Hi everyone, not been on the forum for a long time, mainly due to the help and advice I received at the time! I have a quick question, but first a bit of history. 6 years ago my wife was made redundant. She was earning a great salary at the time, so we were hit quite hard. Had to make arrangements with all creditors, most of whom hit us with defaults from every angle!! We have a Together mortgage with NRAM. The secured element has always been kept up to date, but 3 years ago we made an arrangement to make reduced payments. Should have been paying £140, but been paying £40. They agreed 0% interest too. Well, life has moved on and thankfully now the defaults have started to disappear from the CRA files, and by this time next year they will all have gone. Hallelujah!! Unfortunately (if thats the right word?), NRAM didn't default us on the unsecured loan, so it shows as LATE PAYMENT on the CRA file, with arrears of £4000. I want to pay them more now, but I'm not sure of how to do it in the most cost effective way, but as importantly, I want to get the CRA file cleared up. We're currently paying £40. We should have been paying £140. I can only afford to pay £140 now, so not in a position to clear the arrears & can't imagine we will ever be. My ideas were:- Divide the total outstanding balance by the remaining term of the mortgage = £80 a month. I pay this every month, they amend the CRA file to show no arrears. Obviously they'd have to keep the interest rate at 0% for this to work. I know thats a big ask, but they'd be getting double what they are now. The alternative is I stop paying, they default me, I provide a budget planner to show I can only pay £85 a month, interest is frozen and the default disappears in 6 years. If they won't agree to my idea above, this is probably preferrable for me... Alternatively (and probably more realistically), they agree to capitalise the arrears and I repay the new balance at the original interest rate over the remaining term of the mortgage. This would be about £125 a month. I'd be happy with that too. One thing that's strange is that I'm CERTAIN we took the unsecured loan out over the same period as the mortgage, but it seems to have 10 years less to run now??!! Maybe the old grey matter isn't what it once was! Anyone any thoughts on this situation? Are they likely to agree to my 0% suggestion? Might they go for the capitalisation of arrears idea? One final word for anyone going through what we've experienced over the last few years. Don't Worry! A few years ago we thought our world was ending, sleepless nights, arguments, and lots of letters to various DCA's, solicitors etc. .. 6 years flies by, life goes on, and there IS light at the end of the tunnel. Once thing we have learned is that credit is evil, and creditors are not nice. If we haven't got the cash, we don't have it. A lesson our grandparents tried to teach us, but we knew better didn't we?