Credit Default

jedgson

This is my first time posting and I hope it is in the correct section - apologies if it is not.

Around April 2011 I received a letter from Cabot Financial services stating that they are trying to recover a debt of ~6k which they had purchased from Barclays that had defaulted in 2007. This was a complete shock to me as I have never taken any loan or even banked with Barclays. Cabot then proceeded to place a default for the amount on my credit file.

I therefore spoke to Cabot and advised them that this was not mine, to which there response was to request a copy of the credit agreement from Barclays. Over 1 year later, I received another letter from Cabot advising that after several urgent requests to Barclays, they had still not received the requested documentation and where therefore treating the balance on the account as "irresolvable". This means that the default would remain on my account until such time that the debt was cleared or proven not be mine.

I realised that I had a copy of my credit file from January 2011 (as I was in the process of successfully applying for a mortgage) which does not have any record of any load or default from Barclays. This is the only evidence I could possibly provide to prove that the loan was not mine, however Cabot can only forward this onto Barclays and ask them why the loan was not on the credit file. I have asked them to remove the default based on this evidence as clearly they can not prove that it was my load in the first place and placed the default on my account with no evidence to back it up.

I am now concerned that this will fall into the "black hole" that seems to exist at Barclays.

Does anyone have any ideas what I could possibly do to have this default removed from my credit file or even to prove that the load was not mine?

Thanks
Jay

Rakaposhi

Id suggest following the advice on the Information Commissioners website (ico.gov.uk)

Q: There is inaccurate information on my credit file – what can I do to get it corrected?

You will need to write to the lender and tell them of the inaccuracy, including proof where possible. If you do not get a reply or the information is still wrong, you may wish to contact the credit reference agency from where you obtained your file. If you are still not satisfied you can contact our office and ask us to consider whether an organisation has breached the Data Protection Act.

You can do this by filling in a complaint form. You will need to include a copy of your credit file (within the last 12 months), a copy of your letter to the lender, and any evidence that shows the information on your file is inaccurate, eg copies of bills showing your payments were up to date. If your complaint relates to a bankruptcy you will need to send your certificate of discharge.

jedgson

Thanks for the reply.

In terms of writing to the lender. Do I write to the original lender or to the collection agency who have now purchased the account?

happy_bunny_2

To the current owners of the account.

You can also register a query with the 3 credit reference agencies (Equifax, Experian, Call credit). I would start with the one where you saw the default. Their websites have info on how to do this.

Rakaposhi

I do not honestly know. Id suggest writing to both, keep a copy of your letters and send them recorded delivery.

I would then give it 28 days and raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner if nothing is happening. You have had an inaccurate default on your credit report for over a year already, despite advising Cabot of the situation.