Voluntary bans on credits have nearly doubled due to recent data breaches

Around 33,500 new voluntary bans on credits were set in the Positive credit register’s e-service after Valio’s data breach. A ban can also be set using a paper form, but the number of new bans set on paper is not yet visible in the register. The exceptionally high number of voluntary bans on credits also caused congestion in the register’s customer service, and waiting times for the telephone service were longer than usual.

Data breaches have increased the number of voluntary bans on credit

A peak in the number of voluntary bans on credits was observed in the register after the City of Helsinki’s data breach last spring. Valio’s data breach increased the number of bans on credits even more: between 29 January and 6 February 2025, approximately 33,500 new voluntary bans on credits were set in the register’s e-service. A total of 77,400 voluntary bans on credits have been set in the Positive credit register, which means that their number almost doubled after Valio’s data breach.

The busiest day was Thursday 30 January 2025, when almost 9,000 new voluntary bans on credits were set. The number of visitors to the website also increased on Thursday, reaching approximately 88,000 visitors. The register’s website is normally visited around 20,000 times on weekdays.

The register’s customer service was congested

The Positive credit register’s customer service was congested after Valio’s data breach, as customers wanted advice on the voluntary ban on credits. Compared to the previous week, the number of calls received by the customer service increased almost ninefold. For this reason, the waiting time for the service also increased significantly. The customer service situation has now returned to normal.

What is affected by a voluntary ban on credits?

When an individual has a voluntary ban on credits, lenders should consider granting them a new loan more carefully than usual. Thus, the individual is unlikely to receive a loan if they have a voluntary ban on credits. The ban on credits may also affect the purchase of an electricity contract, an insurance or, for example, a telephone subscription or the conclusion of a lease. However, this depends on whether the individual consents to the Positive credit register to also inform commercial credit information companies of the ban on credits.

“Some private individuals are surprised after not receiving their new telephone subscription or electricity contract. The reason for this is a voluntary ban on credits and consenting to the transmission of information. When a customer consents to transferring a ban on credits to credit information companies, i.e., Suomen asiakastieto and Dun & Bradstreet, these companies will also forward the information to telecommunications operators, landlords or, for example, electricity companies that order a credit report on the person,” explains register's operating officer Marjaana Ohralahti.

The credit report ordered from a credit information company shows the individual’s possible payment default entries and the voluntary ban on credits if the individual has consented to the transmission of information.

“In this case, a ban on credits may prevent the conclusion of an electricity contract, for example. However, the individual may choose not to consent to the transmission of information to credit information companies, in which case the information will not be transmitted to a credit information company and will not directly prevent, for example, the conclusion of an electricity contract: in this case, the ban will only be effective when the individual applies for a loan or someone else applies for a loan on their behalf,” Ohralahti specifies.

Voluntary bans on credits in a nutshell

• Anyone can set a voluntary ban on credits in the Positive credit register’s e-service
• The ban is free of charge
• The ban can be set permanently or for a fixed period
• A reason must be selected for the ban:
  • Risk of identity theft
  • Management of personal finances
  • Other
• When you set a ban, you must decide whether the voluntary ban on credits will also be communicated to commercial credit information companies.
  • You can cancel your consent to transmitting the ban at any time; there might be a delay in communicating the cancellation
• You can cancel the ban and set it again at any time
  • There might also be a delay in communicating the cancellation of the ban