Don’t be too worried if you saw FNB Omaha on your credit report. While the confusing abbreviation may look odd or dangerous, it’s most likely the result of a normal credit interaction that you had with a lender.
Here’s how it impacts your credit score, and if you didn’t actually interact with this business, whether you should be worried about identity theft.
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What is FNB Omaha on my credit report?
FNB Omaha stands for First National Bank of Omaha. FNB Omaha is the largest subsidiary of First National of Nebraska, which is itself the largest subsidiary of FNB Corporation.
FNB Corporation provides consumer and commercial banking services in seven states. 1 They offer a handful of personal and business credit cards as well as numerous branded cards through their credit subdivision, First Bankcard.
First National Bank of Omaha’s affiliates
If you see FNB Omaha on your credit report but you don’t have an account with them, then you may have a credit card from one of their affiliates. First National Bank of Omaha currently provides private-label credit cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks.
Here are some of the major brands affiliated with First National Bank of Omaha: 2
- Chrysler
- MGM Resorts International
- Ford
- Ducks Unlimited
- Scheels All Sports
- UnionPlus
- Jeep
- Speedway
- Best Western Hotels
- Icelandair
- Big R Stores
- All Nippon Airways
- China Airlines
- Gulf Oil
If you see “FNB Omaha” on your credit report, it means you probably have (or applied for) a line of credit or one of the following credit cards with one of First National Bank of Omaha’s affiliates:
First National Bank of Omaha and TCF Bank
In June 2021, First National Bank of Omaha ended its partnership with TCF Bank and began converting TCF Bank Visas to First Bankcard. 3 4 If your card got converted and you received an FNBO card in the mail, that may be why you’re seeing FNB Omaha on your credit report.
Is FNB Omaha a scam?
No, FNB Omaha isn’t a scam—First National Bank of Omaha is a legitimate organization. If their name is on your credit report, it probably indicates that you have an account with them or they checked your credit.
If you’re certain that there’s activity on your credit report under FNB Omaha that shouldn’t be there, it’s possible you’ve been the victim of identity theft.
We’ll discuss the reasons (both legitimate and fraudulent) that FNB Omaha might be on your credit report in more detail in the next section.
Why is FNB Omaha on my credit report?
FNB Omaha can appear on your credit report for a number of reasons, some negative and some harmless. Here are the four most common reasons why FNB Omaha might appear on your credit report:
1. First National Bank of Omaha checked your credit
You’ll see FNB Omaha on your credit report if First National Bank of Omaha ran a credit check to determine whether or not to issue you a credit card. This type of check can appear as a hard inquiry or as a soft inquiry.
- Hard inquiries: These generally appear on your credit report when you apply for new credit, such as credit cards, store cards, rewards cards, or installment loans. For example, FNB Omaha will show up on your credit report if you actually applied for a card from First National Bank of Omaha.
- Soft inquiries: These show up on your credit report when someone checks your credit but you’re not actually looking to open a new account. For example, if you received an unsolicited offer letter in the mail for a credit card issued by First National Bank of Omaha, then they may have triggered a soft inquiry during the prequalification process.
Thankfully, soft inquiries won’t affect your credit score. Hard inquiries will usually lower your credit score by a few points, but the effect won’t last more than a year, and the inquiry will fall off your credit report entirely after two years. 5 Note that you usually can’t remove a hard inquiry early unless the bureau added it to your report by mistake.
2. You have a First National Bank of Omaha credit account
FNB Omaha will appear on your credit report if you currently have or previously had a First National Bank of Omaha credit account. Even if you closed your account, FNB Omaha can stay on your credit report for 7 years (if the account was delinquent due to missed payments) or 10 years (if the account was in good standing). 6
You might find your First National Bank of Omaha credit account marked as closed even if you never took any active steps to close it. This can happen due to account inactivity—it’s common for lenders to close credit accounts if they haven’t been used for a while.
3. You’re an authorized user on someone else’s First National Bank of Omaha credit account
FNB Omaha can show up on your credit report if someone else added you as an authorized user to their own First National Bank of Omaha credit account.
You might have been named as an authorized user by your:
- Spouse
- Child
- Parent
- Friend
- Business partner
If someone designated you as an authorized user on their First National Bank of Omaha credit account, their activities on the account could affect your credit score. 7
If the primary cardholder is a responsible person and a reliable borrower, being an authorized user on their account will probably improve your credit score by helping you build a positive payment history. On the other hand, you might see a small drop in your credit score if the primary cardholder neglects their payments or cancels their account with unpaid debt.
Similarly, your use of someone else’s credit will affect their credit score, so take care when acting as an authorized user.
4. You’re a victim of identity theft
If you see a FNB Omaha hard inquiry on your credit report but you’re sure you didn’t apply for a First National Bank of Omaha credit account, it could be a sign of identity theft.
If you suspect that someone’s trying to fraudulently open accounts in your name, take these steps:
- Contact the company that made the hard inquiry (First National Bank of Omaha). Tell them you didn’t authorize the inquiry. Ask them for details (i.e., when and under what circumstances their records show the inquiry was authorized).
- Report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Go to www.identitytheft.gov and answer the questions to generate an identity theft report and recovery plan.
- Contact any of the three main credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) and have a fraud alert placed on your credit report. You only need to contact one of the bureaus; they’ll coordinate with the others, and your fraud alert will be acknowledged by all three. 8
You may also want to freeze your credit (or get a credit lock, which is very similar).
Carefully monitor your credit reports over the next few months for further signs of fraudulent activity.
How does FNB Omaha affect my credit score?
There are several ways that FNB Omaha can affect your credit score, depending on whether it’s been reported as an inquiry or an account.
Hard inquiries
As mentioned, a single hard inquiry will have a small, short-term effect on your credit, usually lowering your FICO score by up to five points and your VantageScore credit score by 5–10 points. 9 10
This effect is usually cumulative, so too many hard inquiries can really hurt your score. However, a single inquiry isn’t something to worry about—your credit score ranges from 300 to 850, which means 5 points in either direction isn’t significant.
Open and closed accounts
If you have an open or closed First National Bank of Omaha account on your credit report, then it’s contributing to your credit score by influencing the following factors:
If the account is open, then it’s also contributing to your credit utilization rate (also known as your debt-to-credit ratio).
To learn how your First National Bank of Omaha account will affect your credit score, familiarize yourself with the factors that make up your FICO score and VantageScore.
How to remove FNB Omaha from my credit report
If you want to delete FNB Omaha from your credit report, then try one of the following approaches.
1. Send a dispute letter
If you see an item listed under FNB Omaha on your credit report that you suspect is a mistake, then you can dispute it by sending a dispute letter to First National Bank of Omaha and/or the credit bureaus.
Send your letter to First National Bank of Omaha if you believe the error originated with them (e.g., they reported a late payment when you actually paid on time). Send it to the credit bureaus if you believe they made the mistake (e.g., they confused you with someone with a similar name or Social Security number).
Either way, it’s usually a good idea to send copies of the letter to both parties (the bureaus and First National Bank of Omaha). They may contact each other as they investigate the matter, and it’s important to make sure everybody has received the relevant information.
Once you’ve filed your dispute, the credit bureau will be required to investigate and correct any inaccurate information on your report, usually within 30–45 days. 11
2. Use a credit repair company
A credit repair company will act as a middleman between yourself and your creditors (and the credit bureaus). They might be able to get a hard inquiry or other FNB Omaha item off your credit report by helping you gather evidence and handling all the required communication.
However, be wary of scammers. By law, credit repair companies are not allowed to charge you before they’ve helped you. 12 If they ask for payment upfront, hire a different company.
Although hiring a credit repair company can save you some time and hassle in disputing items on your credit report, bear in mind that they can’t do anything for you that you can’t do yourself.
They also won’t necessarily be able to erase valid negative information or turn a bad credit score into a good credit score overnight. Think carefully before hiring a third-party company to get FNB Omaha off your credit report.
