Printed off my credit report last month (Experian) and had the epic 'score' of 580.... Experian emailed me today to say there had been a change on my report. Logged on to see that Southern Water had added a default to the report with a default date of June 2016, no great shakes to be fair because it improved my 'credit' score to 635!!! However, I've not, nor ever have I, received a default notice? What is the MO for these clowns? And why are Experian shockingly inept at processing personal data accurately? Leave it two years for a default to appear on a credit file?

Can someone explain me why on Experian I am only 73 points to have Excellent (at the moment i am good) AND on Equifax - very poor!!!I have the same info on both files, all correct, no late payments, no CCJ, correct addresses, register to Electoral more than 2 years . I cant understand the logic !!! I want do remortgage and at the moment I don't know what to do . The difference its ridiculous, any ideas why??

Hi everyone, long time since I posted, have been keeping my head down after finding a strategy for my debts and uncooperative/unreasonable/deceitful 'creditors'. my strategy, devised at a time of severe ill health was to work out who didn't have valid agreements and claims and to tell them the facts and to sod off, and those who did have a rightful claim were offered a token sum as F&F. The first group claimed I was wrong, or simply ignored me, and the latter either demanded full settlement or ignored me. Either way, anything arriving after their response to my statement of facts was ignored - my position was clear and I wasn't going to waste time arguing. If they were convinced of their position, they could take legal action. The strategy worked because they lost interest in me. Now, 6 years later, an ugly vision has reappeared, but it pre-empts my intention to ask for help in making sure everything truly has gone away. This problem concerns HBOS who were awful to deal with. Getting simple responses from them was impossible, and at one point I was forwarding their responses to my complaints to their Secretary asking him to clarify the rubbish that was supposed to be answers to my complaints. In 2009 I started investigating the status of the account, and following the collective wisdom of this site, my CCA was a recon, and the DSAR resulted in a 2 page document. One page for my address etc (pre-filled when sent to me), the 2nd page was clauses/conditions. The last clause was 1.8 and it referred to another clause, 8.2 which gave them the right to vary the conditions. I considered the agreement incomplete (where were clauses 1.9 - 8 and maybe more?) and wrote advising them. I received more info, and again wrote that I still didn't have what I considered a complete agreement, and there were other things missing from the DSAR - fees paid, manual interventions etc. In short, I never received any more of the agreement. In early Aug 2010, I wrote to the Secretary (3rd letter) saying they didn't have an agreement, and so could not recover anything, quoting WILSON and THE FIRST COUNTY TRUST LIMITED in the High Court, [2001] EWCA Civ 633. The Judges commented : "In effect, the creditor – by failing to ensure that he obtained a document signed by the debtor which contained all the prescribed terms – must …….be taken to have made a voluntary disposition, or gift, of the loan monies to the debtor. The creditor had chosen to part with the monies in circumstances in which it was never entitled to have them repaid." I considered HBOS fell in this category. HBOS had also issued a dodgy default notice (this was at the time of the 'unlawfully repudiated' defence). Whilst stating several times that I did not consider any debt existed, and that no agreement existed, I complained that they were processing my data and passing it to debt collectors, in breach of the Data Protection Act. I asked them to stop processing the data, prevent others from doing so, remove the default on my Credit file etc. They never replied. Things went quiet. In June 2014 I got a letter from Lowell saying I had been advised by another Lowell company that they had bought the debt. I hadn't had any such notice (no surprise) and as I didn't consider any debt/agreement existed, and as I had not received any evidence that Lowell had any contract with me, I ignored it. Things went quiet again. I have just received another letter from Lowell - an "Annual Statement" "for information only as required by the Consumer Credit Act 1974" covering the period June 2014 to June 2016. (Obviously Lowell have a problem with understanding what 'annual' means lol). The balance quoted is the balance quoted by HBOS so there hasn't been anything added/deducted to the balance. Now, in my own mind, they don't have an agreement. The account was opened in 2005, HBOS couldn't supply the agreement in 2010, and there is even less chance of it being produced now. There is no way I am paying anything to this account. My quandary is that I am concerned about how much info is still out there concerning my accounts. Lowell are obviously still holding my data even though it was just over 6 years ago that I stated firmly that as no agreement existed, no debt existed either (using words from the High Court judge - the money had been gifted to me). I think they are in breach of the DPA by holding my data without my agreement, and as the account was closed in Aug 2009 it is past the 6 years rule anyway. The statement says it is for information only - is that usual or an admission that the debt is unenforceable? I wrote to all creditors in July/Aug 2010 either telling them the debt was unenforceable or offering a one-off F&F. As a result, all my debts are at least 6 years old since last being acknowledged, and my concern is that the cycle of demands will start again as the dregs of debt collection start a last gasp effort to recover something. I am concerned about using Noddle or Clearscore because I am not on the electoral register and am worried that updating my credit file will simply start the cycle of demands again. I have been waiting until I am positive more than 6 years has elapsed so that everything is statute barred and I guess that time is now. Hopefully everything will have gone from my file but what do I do if it hasn't? and what do I do about the dregs that are obviously still processing 6 YO data as Lowell obviously are?

Hi, I don't know if anyone is able to give me any advice. Three or four years ago I had some financial troubles. Recently I decided to get my head out of the sand and I ordered copies of my credit files. I have found that in addition to the actual accounts that have been defaulted (bank account and storecard etc) Lowell Financial have also added their own default. The main question that I have is can Lowell do this? I was intending to try and pay back as many companies as I could, but I object to paying two people for the same debt. In addition to this my credit file will never clear as Lowell's default date on some of the accounts is nearly a year after the original holders date. Thanks in advance.

Hi guys. Just a quick one. I recently done a fresh install of an old Dell Inspiron 1545 Laptop. I had a problem installing Drivers from Dell (Ethernet and Wireless Drivers). I have managed to eventually get them done and can access the internet. The problem I am having now is, if I download anything and try to install the program, It won't start. Even in elevated mode. The main issue I am having is updating SM bus Controller. I have tried a fresh download, and tried using Update Driver through Device Manager. Any help is appreciated.

this could be a very stupid questions but I notice on my CRA files some loans/debts show as settled whilst others show as satisfied. Which is better? I ask as I have an aqua card debt I need to pay and want to request a full and final settlement figure but part of my request is also asking that the debt be shown as nothing else owing on it.

Hi, I have gotten copies of my credit files and I agree with most of what is on there. However, there is a debt which is currently owned by Lowell for a telecoms bill. The bill was for 02. I ordered a phone several years back and there was a problem with the delivery, it ended up going back to 02 and I cancelled the order as I thought the service was rubbish. I got a phone from tmobile instead. So I have just found a Lowell debt for nearly £1200 on my credit files. Can I complain to Equifax etc? As I never had the phone it would not have been used and there is no way I would have run up a phone bill that high anyway. I have tried emailing Lowell but they are fobbing me off with "the creditor has given them permission to collect the payment from me". Thanks in advance.

Just under 2 years ago my Barclaycard went to Mercers, and I received a default notice on Mercers headed paper. The account was then transferred back to Barclaycard. I've been trying to keep up with the reduced payments (£50+ per month) they then agreed with no interest, but having been back to CCCS with my current situation they advise a £1 token payment at present. Things are due to improve once priority debts are paid off but this will take about 12 months, and I am now on a payscale ladder so things will improve next year. Barclaycard have refused this offer and their previous letter said they would send a default notice if I didn't send the £50+ payment in 7 days, and will add interest again, their current letter says they will send a default letter if I don't contact them (no timescale given, but it is strongly implied that I telephone) Can someone knowledgeable please advise the 'rules' and implications about a second default notice for the same account? Thank you in advance.

I was shocked to see when I logged into the HSBC forum that no-one was talking about the recently publicised details of the HSBC scandal and HMRC's handling of it. Then I though maybe it is being discussed in here. But no. This is a huge issue that effects us all, is no-one interested? DJ

Parents who default on child maintenance payments face being turned down for mortgages and credit cards under new government plans. From March 2015, information from parents' payment records in England, Scotland and Wales could be shared with credit reference agencies. Financial organisations would then use this data to decide whether or not they want to offer someone credit. The record of a missed payment won’t appear on a credit record until a liability order is made against them.

A friend received an email that their loan was being written off as per their new lending criteria. They received the following info in their email : What happens next We will automatically clear any outstanding debt you have with us and your balance will be set to zero. This will be done by the end of October 2014. You do not need to do anything. We are working with the relevant credit reference agencies to remove records relating to this loan from your credit report. We expect this will take between three to four weeks to be completed. This will be done automatically and there is no further action required from you. When he checked his credit file today the loan has not been removed but marked settled. This is not what their email says, it clearly say's records should be removed. Anyone else have the same problem?

Have been following the Durkin case, and now have a query: In 2006-2008 HSBC applied excessive bank charges after DWP stopped my DLA payment (in error) but later paid the arrears. I had been very ill and the local branch had said they would be sympathetic as it was not my fault. Charges were inflated to £1315 and although I requested a review as a priority case they started putting DCAs in touch (four of them in all). Eventually I got fed up and issued a MoneyClaimOnline, last month, and have now filed Judgment. The last of the four DCAs also registered the "debt" with CRAs, so I sued them jointly. They however sent the file back to HSBC and therefore I cancelled my claim against the DCA, and asked them to remove the CRA entry as they had surrendered the matter. They haven't removed it, and it is now the only remaining "debt" on CRA files for me. My credit score is low and quotes the debt as a factor. Is there any guidance somewhere on quantifying compensation in this situation?

Hi, I have some defaulted debts from which I made the last payment on all of them around July 2007. The defaults were not registered until early 2008. I know these debts are coming up to being statute barred but does anybody know if I can get the defaults removed when the become statute barred in July, or will I have to wait until next year? Thanks Charlie

Hi, I am in the process of trying to tidy my CRA files. having been on a DMP for 7ish years through PayPlan. I have attained most of my information from my creditors through SAR and CCA requests and I have found the majority do not update the CRA files with a true reflection of payments made etc. (I know I shouldn't really be surprised ) I am in the process of reviewing one of my creditors, for whom I did not make any payments from Feb 06 for 5 months, then I started a DMP. This is a great example in that Default Notice and Formal Demands were made after 3 years of being on a 'temporary' DMP (at the start the DMP manager showed a budget to last in excess of 7 years!) and they defaulted me in 2009 as I only just then entered into a 'long term' repayment plan. (Not sure whose fault that was, Pay Plan or OC). At the time I didn't challenge the entry of the default, I was bit 'head in the sand' whilst just making the repayments every month as I wrongly assumed that Pay Plan was sorting it all out for me! I didn't think for one minute the OC would default the account after 3 years, and for no reason. I hadn't missed any recent payments before the decision for them to default. I had a couple of blips on 2007 and 2008, where I missed a couple of repayments (thats another great story - I was was bullied by a well know loan provider into making additional payments in excess of DMP so failed the DMP for a couple of months as I didn't know any better at the time!). I attach a PDF of my CRA for this file, I think the first '6' should be in July 2006, and an AP thereafter, however I am contacting them under the DPA etc as I believe it should have defaulted in 2006 - when all of the payments were missed. So that's the background, but my question is : Shouldn't the CRA file only show the past 6 years? I.e. should it only go back as far as Aug 2007? I'm trying to tidy up my files, but if the records are now showing OVER 6 years then I'm not really going to be making any progress (I have a few others who have also messed up the date of default and I'm trying to clear them all). Also any advice on what angle I could use to get them to update the Default to 2006 would be really appreciated. Currently Im thinking of the approach of : no payments made for 6 months, no DMP approved until FEB 2008, at Marker '6' it is clearly seen that the account is severely in arrears and defaulted, sent to 'collection' etc. Oh, and the fact that their internal notes 'charged off' the account in late 2006 - this I think is the key point to the Default being recognised as 2006. CS [ATTACH]45778[/ATTACH]

Hi all, I have numerous debts from when I was previously married a few years ago, I used this site to send different letters (mostly CCAs)to different DCAs nearly all of them have never contacted me since and Ive just left them alone (let sleeping dogs lie!) Im now thinking that a lot of them will be over 6 yrs old and Ive had no contact with them so they may be statute barred. .does a debt that's statute barred still appear on your credit file?or should it be removed? Also if I had a debt and I was given a CCJ over it does that ever go away (if ive never paid it off) Im thinking that CCJs are on your record until they are paid off? And one final question - wheres the best place to get my credit record from now so I can check it? Many thanks in advance

I have an account with Vodafone and have had for many years, just noticed on my Credit Files that two seperate accounts are showing, both up to date with payments, both updated 01/08/2012. Not sure why 2 accounts are showing.

hello group , i have just uncovered a fraudulent additional loan of £50,000, taken out august 2007 on our joint mortgage of £95.000 taken out july 2007 5years ago , all monies have now been paid of.. with the £50 k loan paid of within six months.. i have spoke to the building society and written in,, i have received four documents of a joint application. .and the signatures are all not mine they all had discrepancies my mobile number last digit changed , all other numbers were of the other owner and so on ,i knew nothing about it till now. .they have told me it was all done through the post and possible branch visit in manchester. .the 50k was wired to his saving account with them on the 20 th august , i now beleive it was to pay off his shortfall on a mortgage he had with them when he sold his apartment at the end of august 2007, ..a good friend of his worked at that branch and was dismissed in 2009. i was completly shocked by the whole thing as i had paid my half £125000 cash off the purchase of the house .and the other owner £30,000 ,with then a joint mortgage of £95.000 ..this meaning that the additional loan of £50 k went into my equity. .I then thought why didnt notice it on experian on my credit file as i check every year, the £95k was on there, i checked with equifax the £95k was on there to .I telephoned both and enquired, ,no they had received any details of the £50 k . i phoned the ybs, ,they got back two hours later ,its on call credit check.. . i asked hows one supposed to keep on eye on your credit files when this information is missing of two of the main agencies. .it all look like a concealment for me not to find out about. ..i ahve yet to go the police with my findings.. .anyone give me anymore advice. i ll be most obliged

Hi, Can anyone advise please? My wife and I are in a lot of debt, unsecured totals £40K. It's made her really ill lately because she has always dealt with the debts and bills but it has taken it's toll and she sees no end I am trying everything to get organised and try and sort this once and for all. I have applied for all of our credit files from the 3 main agencies and I am stunned to see that she has been paying CL Finance every month for a debt that doesn't even show on my credit file. After delving through masses of paperwork and threatening letters I can see it's a debt from a credit card I had years ago although I can't find any evidence of a reliable balance or anything? they say that to date I owe them £3.5k but how do I know if this is right? I'm sure I didn't have a card with a debt that large and she's been paying frequently every month for at least 2 and a half years! anybody know why this isn't showing on any credit file? I'm worried I don't owe this much and they are just using their threats to make us pay and have been adding on fees to up the amount?

My problem relates to a very old defunct current account that I once owned with Natwest. It was closed 7+ years ago to my knowledge with full settlement. In recent times whilst trying to secure a mortgage, I have discovered an entry on my credit files from Natwest stating that I have a rolling balance of between £500 and £700 which is defaulting each month. I say between 500 and 700 because the amount changes each month, sometimes up, sometimes down - sometimes even back to £0 and then £500 again the next month. It smacks of a computer error to me. Natwest were first contacted over a year ago and to this date refuse to speak to me on the basis that I am not a recognised customer and cannot be found on their systems. None of my records exist, and they cannot find me by address, sort code or any of the details that were previously valid. They have also searched their archives. I am advised that Natwest purge their systems after 7 years. The problem is that if, for example, then the 7 year expiry on my credit file would have expired by now and the record should have disappeared. Because however they've logged it in such a way that it appears to be a live account being defaulted each month - the entry will never disappear. I logged a case with all three credit agencies who contacted Natwest. Callcredit received no response so they have "suppressed" the information from my file. Experian and Equifax however were both contacted by Natwest Telford at the 11th hour and told that the information was genuine and not to remove the entry. They gave a reference number. Over two months later, having suffered the insanity of the RBS/Natwest computer crash, Natwest have told me that the reference they gave is not a valid one and they STILL cannot find me on the system. I've made it clear that at this stage, I don't even require them to prove the debt is correct. I am happy to pay it just to clear my file - however with no account to pay it against they will not accept a payment either. Because of the 100s of thousands of complaints logged over the RBS computer crash, they say that it will be many many more weeks before they can process my case, even with it flagged as top priority. Meanwhile, I am still trying to secure a mortgage having found a perfect house. I am being refused purely on the basis of this defautl - much to the extreme distress of my family. Experian and Equifax (both of whom I'm paying the premium account service) are hopeless! A month between every email, as thy refuse to keep the case open, and each time they say that the information "belongs" to Natwest and ergo they can't do anything without express permission from Natwest. For some bizarre reason, they cannot accept Natwest's silence on the matter as a clue that the entry is wrong. Last point - I've also logged the whole case with the Financial Ombudsmans' office twice - once through my accountant and once myself. Neither of us have received a response despite the first case being logged over a year ago. Extremely desperate situation from which I feel there is no escape! I'm in dire need of any good advice. Eliot.