Bank Charges and Defaults - the easy option!

[deniseg4]

Dear All

 

My husband has a Default with Santander of around £264 on an account which had no overdraft facility (I believe it was one step up from a basic account), so the entire debt is made up of bank charges. As our circumstances have recently changed, we have no objections to clearing the debt (regardless of the fact that it is totally disgusting that this should have happened on an account of this type), however it is more important that we try to remove the default. My thoughts on this are that we should send them a letter stating that we will clear the debt if they agree to remove the default, then think about reclaiming the charges. Is this a feasible option?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Denise

[rebel11]

Hi den

 

Welcome to CAG

 

The guys will be happy to advise as soon as they are available.

[deniseg4]

Please help, I'm about out of my mind...this is only the starting point, there are several more like it between us

[maroondevo52]

Hi, Denise.

 

You could try offering to settle with default removal but I very much doubt it would make any odd's, claiming back charges on bank accounts is now not possible without going down the hardship route and as you are trying to settle your account I doubt this route would hold any water with the bank.

 

Whats the score with your other debts ?

[deniseg4]

Thanks for your reply.

 

claiming back charges on bank accounts is now not possible without going down the hardship route and as you are trying to settle your account I doubt this route would hold any water with the bank.

 

That was going to be my next question...at the time this happened we were in considerable hardship, with £3000 of council tax arrears and £650 worth of electricity arrears to show for it. As our change in circumstance is so new (my husband only started working in September), we are still paying these off. I know its a long shot, but would this still count?

 

As for the other debts, its a complete mess and I find it all very shameful, so please bear with me. I have hidden from this for many years and have never been able to openly discuss it with anyone, beside several financial experts all of whom said I should declare myself bankrupt. As I didn't think this was the honest thing to, and it scared the hell out of me, I just went back into hiding in a hole of depression. Ironic really, when you consider that most of the debts are now statute barred, so never got paid anyway. My main problem is as follows: I have an outstanding decree for 3 debts with RBS, one for a £6K loan, one for a current account with no overdraft at £2.5k (again all charges), and one for £1k on another bank account (again all charges). This is approximately 6 years old, and the amounts are approximate as I am not at home at the moment and therefore can't give exact figures. Before the accounts got into such a mess I was paying around £100-£200 per month for cyclic charges I just couldn't get out of. This no longer shows on my credit file, but of course is still very relevant as there is still an outstanding decree. I believe the debts are currently owned by BC&W, but that may have changed. As with the Santander situation, I will pay the money I owe, but I am worried that if I do the information will then reappear on my credit file. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I have 8.5K to spend. if I did I would be clearing the CT and leccy first, but I'm most certainly in a position to come to an agreement. I'm just worried that doing so will open a can of worms.

 

On the upside, my credit file is fine apart from a default for £650 with HFO (originally a £350 debt with Barclaycard), which is due to come off in February, but is statute barred. There has been no payment made on the account since 2004, and yet HFO have the default date as feb 2006. With all the other issues I have to sort, I feel it would be pointless wasting my energy on this given that it will be gone early next year. The ones that worry me most are the ones I can't see, but know exist. I have letters from Mckenzie Hall and Scotcall, for debts that are SB (assuming of course that there is no decree attached), which I am confident about dealing with (having already done so for my husband), but I know that there is at least one more that I cant account for, which is a C1 debt which was originally for around £500, but at last check was sitting around £800. I know I have had no decrees in the last 6 years, as I have checked each address for both my married and maiden names.

 

We've had 7 years of hell with this, hiding, not answering the phone, not opening mail, I just want to sort it now.

 

Thanks

 

Denise