Totally confused by Experian report

[jools153]

Hi - Hope someone will be able to clarify something for me.

I checked my credit report for the first time today in about 10 years (been to afraid to do it before) Now I have debts that total around £20k that are being CCA'd etc as we speak. When I looked at my file I have seen that only two of these are on my credit file and the total of these is around £2100. This has left me baffled because I am still paying the creditors for these debts that aren't on my file. I appreciate that they defaulted in 2002/2003 and there seems to be a theme that they drop off after 6 years whether satisfied or not. So on that basis I really have two questions

The first is: If I settle the two debts that are on my file (which will probably drop off in a year or so anyway) will this increase my credit score eventually or will it make no difference (ie - should I continue to pay them a £5 payment a month and wait for it to drop off) OR do try and get them setteld ASAP because it will still affect the score?

 

The second is - whats happend to the other debts - the companies are still chasing me for them and I am still paying a token £5 a month but they are not on my file. IF I was to stop these payments would they register that as another default and would these accounts then reappear on my credit file?

 

As you can see I am not very clued up when it comes to these matters so any advice from those who are more in the know would be gratefully recieved xxx

[postggj]

you can only default an account omce

 

a defauult in the eyes of a creditor is a default

 

marking it as satisfied (settled) will not make any difference

[jools153]

So am I right in thinking that anyone searching my file in three years time say will not see these defaults or will my credit score reflect that there has been historical issues? Say if I went to get a mortgage in about 3 years - would the lender be able to see these defaults even though they are not on my file anymore?

[postggj]

They have to be deleated after six years from the time of the default notice

[jools153]

Oh Ok great thanks. SO then how does this leave me with the creditors? I mean obviously I still owe the money but what would happen if I decided not to pay (I do plan on paying them btw!) - they couldn't add it to my credit file again could they?

[postggj]

Havethe accounts been terminated and sold to a dca

[jools153]

One or two of them have I believe

[jools153]

One of them is to RMA Resolve and the other to Interim Justicia. There is one more which was a marks and spencer loan but I am not sure who has that now. I am waiting for a statement from CCCS