Service, free, within six months of that response.
• EU: the national financial ombudsman or the central bank's complaint service; for refused data or no human review, the data protection authority.
• US: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and your state attorney general.
• Brazil: the lender's SAC and Ouvidoria, then the Banco Central do Brasil, consumidor.gov.br or Procon.

The short version

Do not apply again yet. Ask the lender in one message for the reasons, the credit file it used, a person's review and your data. Get your credit files free and check every line. Fix any error, then plan the next application around the reason you were given. The law gives you the reason and a fair second look, not a yes.

Questions

Does the lender have to tell me why I was refused?

In the US, yes: it must give specific reasons or tell you that you can ask for them within 60 days. In the EU and the UK you can ask for meaningful information about an automated decision, and if a credit file led to the refusal, the lender must tell you which one.

Can I make them change the decision?

No law makes a lender lend. What you can get is the reason, your data and, for an automated decision, a review by a person, which is often enough to find an error or the rule that tripped the refusal.

Will asking for the reasons hurt my credit score?

No. A request for reasons or for your data is not a credit application and leaves no search on your file. Making several new applications in a short time is what can count against you.

What changes on 20 November 2026 in the EU?

The new Consumer Credit Directive applies through national law. It adds a right to a clear explanation and a human review when a credit check is automated, and it covers most buy now, pay later credit and loans under 200 euros.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and depend on where you live: check the official source before you rely on a date or an amount.

Sources

• GDPR, Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Articles 12, 15 and 22 and Recital 71 (EUR-Lex, checked November 2026)
• Consumer Credit Directive (EU) 2023/2225, Article 18 (EUR-Lex, checked November 2026)
• Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 157 (legislation.gov.uk, checked November 2026)
• Regulation B, 12 CFR 1002.9: notifications (CFPB, checked November 2026)