Being traced by an overseas bank

Tabitha_T

Hi, can anybody help me with info about credit searches please. Basically, we had a £10K loan with a Spanish bank when we lived overseas. When our UK company went bust last year we ended up owing this bank about £400 (we had already paid off £9600).
We have always kept in touch with the bank and offered a monthly token payment (we have 19 creditors in total) which they refused. Their reason was that they could not accept without applying an international transfer fee. We have now had a communication sent from an untraceable 'UK' address of this Spanish bank saying that they want their outstanding money in full (which we can't do). The thing that we are mostly concerned about is that they sent this letter to our new address, an address which has not been passed to them - we are still having mail redirected to us by the PO from our old address (something we were advised to do by our UK debt advisor). When we enquired how they got our new address, we got this back:
Your address was obtained by way of a trace from your personal credit file, this does not give us any information regarding your personal finance it just gives us the most recent address that you are associated with financially.
We didn't think people could do that without our specific permission? We are worried now as some of our other creditors have been quite threatening, even though we are paying them all token payments. If one creditor has traced us then do the others have the same opportunity to track us down and come knocking at the door? Any ideas? Thanks.

Tixy

Certainly any of your UK creditors who report to the credit reference agencies can track your current address down from your credit file. When you originally open a credit account with them the T&Cs allow this.

Your credit file will have on your new and old address if you changed the address on any single credit account/ bank account etc. Or if you applied for new accounts at the new address and gave your previous address when asked on the application form. Or if you request a copy of your credit file at your new address.

If you have any other foreign debts I am not certain if they would be likely to be able to trace you (I'd have thought not but obviously that doesn't appear to be the case with this debt).

Its very unlikely that creditors/debt collectors will come to your address, if they do then providing they are not bailiffs with court orders against you, they have no rights and you can simply ask them to leave.

Obviously its best to keep in contact with creditors and inform them of your up to date address to ensure you get any letters sent to you, especially if its court papers / legal notices etc. If any threaten to visit their is a letter you can send to revoke their right to visit your property (unless they are bailiffs).

Tabitha_T

Thanks for the info. Currently, I suppose our UK creditors have no reason to recheck our address as we are in a payment arrangement
with them all. Certainly, all and any letters received by us have come via the post office redirection scheme which appears to work very well. So, presumably, the T's and C's of our Spanish loan all those years ago must have hidden a clause allowing access to UK credit agencies. I think we are pretty well clued up on our rights with regards to bailiffs etc, the debt peeps have been very good, however, the thought of these people (and we have had one who tried it on at our old house) finding our new house and causing trouble (especially with my 8 year old at home) is worrying. Thanks again for your advice.

Tixy

If you think they might visit at home - or if they write and threaten to - then you can try this template letter - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=23635529&postcount=60

Not sure about the spanish debt - could it be part of the same banking group as a UK bank that you also have an account with - that might be one way for them to access your file?