Ok so, here we go.
In my youth I was not smart with money, spent beyond my means etc, etc. This went on until late 2008 when the bubble burst, and I no longer had access to widely available credit. At this stage I had a loan, several credit cards - the usual problems I guess.
In short, I buried my head in the sand, stopped paying 3 of the credit cards, but kept up with the other 2 (1 with my bank + 1 other) and the loan.
Now in more proserous times, the 2 credit cards that remain are used only for monthly expenditure with no o/s balance, the loan is long gone, and on the face of it I am in good shape. However... I cannot get a mortgage as I have the 3 defaults on my file from 2009 (those being Natwest, Barclaycard [now Lowells], Lloyds [now Capquest]).
Using a firm policy of ignoring all letters and correspondence regarding these, the letters stopped after a while and I forgot all about them (as best you can). Fast forward to today and of course, I find the 3 defaults are still on my credit report.
Soooo... what to do? I can pretty much afford to pay them all off in one hit (we're looking at a little under £12k here). But - as the card with Natwest is a closed account, I have no record of the number, they told me I would have to write to them to request the details. Lowells & Capquest, DCAs, I am loathe to deal with them direct. Ultimately I want all the bad bits off my credit report, or as best as possible.
I'm aware of the 6 year thing - but my understanding is hit & miss. Is it correct that 6 years after the default, the debt becomes... unenforcable? Wiped from the credit report? But remains "owing"?
Any help & guidance appreciated, time to get back on track (properly this time!). Dealing with this alone and hiding it from friends and family is a heavy weight to bear.
In my youth I was not smart with money, spent beyond my means etc, etc. This went on until late 2008 when the bubble burst, and I no longer had access to widely available credit. At this stage I had a loan, several credit cards - the usual problems I guess.
In short, I buried my head in the sand, stopped paying 3 of the credit cards, but kept up with the other 2 (1 with my bank + 1 other) and the loan.
Now in more proserous times, the 2 credit cards that remain are used only for monthly expenditure with no o/s balance, the loan is long gone, and on the face of it I am in good shape. However... I cannot get a mortgage as I have the 3 defaults on my file from 2009 (those being Natwest, Barclaycard [now Lowells], Lloyds [now Capquest]).
Using a firm policy of ignoring all letters and correspondence regarding these, the letters stopped after a while and I forgot all about them (as best you can). Fast forward to today and of course, I find the 3 defaults are still on my credit report.
Soooo... what to do? I can pretty much afford to pay them all off in one hit (we're looking at a little under £12k here). But - as the card with Natwest is a closed account, I have no record of the number, they told me I would have to write to them to request the details. Lowells & Capquest, DCAs, I am loathe to deal with them direct. Ultimately I want all the bad bits off my credit report, or as best as possible.
I'm aware of the 6 year thing - but my understanding is hit & miss. Is it correct that 6 years after the default, the debt becomes... unenforcable? Wiped from the credit report? But remains "owing"?
Any help & guidance appreciated, time to get back on track (properly this time!). Dealing with this alone and hiding it from friends and family is a heavy weight to bear.
Old credit card defaults
