Gelsenkirchen and Co.: Schufa trouble threatens citizens' financial situation!

Gelsenkirchen and Co.: Schufa trouble threatens citizens' financial situation!

The financial situation in Germany remains a much-discussed topic, and the regional differences could not be clearer. According to current data from the credit reporting agency Schufa, cities such as Gelsenkirchen, Duisburg and Bremerhaven have the highest rate of negative Schufa entries. 19.3% of adults in Gelsenkirchen and 19.1% in Duisburg have difficulties with their creditworthiness, which has a direct impact on the quality of life of local people. How rnd.de reported, these cities are also among the regions with the highest unemployment rates in Germany.

In contrast, Bavaria, where people are the most financially reliable, shows a lower rate of negative entries. Districts like Eichstätt and Erlangen-Höchstadt only have 3.9% and 4.1% with negative Schufa entries - and that with an unemployment rate below 4%. So what could be the reason for these stark differences?

Schufa score and creditworthiness

Schufa has a total of 68 million people in view, with more than 90% of the data representing positive information. The company's business model is based on collecting information about consumers' ability to pay and passing it on to partner companies. But how does it work exactly? Consumers can simulate their score themselves and see how different life circumstances, such as the number of credit inquiries or the age of their bank accounts, influence their creditworthiness. Tagesschau.de explains that the new Schufa score, which should be available from the fourth quarter of 2025, is based on 12 criteria out of over 250 possible criteria.

This transparency is urgently needed because the effects of a low Schufa score are clear: difficulties in obtaining a loan, problems with mobile phone contracts and even the search for a new rental property can quickly become a hurdle. The details that influence these scores range from payment history to the age of the oldest credit card to the number of inquiries in the last 12 months. Consumers should be aware of this, as a low score indicates a high probability that bills will not be paid, and this can impact future contractual terms with banks and service providers.

The role of consumer protection

The consumer advice centers emphasize that consumer rights have made some gains in recent years through rulings by the European Court of Justice. consumer centre.de informs that reporting companies are bound by certain rules when it comes to how they collect and share data. This includes that customers must be informed in good time before their data is passed on to Schufa, and that consumers have the right to view their data free of charge once a year and, if necessary, request changes.

Although Schufa plans to make its credit score more transparent from the first quarter of 2026 so that consumers have more control over their data, it remains to be seen how quickly and effectively these changes will actually be implemented. The pressure from consumer advocates certainly cannot be overlooked, because it concerns the financial future of thousands of people in Germany, which could be influenced by a switch to a new rating system.