The thing I'm really struggling with here and I really appreciate your patience on this is because I have admitted the debt to the previous debt collection agency. Surely that constitutes me needing to continue paying now that it's been transferred to a new DCA? I guess I just don't understand - all I do understand is it's making me feel sick, seems like i'm going to be on the hook for this £29k for years of my life. Sad too tat my ex who was 50% on the mortgage seems to not have to worry about any of this and has obviously not paid anything over the years or the balance would be further down. How come its all on me? Surely I am entitled a life?

Moorcroft made contact again today with a letter telling me that they're pleased to announce that they're taking over the account, and I now owe £29,xxx on the account - would I like to pay by Direct Debit, Standing Order, or Online. In the letter it did reference some letters they claim they've sent over the last couple of weeks regarding the account (I did not receive these) - the only letter I got was from them trying to locate me. I take it this is just a ploy to get me to admit to the debt by responding? It says: ----------- RE: Halifax, Balance £29017.48 We refer to the letter sent to you recently, relating to future payments of the above account. I am please to advise that with effect of the date of this letter, the administration of your account will be managed by Moorcroft Debt Recovery Ltd. it is important that we confirm a number of details on your account to ensure that any existing arrangement you had previously agreed is maintained. Your current payment method will determine the action you need to take: Direct Debit - your previous plan has been cancelled, please contact us to set up a new regular payment etc... Please call us on 0161 47529998 in the next 7 days so that we can discuss your repayment proposal and provide you with your preferred repayment method. Alternatively visit our website at www.mdrl.co.uk We look forward to hearing from you soon, Yours sincerely, A.J. Martin Debt Recovery Manager. -----------

I'd been paying £40/month since 2009 to Drydens to cover a ~32k shortfall on my reposession I had with an ex partner only for Drydens to refund one of my payments and told me there had been a "commercial decision" and they no longer managed the account, and that it had been handed across to Moorcroft. Today I received a letter from Moorcroft asking if I was indeed the person they were looking for and that they needed me to get in touch to discuss " a personal matter" - I have no other debts apart from a small amount on a credit card which is all up to date, so it has to be the shortfall. What shall I do - ignore the letter? What if someone turns up at my door from Moorcroft? Because I made the mistake of paying Drydens on the debt until 2018, does that now mean I can be chased for 12 years (i.e. 2030) before I finally get my life back? I'm suffering from anxiety and panic attacks because of the stress over the last 10 years and I'm not sure I'll make it to be honest, pathetic as it sounds. Dreading the door knocking is a terrible feeling, and it makes me feel like I can't go out in case one of my kids answers when I'm not there. Horrible. Life has changed and I own a home again now with my new wife + kids, I'm crapping myself in case I get made bankrupt or something and I lose my home. Grateful for all help received, thank you.

Thank you - will just have to try and put it to the back of my mind

Thanks man, I just feel like my life is on hiatus at the minute and I'm about to be hit with a big bill just before Christmas. I've had anxiety over this for years and it's affected my health badly I really wish it would disappear and leave me to live my life. Sounds pathetic I know.

Hi folks, me again I just had a moment thinking about this and wondered... if I'm to ignore Moorcroft, how will I pay off the debt to Halifax? I acknowledge the debt (through gritted teeth because it's their fault for selling the house short - it was worth nearly double what it went for... I mean, if I sold my car for half its asking price, I'm an idiot.) but...surely someone wants to be paid back? How do I deal with this in "real life"? I don't want to screw up if a) someone comes to the door b) someone contacts me c) anything else...

ok got you. How do I handle the inevitable contact from Moorcroft - I imagine they will contact by letter which I can simply ignore, but what if they turn up at the door? What if I'm not in and one of the kids answers?

Ok - thanks for your help I'll await the next step - probably right before Christmas with my luck, lol

So essentially you're saying make no further payments, wait for contact from the creditor themselves (and ignore any DCAs in the meantime), and then ask the creditor for details about the debt before considering any payment / payment plan of action?

Ok - I have not gotten the paperwork out yet but I did ring Drydens this morning to ask what was going on with the account and why my payment was rejected. Apparently she said that the account had been handed back on the 3rd October after a "commercial decision". She said it had been handed back to "Lloyds" - when I queried this and said the original creditor was Halifax, she said that "they were all part of the same conglomerate" ... She also said that they'd received notification from "Lloyds" that the debt had been passed across to Moorcroft for recovery and gave me the reference number. She was unable to confirm the balance still due, but did confirm that all of my payments had been made to the creditor for all the months/years I've been paying. So - my question is what do I do now regarding Moorcroft. Wait for them to find me and ask for 27 grand? The address they will have is incorrect but presumably they'll spend time looking and then someone will rock up at the door. Ok I have dug the paperwork out. The client referenced at the top was "Bank of Scotland, plc" although my mortgage company was Halifax. It says: Date: 01 October 2009 Our client: Bank Of Scotland, plc Sum outstanding: £32,xxx.xx Mortgaged property: ** address ** You have failed to respond to our previous correspondence. In an effort to avoid court action, we enclose an income and expenditure quesitonairre for your immediate completion and return together with copy documentation to substantiate all items listed. if you fail to comply with the above, our client may apply for leave to enforce the Money Judgement (if applicable) obtained against you at the same time as the Possession Order and once leave has been obtained our client may consider either of the following enforcement options: * Information Order - this means you will be ordered to attend Court on a given date and supply full details of your income and expenditure; all the information given will be under oath. Failure to attend the hearing may result in a Committal Warrant being issued for your arrest. * Attachment of Earnings Order - this means that initially you will be given the opportunity by the Court to make voluntary payments however, should default occur, the Court has the power to order your employer to deduct monies from your salary. Please be assured our client has no wish to take the above action and we trust that the completed questionnaire and copy documentation will now be forthcoming. Yours Faithfully. Mrs H Goldthorpe Drydens Ltd When I received that letter back in 2009, I got in touch with a solicitor who acted on my behalf and arranged for me to pay the £40/month which I have done until this month when it got refunded. 9 years later. And that is where I am at.

Thanks for your help on this so far - I'll grab some sleep and dig out the paperwork in the morning.

This is peeing me off a bit to be honest - am I right in thinking that I may not have been paying off the mortgage debt, and simply funding Drydens for 9 years? Where does that leave me? I will dig the old letters out and see the exact wording.

A few years ago when I pulled up my credit file, the debt was marked as "Settled" with the Creditor as Halifax, so I was under the impression that it had been sold on to Drydens. Although the house was sold at a loss, I never got a bad mark on my credit file for the reposession. The "Settled" account for the mortgage no longer shows up anywhere on my credit file. Nor does any account with Drydens. I'm very confused - and worried at the same time. I want to sort this out and know who I am dealing with, but scared of opening up a can of worms and ending up with bailiffs at the door or worse. I assumed that Drydens had purchased the debt for pennies on the pound, and that I simply now owed them the cash - which is what I've been paying for 9 years.

Yes, their client (and the original creditor) was Halifax which is who I/we had the mortgage with.

Ok... so what happens now??