Thanks for that Bazooka - I really appreciate all your help! Have passed everything on and my OH is delighted! We can't thank you guys enough...

Thanks for the quick and concise replies DX and bazooka! She doesn't have any information at all on the debt - other than an old Experian report which shows the default in July 2005 - which is no longer on her credit file at all. Once she has done the first step as you suggest and send the SAR, what would be the process from thereonin? Does she write to Lowells refusing payment on account of it being Statute Barred? Or does she begin to negotiate a settlement offer? Once again thanks for your time thus far and in advance of any further assistance.

Hi all, I have a quick question on behalf of my partner. She defaulted on a Bank credit card in 2005, but in 2010 the bank randomly took £500 from her account. This week she got a letter from Lowell Portfolio saying the balance of the debt had been sold to them and they expect payment of £4250. Did the Set Off payment in 2010 reset the Statute Barred clock? If so, are Lowell Portfolio able to write anything on her credit report? The original default in 2005 has now gone from her credit file - are you able to default the same debt twice once it passes to the DCA's? This isn't an issue of trying to avoid paying it, more just trying to clarify her position with a view as to the best way forward. the amount demanded is highly inflated with charges, etc, so the actual debt should be nearer £2000 - maybe £1000 allowing for charges and PPI to be reclaimed. Many thanks in advance of any advice, guidance offered!

Hi again Stig, Yes, sorry. they were in the same envelope. The letter from BC reads: "We hereby give notice of the assignment of the debt due to us from you in respect of the balance of £4779 outstanding on your Barclaycard account. On 23/12/2012 your account was sold to Lowell Portfolio Ltd. Any further communications and payments must therefore be addressed to Lowell Portfolio 1 Ltd." Am I still to SAR Barclaycard, or LP1? That is very reassuring to hear. It's taken 8 months or living on the breadline, grabbing every hour of overtime and selling everything I could think of to cover that overdraft. It would be soul destroying to be plunged right back to -£6000! Thanks again Stig - if you could see your way to clarifying the SAR issue, I will press on with everything and update as and when I have more information. Even though I've yet to actually achieve anything, it's so uplifting to feel as though I'm making the first steps on the road (albeit a very long road) to financial control! Thanks again!

Hi Stigman, Thanks for your reply - and apologies to DX100UK who was replying to my duplicate post, which now seems as though it has been deleted! (It was my fault, I posted this in the wrong forum originally). I never did get your last reply DX100, so if you happen accross this again, I would apreciate your input again. The letter states: "Your outstanding balance with Barclaycard was sold to us on 23/12/2011 and we will now be rcovering what you owe." I had suspected that to be honest, so it was no surprise when the letter rolled in. My issue now is whether to attempt to tackle them one by one as they catch up, or whether to just go for the IVA/Bankruptcy route. The main thing that stops me from the latter is the relief of 'closure' would be totally offset by the ruination of my chances of getting a mortgage again (I'm 35 now, so mid 40's before I would even stand a chance?) That sounds like a good start! I shall do that tomorrow! It was actually an Egg card when I stared out with it. Barclaycard took over Egg after I initially defaulted on my payments (circa July 2009). Not sure if that matters at all... With regard to the PPI - I don't recall if I'm honest. I am a complete soft touch though and so there is every chance I did (especially if I was "encouraged" to do so at application as I was keen to get approved). I've actually managed to find my July 2009 Statement and even on that it says a default fee has been applied. The balance at the time of default was £3996, whereas Lovells are claiming £4779, so although some of that will be interest, I'm guessing there are a few fees thrown in for good measure. Again, do you have a recommended template for the SAR? One last thing that's bothering me about the Barclaycard debt specifically: I have banked with Barclays for 20 years and had mortgages, loans and overdrafts with them - all of which have been repaid in full without issue. I decided in April 2011 to clear my overdrafts with them (circa £6k), partly because I wanted to maintain the good relationship, partly because I've been paying interest every month for 3 - 4 years and the interest alone was a drain, and I guess partly because I felt I should begin to tackle my situation if I really ever wanted a mortgage again. Now I have read numerous time of instances where Barclaycard have simply taken money from customers' Barclays account to settle outstanding debts. I believe they have the right to do this, but would me SRA'ing them risk Barclaycard suddenly showing an interest in my account again? What is the likelihood of them settling this debt from my Barclays account. I do not have a positive balance on my current account, but the overdraft I have cleared over the last year or so is sufficient to clear the debt? If they were to do this, It would take somewhere in the region of 2 years to clear - and would probably cost me somewhere around £1,600 in interest alone over this period. Can Barclaycard put you into your overdraft to satisfy an outstanding balance? I was thinking (hoping) 2 - 3 years in all homesty. I will update the thread when I access my Equifax report in the next day or so, but the Experian report has no records of any missed/defaulted payments from any lender. All the records on my Experian report are green Dots - and marked Satisfied (most date back to 2004 - 2008). Again though, I will report on the Equifax report when I get my password through. Thanks again for showing an interest and your advice thus far (sorry about the length of reply, but I like to try to be specific).

There's the strange thing generally though, I got my report from Experian and although I know I defaulted on the following all around the same time (I reached a point and just stopeed paying everything at the same time): Egg Card Marbles Card Barclaycard (Original Barclaycard) American Express + 1 Loan (can't remember lender) My credit report shows only A previous loan from Alliance & Leicester which was paid in full and a loan from Barclays - again paid in full. Nothing from the mortgage company (Woolwich/Barclays - again paid in full) and more pertinently, no records or entries whatsoever from any of the aforementioned lenders. To all intents and purposes (and to my surprise), my Credit Score with Experian is good. I am awaiting my Equifax membership to see what that says, but with regard to the Egg/Barclaycard demand, I was harassed by Moorcroft for a while in 2010 and then nothing until I received this letter this morning saying as of 23/12/2011, my "outstanding account with Barclaycard was sold to us and we will now be recovering what you owe..." This may or may not be the only attempt from all of the lenders to recover any money, but equally it may be the first of many. Hypothetically, if all my previous lenders called in their respective debts, the solution would be simple as I would be forced into either an IVA, or bankruptcy. Indeed, I was resigned to bankruptcy when it all went wrong in 2009, but kept telling myself to give it a little more time in case something turned up... Again though, if there was any chance at all of preserving my credit record to enable me to purchase a house again, I would absolutely wish to take whatever course of action is necessary. Again, I appreciate your interest thus far!

No, sorry. The first missed payment to Barclaycard was circa July 2009. Or more specifically an Egg card, which subsequently became Barclaycard... I've never been in contact with any of the DCA's that harrassed me for the about a year. I literally ignored their every attempt at communication. Hope that makes sense!

Thanks for your reply DX, If I defaulted somewhere around July 2009, surely the debt wouldn't be statute barred? please correct me if I have the wrong end of the stick - I have read quite a bit on these forums and I thought it had to be 6 years? Thanks again? Also, any general advice as to how best to approach the situation of the outstanding creditors?

Hi all, Fisrtly, many thanks to anyone who reads my post. I appreciate those regular contributors here devote a lot of time to helping others without payment and I am one more drain on the resources. However, I could really use some practical advice on my situation.... To give a little background, I lost a lot of money when property prices fell. I renovated a property with a view to making profit, but by the time the project was completed, the property was worth a lot less than I paid. I would say 50% of my losses were my own & 50% borrowed funds (Loans/Credit Cards/Overdrafts to the tune of approx £25,000) I stopped making any payments on all debts apart from the mortgage in July 2009 (various reasons, but simply ran out of cash and had to prioritise mortgage payments and essential living costs). The property sold and I saved enough to bring the sale price up to sufficiant to repay the mortgage and associated costs of selling. Since then I'll be honest and I've just ignored all the debts. A combination of fear, dejection and extreme disappointment of devoting everything I had in terms of money and spare time for 2 years to something that put me £25k+ in Debt. I've rented ever since, but I really want to buy again at some point. I now have a young daughter and want the security and pleasure of owning again. As such, in April last year I started to clear my overdrafts and am now almost up to date with those (Circa 6K). I checked my credit report (Experian) to see how bad it was and there are no reported late payments/defaults. The only things on there relate to 2 loans and a credit card which were fully repaid over 4 years ago. To test the water, I applied for a Credit Card (admittedly Capital One) and that came through 3 weeks ago. Although I also applied for a mobile contract and was refused, but when I spoke to Vodafone, she said it was on account of living at my present address for only 1 year and not having updated the electoral register. Skip to present day... This morning I received a demand for £4775 from a DCA called Lowell Portfolio. This debt relates to a Barclaycard I had at around the time and the balance seems about right give or take a few hundred. I know I owe other companies, although to be brutally honest I couldn't name them all now. I am also in the process of getting my Equifax Credit Report. My problem is I don't know what to do for the best (as in, to give me the best chance of obtaining a mortgage in the future). I should state that paying them off is not a realistic option. I paid my overdrafts off my using all savings over the last 2 years, selling everything I could, taking every hour of overtime and living on the breadline. I did this for 3 reasons: The bulk of the OD (£5k) was attached to my current account and I was paying the interest every month by default. I didn't want to change banks as it was Barclays who gave me the Mortgage the first time when no one else would. I have banked with them for 20 years - had loans, mortgages and my overdraft with them and they are the only financial institution I have a perfect record with. I figured if I paid it, it would always be there again if I really needed it. Now, my dilemma is what to do about all the other debts. I understand my actions in the past have left a lot to be desired and am happy to accept any/all criticism anyone wishes to share. I would, however, appreciate any advice from anyone who knows the industry and who may be able to see a way I can navigate this situation so as to attempt to go for a mortgage again in the next 2 - 3 years. Many thanks in advance of anyone's response! If any other details are required, I will be more than happy to ablige. Thanks again!

Hi all, Fisrtly, many thanks to anyone who reads my post. I appreciate those regular contributors here devote a lot of time to helping others without payment and I am one more drain on the resources. However, I could really use some practical advice on my situation.... To give a little background, I lost a lot of money when property prices fell. I renovated a property with a view to making profit, but by the time the project was completed, the property was worth a lot less than I paid. I would say 50% of my losses were my own & 50% borrowed funds (Loans/Credit Cards/Overdrafts to the tune of approx £25,000) I stopped making any payments on all debts apart from the mortgage in July 2009 (various reasons, but simply ran out of cash and had to prioritise mortgage payments and essential living costs). The property sold and I saved enough to bring the sale price up to sufficiant to repay the mortgage and associated costs of selling. Since then I'll be honest and I've just ignored all the debts. A combination of fear, dejection and extreme disappointment of devoting everything I had in terms of money and spare time for 2 years to something that put me £25k+ in Debt. I've rented ever since, but I really want to buy again at some point. I now have a young daughter and want the security and pleasure of owning again. As such, in April last year I started to clear my overdrafts and am now almost up to date with those (Circa 6K). I checked my credit report (Experian) to see how bad it was and there are no reported late payments/defaults. The only things on there relate to 2 loans and a credit card which were fully repaid over 4 years ago. To test the water, I applied for a Credit Card (admittedly Capital One) and that came through 3 weeks ago. Although I also applied for a mobile contract and was refused, but when I spoke to Vodafone, she said it was on account of living at my present address for only 1 year and not having updated the electoral register. Skip to present day... This morning I received a demand for £4775 from a DCA called Lowell Portfolio. This debt relates to a Barclaycard I had at around the time and the balance seems about right give or take a few hundred. I know I owe other companies, although to be brutally honest I couldn't name them all now. I am also in the process of getting my Equifax Credit Report. My problem is I don't know what to do for the best (as in, to give me the best chance of obtaining a mortgage in the future). I should state that paying them off is not a realistic option. I paid my overdrafts off my using all savings over the last 2 years, selling everything I could, taking every hour of overtime and living on the breadline. I did this for 3 reasons: The bulk of the OD (£5k) was attached to my current account and I was paying the interest every month by default. I didn't want to change banks as it was Barclays who gave me the Mortgage the first time when no one else would. I have banked with them for 20 years - had loans, mortgages and my overdraft with them and they are the only financial institution I have a perfect record with. I figured if I paid it, it would always be there again if I really needed it. Now, my dilemma is what to do about all the other debts. I understand my actions in the past have left a lot to be desired and am happy to accept any/all criticism anyone wishes to share. I would, however, appreciate any advice from anyone who knows the industry and who may be able to see a way I can navigate this situation so as to attempt to go for a mortgage again in the next 2 - 3 years. Many thanks in advance of anyone's response! If any other details are required, I will be more than happy to ablige. Thanks again!