Questions from Abroad

SteUSA

I have been reading this forum for a while & would like to thank you all as it has provided me with a great deal of info for dealing with my debts.

Here is my situation
We - myself (British) my wife (American) & child moved to the USA 4 years ago to start a new life. (Partly because of our money situation & mostly because wife couldn't settle in the UK). I don't ever intend to return to the UK to live.

We sold everything we had in the UK & paid all the debts off that we could, but I still left around 25k in Credit Cards & Loans:
MBNA CC - 14k
Egg CC - 5k
Northern Rock Personal Loan - 6k
+ small overdraft with Abbey
I had been paying minimum's on these for around 3 years & had informed them all (apart from Abbey as they would have closed the account) of my new address in the US (although Egg would not change their records at all).
I just couldn't afford to pay these minimum's anymore & so on advice from CCCS, I arranged to pay small amounts to Egg & Northern Rock. MBNA would not agree to anything.

I have not heard anything from MBNA for about 6 months - I am paying the 1 pound token payment as suggested by CCCS. Should I have heard something by now? Will the debt have been passed on to a DCA? Will they have applied for a CCJ?

Thanks in advance for any help.

FOURCANDLES_2

do they write or ring you in the usa? just curious . I would send them min payments and get on with things , some I would assume say do not bother paying cant see them chaseing you around the globe for such amounts.

gabriella90

Hi SteUSA,

Firstly i hope you are more settled in the USA with your family and secondly well done for facing your debts its not easy and most of us are in the same boat.

I would think you would have heard from MBNA by now espcially after 6 months of DMP payments. If you are brave enough give them a call, i have always found them very helpful although i am on a long term agreement with them. If you call do not agree to anything at all. They shoul dbe able to tell you if you have been passed to a DCA.

Are you with the CCCS or did they just advise you.

Good Luck G:D

InDebtUSA

Yes, very settled, & thankyou, I think I will try to call them in the next couple of weeks, although, I did try once but I could not find a local number for them in the UK, only I think an 0845 which is very expensive from here.

Yes, MBNA did write to me & called a couple of times at first, nothing for a long time.
I see some people have gone abroad & not bothered paying their debts, but I dont want this hanging over me forever & wanted to try & deal with it in case I did ever have to return to the UK.

CCCS did only advise me as I didnt have enough spare cash for a DMP

Thanks

[Deleted User]

This link may help you find an alternative number for them: http://www.saynoto0870.com/

HTH

D9

SteUSA

I found a way to secure e-mail them when logged on to their website. They replied in a couple of days to say basically it will be sold on in due course, but to continue making payments.
As I am abroad, will they find it difficult to get someone to take the debt on?

Sparklyfairy

Hi there, I know my MBNA debt initially went to Optima (based in India) but once I started the CCA route I stopped my token payments & they went straight to get a CCJ, then a charging order.

I'm not sure if you know but MBNA is owned by Bank of America so although UK debt isn't recorded on US credit ratings, it might be worth knowing in case they *try* to collect through any of your BoA accounts...hth

SteUSA

I was under the impression that although BOA own MBNA, they operated independently & cannot take anything from an account here.
(I dont bank with BOA anyway)
Are they able to serve CCJ when they know & have acknowledged (by sending correspondence) that I am not in the UK?

Sparklyfairy

It can happen - but they may not - but it's best to avoid BoA just in case as you never know. I have seen other banks take their cc debts from current accounts & I'd presume the US function in a similar way (offsetting)..

As far as the CCJ - I believe you could get it set aside through the courts on the basis that you are abroad & you've saved all docs showing that you informed them, correct? BUT, if you did get a CCJ, it would fall off after 6 years anyway I believe. Keep an eye on your UK credit rating say every 6 months or so just to keep tabs..if you see a ccj listed, you can contact the court (probably Northampton as they bulk process ccj's) & get it set aside. Hth, SF

Sparklyfairy

I just had a thought...you could always go bankrupt here while in the US & that would at least give you a definitive date of when to start your 6 year statute of limitations instead of your creditors taking action & spreading out the ccjs. There are drawbacks obviously but it may be something you find works well for you & your family..