Credit file - old accounts

sportbeth

Hi,

I have three accounts from back in 2002 that still show balances. I have no idea if I owe on these or not but would have thought a debt collector would have been banging on my door by now if I did!

I have disputed the accounts with the online dispute facility, but I have no paperwork for these accounts and there are only like the last 4 digits of each number on the report.

I need to get them marked as settled to ensure my credit rating is vaguely acceptable, how on earth do I pay them off though? Surely the companies that own them have written them off by now?

grumbler

sportbeth wrote:

Surely the companies that own them have written them off by now?

'Written off' and 'settled' are two absolutely different things. If you don't pay your debt and a creditor writes it off, this doesn't mean that the debt is settled and your credit history is fine.
I think the only way to have this corrected is by contacting CC companies.

The_Boss

Why not call the companies up and find out? They can tell your account by your personal details. If you owe, you will have to pay.

Also, on the credit file, it will show if payments on your account are up to date. Did you check what the status of them was? I.e. number of late payments etc.

sportbeth

grumbler wrote:

'Written off' and 'settled' are two absolutely different things. If you don't pay your debt and a creditor writes it off, this doesn't mean that the debt is settled and your credit history is fine.
I think the only way to have this corrected is by contacting CC companies.

Oh yes, sorry I understand that - but they're old, old defaulted accounts. I heard that once an account has gone to a debt collector that the original creditor won't deal with you. Even if you offer them money (??!)

The_Boss

That is normally correct as the original lender hands it over to someone else.