Yes, I deal with commercial litigation, and I am aware of differences, but I'm sure the overall basics would be the same. First point of call would be to ring your credit reference agency, as for some info on the defaults entered on your file (dates, claim/ref numbers, etc) Then give your local county court a call and see if they can help you out.

Neither, it's the courts that do this in the cases I deal with. The default should have a reference number, you will need this to get it removed.

In addition to the above post claims entered by creditors stay on your file for 72 months (6 years), to have this removed you usually do have to pay a fee (around £30 I believe) to have this 'struck off' your record. Other wise it will stay there, it won't affect your rating after the 72 months, just be viewable to potential lenders etc. As Scarlet Pimpernel says if you could tell us a bit more info about your letters etc, this way it's easier to tell what approach they are taking Hope this helps

Thank you all! I'm overwhelmed! HSBC called me today about the charges... I'll keep you all posted as to where I am upto, I'm currently in the process of setting up my 'parachute' account through Halifax. Thanks once again, your help and support is very much appreciated

Hi RuthieK1974, I can't admit to being in a similar position to yourself, But my job involves pre-court litigation against businesses, so I may be in a position to offer some 'tip's from an insider's point of view! - Your creditors MUST prove that you owe them the money, this involves statements and details of transactions, also request full breakdown details of all charges and interest accrued, then I advise putting this data into a spreadsheet and working out where you stand - The easiest way of doing this (as previously suggested) is visiting your local Citizens Advice Bureau, they will come up with a plan for you and make your debt manageable, they will also write to your creditors (You will need to give them the authority to act, don't worry about this) and in this case, most interest is frozen. (I know I freeze interest and costs if I know someone is in financial difficulty, as I know my bosses would rather get paid something than nothing at all!) It won't happen overnight, have patience, make a budget and stick to it like glue, how you have gotten into debt is irrelevant, it's getting out of it that counts! Also I suggest browsing the forums here some more about advice on reclaiming bank charges etc if any have been applied, I've found the advice on these forums incredible, I'm currently being charged by HSBC! Not for long though! In closing then just stick to it, with perseverance you will come through it, you seem determind in my eyes to fix the problem and no doubt you will. If I can be of any more assistance just get in touch Chris

I actually had that thought some time ago! I have an account with Halifax (current balance = £30!) I was going to move all my transactions (wage, car insurance, loan repayments) to this account, however I was skeptical of doing so... I'll certainly put more thought into that, It will be more manageable for certain and Halifax have offered to switch over all DD's etc for me. Just a quick note to say many thanks for your help thus far, I don't know what I would have done without the advice this forum has offered, rest assured when I win against HSBC I shall be donating to keep this site open. I'll issue my second letter today, and just to 'run with the bull's' as the saying goes, I'll pop into HSBC tomorrow and prove my signature is me! Regards Chris

Thanks! Out of interest what is a Parachute account and how would it help? My current situation is dire, I do have plans in place to fix this (i.e. Taking on more work and/or a second job) but it seems to get worse as the months wear on! HSBC have replied to my first letter to them saying my signature doesn't match their records, is this simply a delay tactic as two weeks have passed since I issued this. Another question is this, say I sent out my first letter and at that point they had only charged me £378.41 (only!) this letter was sent 20/02/08, since that date they have added more charges (as per my original post) thus increasing the amount I need to claim, can I simply increase the amount charged on my second letter? (thus making it more than on the first letter) I hope this makes sense, and apologies, I'm really really worried about all this, given my job and experience this is still quite unerving for me!

Hi All, I'm very new to the forums, and have come here in search of Help, I have read through many of the threads and found some exceptional information, it is this website that has prompted me to send the first letter to the bank demanding repayment of the charges. The charges they have applied since 01/01/08 are as follows: Bank Charges: So Far: £542.37 01/01/08 - £150.00 - Nofified Fees 19/01/08 - £25.00 - Arrangement Fee 01/02/08 - 150.00 - Notified Fees 18/02/08 - 25.00 - Arrangement Fee 03/03/08 - £13.96 - Interest 06/03/08 - £150.00 - Notified Fees Surely this is unlawful, it is their charges that are plunging me further into the red, the situation started admittedly by part error on my side. My car insurance is now being affected by this and I am struggling to keep going! Any help whatsoever would be appreciated Many thanks in advance A very worried Chris!