Furthermore, would it be right to assume that legal action could in fact be taken against SLC if it were SB'd and ever defaulted (regardless of being pre/post 98')? I think the vulnerability is really the fact that because it's the new-style loans, it's always susceptible through PAYE, even after 6 years? But what if it was pursued by another credit agency? And surely not if you're working abroad? Help appreciated!

Oke, first post! Took out student loans from october 1998 onwards. Had gap year where i paid some of it off. Was moving overseas, so requested overseas assessment form from SLC in 2003. Received the form, but forgot about the whole thing, and had no further contact with SLC. Then, received a letter from SLC 2008 giving me log-in details for my 'repayment portal', which i did not acknowledge (still being abroad). Had no official contact since 2003, and have not worked in UK since 2003. Is the loan therefore subject to being statute-barred? And secondly, if it is, then can the SLC, if they so choose, still ever default it to a credit agency, since it is not 'pre-1998'? Or have i misunderstood something. Comments greatly appreciated!