Many thanks DX. I've had a look at the other thread and it answers the question about the paperwork issue. I still have the question about whether to go for an IVA or not, so I can start to chip away at the actual balance.

Hi there, like many others, I am saddled with an unsecured element of the NRAM Together Mortgage since selling my property in 2014. The debt currently stands at around £27K with a monthly repayment of over £300 per month. Recently we have fallen into arrears and the only way we can reduce the arrears is to repay £400 for at least the next year. The overall balance of the loan is not reducing at all, and due to the high interest rate, there appears to be little scope for effectively reducing the balance. We are now in rented accommodation with no hope of getting a mortgage to buy our own place again. Looking around, it appears that no-one has successfully challenged NRAM about the extortionate interest rate (bearing in mind that the debt is currently state owned). This can only be quite a predicament for myself and many others. I am now at the point of considering an IVA to try and clear NRAM in five years rather than the 20 or so years that is remaining on this loan. Has anyone else managed to get an IVA with NRAM included, and if so, under what conditions? Is there another way out of this as I have had an IVA previously (which did not include NRAM) and I am naturally nervous of this - especially as it effectively prevents me from buying any house, or evening moving house for the foreseeable future. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Hi there, I am following this post with interest. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?440594-Euro-Car-Parks-PCN&p=4827980#post4827980 I have today received a similar letter to that posted by davidsam above. My circumstances are that my wife had used my car while hers was off the road. She had purchased a ticket, but when entering the reg number on the ticket machine, she entered the reg number for her own car, and not for the car she was driving. Clearly, the car park was not being patrolled or any attendant would have noticed a ticket in the window, which means that the PCN has relied purely on ANPR. Should I follow the advice above, or would it be worth me starting own thread for advice. Many thanks.

Hi there, Has there been any updates on this. It all seems to have gone quiet. I am looking at whether I need to complain to NRAM about a few issues, but just wondered what was happening with them before making any moves.

Another positive outcome from this. See link here for Ombudsmans decision. End result is that these lot have now been settled and cleared off our credit files. Many thanks to all for your positive advice. http://www.ombudsman-decisions.org.uk/viewPDF.aspx?FileID=47986

Many thanks. A couple of good ideas here, especially following the recent court ruling. Next thing for me is the SAR once I've gone through the T's and C's. David

Very interesting - I need to read the full judgement to gain the fuller picture. However with an unsecured element of approx 27k outstanding, any refund will undoubtedly help me with long term future stability - also not forgetting the massive hike in APR since I delinked when my old house was sold. As I say, I do need to read the full judgement first.

Many thanks. I had heard about this in the press lately but was unsure of the detail. If any refund is due, which looks likely, then that will enable me to effectively reduce the repayment term and have this debt repaid much sooner. I will be watching the other thread with great interest.

Hi there. Just wondered if anyone has got any ideas - it's been a couple of days since I've checked my thread and it seems to have gone a bit quiet. Many thanks.

Does anyone else have any advice on this. Has anyone successfully challenged what I consider to be unfair terms and conditions?

Hi Caro, Many thanks. The original unsecured element was for £30K over 30 years and was taken out in Aug 2006. The current outstanding amount is £27K with 22 years left on the term. The issue here is not whether I can get a mortgage or not. That is something I will deal with when the time is right. The issue here is whether anyone has challenged the crippling repayment amount that NRAM has set. In my case, the repayment amount per month has risen from £169 to well over £300. Multiply that over 22 years, and the figure is well over the original amount. While this is not as bad as payday lending, it is a high interest rate compared to other lenders. I know lenders are reluctant to lend, which now puts me in a difficult position, as I'm sure many other people are.

Hi there, I have recently sold a property which was mortgaged on the well known Together product. I financial advisor advised that I delink and retain the surplus as a deposit towards the purchase of a new property (currently renting at present due to relocation). The apr on the unsecured element has jumped to over 12%. While this was not unexpected, this is a huge amount, and with the remaining term of 25 years, I will be paying in excess of £100k on an original £30k unsecured element. To me, there must be a case of mis-selling here. I know there have been moves to challenge all this, with nram actions groups etc, but it seems to have gound to a halt. Question is - has anyone successfully challenged the crippling t's &c's of this hike in apr? Is this something worth pursuing. Its late at night, so I can elaborate more on my specific circumstances during the wekl. However, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

Just had this sent by email yesterday... Introducing CFO Loans…. We have listened to our customers and created a product that better suits their needs. Consolidate your debts with a CFO Loan of up to £1000 with loan terms up to 36 months. Dear , We can now offer you our CFO Loan product that will get you out of default with us, improve your score with Credit Reference Agencies and consolidate your debts with our agreed affordable monthly repayments. We have reviewed your account and the following figures and benefits have been tailored to you specifically. 1) Reduce your outstanding debt by 50%. We take your current outstanding balance, including all late interest charges of £966.92and reduce it by 50% to £483.46. 2) We can offer you some extra credit as long as it is affordable. We can offer you up to £515.00which once approved will be sent by faster payment. 3) Set up payment dates and a monthly amount’s thatyou can afford. Speak to one of our finance advisors and set up monthly payments that you can afford, and pay us back over 6-36 months. 4) Help get your account out of default with CRA’s. We will advise the Credit Reference Agencies that we work with that you are no longer in default, which may make applying for credit in the future easier. To apply for the offer pleaseclick here, complete the short form and we will send you some further information. Our CFO Loan Product has been designed to assist customers who have been turned down by the mainstream lenders. Representative Example: Borrowing £1500 over 24 months, repaying £92.72 per month, total repayable £2225.37. Interest rate 41.16%. Representative 49.9% APR (variable) Kind regards, Payment Support Manager CFO LOANS LTD www.cfoloans.com Call me old fashioned and cynical, but I reckon this is yet another of their tricks!

Now I come think of it, I've had texts from IOWA as well. Could be worth a bit more digging. I've been having problems with CFO with their refusal to negotiate, and now it seems they are trying other tricks. Anyone else been receiving similar texts?

I've just had one of these spam texts from briskbuck. As you say, there is no way to 'contact us' on their website. I've also had another text with very similar content from CFO, who I have an outstanding debt to (and am trying to negotiate a payment plan with). Perhaps briskbuck and CFO are linked - just in case anyone submits card details to either company.

That was my theory when the FOS closed the complaint so easily after Minicredit had told them certain factors. It was only when I discovered they had place a default on my wifes credit file that I needed to re-open the case - alng with the issue of the 'mislaid' postal orders. Minicredit had told FOS that they had refunded all payments, but had dodged the issue of the postal orders.

Just sent this to the FOS as they had closed the case thinking that this had all been resolved. We'll see what happens next.. Many thanks for ringing back earlier today and for agreeing to re-open the case. As discusseed, I feel that a number of issues are as yet unresolved. Added to this is the new issue of the default registered in May. To summarise, I will bullet all the points below. The loan was issued on 4th January for £100 less a Fast Payment Transmission Fee. Until recently, I was unaware that I could contest this. Mrs has accrued interest and charges on an initial balance of £100 even though she only received £80.50 creditted into her bank account. Mrs notified Minicredit formally on the 17th February about her financial situation. This was after seeking advice from the Citizens Advice Bereaux in Portsmouth. They advised Mrs to send postal orders and cancel all CCA with the bank. Postal orders were sent in February and March for £30 each. She also sent a further token payment in May along with my second letter of complaint. The responce to my first letter of complaint was unnacceptable and ignored the concerns that I had raised. To purchase postal orders to send to creditors, Mrs incurred fees of 12% of the face value. This is an extra cost which we could ill afford. to be told by any creditor that they dont accept 'cheques' is a blatant breach of OFT Guidelines. I believe it may now be against the law. Letters were sent by Minicredit threatening 'doorstep collections'. As far as I am aware, Minicredit are not licence to collect payments from the doorstep. Also, they have no right of entry onto my property without an appointment. I see from an internet search, there is a long history of issues with Minicredit. All attempts to negotiate a paypemt plan were refused. On 31st May a default was registered on Mrs credit file. As far as I am aware, a formal default notice should have been issued. This did not happen, and attached to my fie is a narrative of all communication between us and Minicredit. The default therefore was registered incorrectly and against OFT Guidelines on debt collection. If Minicredit had accepted a payment offer back in February, AND frozen the balance, the situation where charges were added to such an extent requiring a default to be issued would never have occured. To clarify, the default balance consists mainly of charges and interest, most of which have been applied unfairly. In June, the acount was passed to OPOS, who again refused all payment offers. Mrs offered a settlement, which was accepted. However, the only was payment method Mrs was offered was by debit card. Nothing was agreed in writing by OPOS, so the account was passed back to Minicredit. Minicredit claim that they refunded all payments made to the account. This was simply card transactions which occurred AFTER a Cancellation of CCA was issued by our bank on our behalf. When postal orders were sent, they were NOT applied to the account and they have NOT been refunded. We have not set up a debt managemt plan with Christians Against Poverty, who have made a payment offer to Minicredit on our behalf. As the balance is in dispute, they have withheld payments to Minicredit. As soon as we all come to a mutual agreement, payments will be made with immediate effect. Considering all the above factors, along with all supportive documentation that has already been sent, I consider a finall settlement to be as follows: Principal of loan (less Fast Payment Transmission Fee), plus one months interest. Less payments already sent by postal order. I would appreciate your comments on this. I apologise for the lengthy email, but hopefully that makes things clear. If amy issue requires a new complaint, then I would be gratefull if this could be issued on my behalf. I appreciate that the business requires time to investigate any new issues. However, the end result I am looking for is to have the default removed from Mrs credit file AND for me to be able to make a FULL AND FINAL settlement offer based on the facts above. While I appreciate this will take some time to resolve, please can you send me a quick reply to let me know you have received this email

I did escalate the complaint to the Ombudsman and the adjudicator allocated to my case applied to Minicredit for information. They told the FOS that they had reduced the balance from £844 to £382. Based on that information and everything that I sent, they did not uphold my complaint. I was not aware that I could contest the transmission fee until recently, and I was certainly not aware that a default had been applied. The FOS had closed my case, but I am looking at ways to appeal their decision. I can upload some documents tomorrow morning if need be so I can work on a case to add to my complaint.

Hi there, Just wondered where I stand with Minicredit. My situation seems to be broadly similar to others on here, but I could do with some relevant advice here. My wife took out a loan of £100 with Minicredit in January. She was charged the FastAdvance TransmissionFee of £19.50 so only received £80.50 in her account. In February, she wrote to Minicredit and offered a monthly payment plan of £30 per month and enclosed a postal order for £30. She sent a 2nd letter in March along with another postal order for £30. On return home after posting the 2nd letter, she received a letter stating that Minicredit did not accept cheques, and could she cancel the cheque. As the postal order hadn't been returned, my wife and I have no idea what has happened to the postal order. Minicredit continued to debit our account under CPA even though we had asked the bank to cancel the CPA. These payments have since been refunded to out account. I complained in March on my wifes behalf, but Minicredit basically ignored my comments and wrote to my wife offering her payment plans. I wrote again in May and they ignored my letter, stating that the account was being passed to OPOS wih a balnce of £844. Since then, we have had nothing but harrasement by OPOS. Since the period has elapsed, I escalated the complaint to FOS, but based on the information they received from Minicredit, they 'reduced' the balance from £844 down to £382. FOS accepted this despite my comments about th postal orders and the fact that the statement sent by Minicredit was inomplete. I am getting nowhere with FOS and the postal orders still have not been applied to the account. I have also since discovered that a default has been placed on my wifes credit file in May, despite me raising complaints with them in March and May. The default is for £418 despite the loan amount being credited to my wifes account being only £80.50. Minicredit have not applied the postal orders to my wifes acccount or returned them to her. I just wondered where I go from here. I can post the transcript that Minicredit have sent to FOS if need be. Many thanks.

Well spotted - seems to be a common thing these days with 'new' lenders appearing with supposed 'improved' T&C's. I've seen loads of horror stories on here with payday lenders tricks to recoup money via debit cards. These lot sound great, but I would be careful out there. As for me, I've referred all my PDL debts to Christians Against Poverty who are handling them all for me. Just a couple of complaints ongoing, but progress is being made with them.

Hi there, Its just occurred to me that I haven't been on here for quite some time. After some persistence and quoting some of the help from here, along with the FOS reference number, I finally had some good news from 1st Stop. They agreed to freeze the interest, and remove the charges that had been applied, and agreed to a repayment plan of £30 per month. This is being done by bank transfer each month, and this debt will be clear by April next year. There are other payday debts that my wife and I are negotiating with, some with more success than others. However, with the help from here, we are slowly but surely tacking these debts. The IVA company are chasing PPI for us (as its an all assets IVA), so coupled with the IVA completing this year, and tacking the payday loans, we are finally starting to get somewhere and working to improve our standard of living. Many thanks to all once again. If I can be of help to anyone posting on here, I will do my best to help, borne of my own experiences.

Its been a while since I've been on here, so its time for an update. IVA issued Notice of Breach based on what 1st Stop had told them. I replied open and honestly with al the information they needed, and to confirm what 1st Stop had said (no point in trying to hide information). Report of breach was issued to IVA creditors given them 21 days to voice objections. This has now passed, and unless I've got a nasty surprise waiting in the post tonight, all seems to be fine. The report was sympathetic and stated out desire to complete the iva and acknowledged that we could make increased payment offers to PDL's on completion of the IVA in September. Letter of complaint was sent to 1st Stop and I'm still waiting for their formal response. If I hear any more, I'll keep everyone posted on here, but I just wanted to say a big thank you to all who have helped with my circumstances. As I stated right at the start, there are other PDL,s to deal with, Minicredit, CFO (who have suddenly offered CFO Resolve - not that I'm falling for that one), and Payday Express (who have accepted my offer, but want me to ring up and make arrangements). I wont start new threads about these others, but wil lshare information on other peoples threads, especially if I get any success and can help others. At the end of the day, the debt is mine (and my wifes), but I can and will only pay back what is fair, reasonable and enforceable. Once again, many thanks for al those who have helped!

Just had a text message from these guys. Clearly, I can see what they are up to. Question is.. How can I forward a text message to the OFT. I have an email contact, but not sure what todo about text messages.

Good thinking DD - especially as IVA company has offered to write to 1st Stop to confirm completion date of IVA. Question is - what if they still refuse my offer of repayment plan? I've already lodged a complain with them and await a final response so I can escalate them to FOS if need be. Also letter has gone off to OFT and Information Comissioner ref Data Protection.

Also, am I within my rights to reduce the token payments to £1 for 1st Stop as they have been so ***(insert as appropriate)? My original offer was a token payment of £30 per month.