Help rediscovering old debt in an old name!?

mikaop100

Hi All,

I've been reading the forums and couldn't find anything specific to this so I wanted to see how I can proceed with some advice from others...

I am 26 years old, When I was 18 I ran up student account and credit card debts and, ashamedly, did not know how to deal with my debt problem. I buried my head in the sand and moved house at 19 years old leaving some poor person to clear up my mess...

I moved house a couple more times and changed my name when I was 20 - I must stress that this was not in order to get a new credit file (as some people have mentioned) but for personal reasons. I have not obtained any credit since, apart from a mobile phone I got about a year ago, and so have not had to declare my previous name at any stage. I was already 'on the run' from my previous debts when I changed my name and so wasn't exactly going to return to them to say hello, I was again panicked and foolish at that stage too.

I am now 26 and much older and maturer - I want to rediscover these old debts but I'm not sure how. I know the debts are at least 7 years old now - but I am aware that they would likely not be statute barred as in all fairness they couldn't track me with a name change! I am the first to admit that I have done wrong but I want to clear up my mess and be a grown up about it. I haven't heard anything from any of my creditors.

I'm not looking for a quick way out of this, only to own up to my errors and make amends. It may sound bizarre but I am actually excited about the prospect of rediscovering all this as it means that I can start to fix everything and start again one day. To anyone thats thinking of it - never run!

I have no idea how much I owe and I looked at my file recently but there is no mention of my old name - is there a way I can link my old name onto my current (very empty) credit file myself or does a creditor need to do this? Would I need to change my name back to get the ball rolling?

I have honestly learned my lesson, and I want to fix things. I don't want to run away anymore I am so incredibly tired of it all! Any advice would be gratefully received!

Thank you all in advance!

RAS

Hi

I admire your thoughts but can I just ask you to think about this.

These debts are statute barred. Even if they were not, after 6 years the records are wiped off your credit record, so even linking to you old name will not help.

They are probably owned by one of the companies that buys debts for 5-10p in the pound and them makes a profit scaring the daylights out of people and demanding every last penny.

rather than making massive profits these people (at least one third of them have had some sort of warnign from the OFT in the last year or so), why not tally up what you think you might owe and send the money to a charity or two, perhaps one that helps young people in trouble or helps those with debt problems?