Black Horse Woes (Finding the agreement number)

alkebab

Hi all,

I'm hoping someone can help.

As is well publicised on here, Black Horse are hiding behind the requirement for a full oan agreement number in order to find it on their system. I, like many others, find this remarkable given the widespread use of wildcards and databses these days, but hey, it seems their system doesn't work like that.

So, I tried a SAR but they said they couldn't find anything. So I got an Equifax report, which detailed start and end dates, last 4 digits of agreement number, loan amounts etc. Sent that back to them, and they came back and said they needed the full agreement number.

I also popped into HSBC to get them to look at my old DDs, but they were unable to find anything other than what I can see through my online access as a customer.

Any suggestions?

Do Equifax or Experian hold the full numbers, or are they only given the last 4 digits?

Has anyone else managed to get HSBC to find their old DD records by going into the branch?

Or, as a last resort, does anyone have the CEO email address? It worked a treat with HSBC when I emailed their CEO.

Thanks in advance guys and gals.

Al

picardygirl

I rang them today to find out what my agreement number was (account was closed in May 2011) and they gave it to me without any problems (apparently if the account was active in the last 6 years its very easy for them)

I was given the number 08448007915 to call them for the agreement number and pressed option 3 (i think) gave name address and dob and they gave it to me within seconds.

Good luck

alkebab

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

Sadly, I have tried to call but have hit the same brick wall. Apparently I don't exist, unless I can give them the full loan agreement number.

It's very frustrating as I can see all the details via an Equifax report, but apparently that's not enough for them to find me. Remarkable!

Cheers,
Dan

p.s. can anyone else point me in the right direction?

magpiecottage

It is not uncommon for details held on old systems (or even microfiche) to be held by account number only.

We didn't always have modern computer systems.

alkebab

Thanks magpiecottage,

I would agree with you if we were talking about the '80s or early '90s, but the loan I'm trying to locate the agreement number for was closed in late 2006!

You would think a bank of Black Horse's nature would have implemented a database which can search on more than a complete account number. I mean, what if I applied for a loan from them now, yet in the past I had defaulted on 3 of their loans between 2000 and 2006? Would they have no record of those loans, and therefore approve my latest request? No chance.

I've been a database engineer since the late 90s, and can't think of a system I have studied or experienced where you could only search one parameter, which also had to be the full paramter.

Al

di3004

Hi

Have you checked bank statements where you paid the monthly loan?
The account number should most definately be shown on them, the name of the business, the monthly amount you paid, and the account number.

Just a thought.;)

magpiecottage

alkebab wrote: »

You would think a bank of Black Horse's nature would have implemented a database which can search on more than a complete account number.

Hurrah - somebody correctly saying "would have" not "would of"!

I mean, what if I applied for a loan from them now, yet in the past I had defaulted on 3 of their loans between 2000 and 2006? Would they have no record of those loans, and therefore approve my latest request? No chance.

I presume you did NOT default. Therefore they would have no reason to retain details.

The Fifth Data Protection Principle says "Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes" - so the may well have destroyed it.

I've been a database engineer since the late 90s, and can't think of a system I have studied or experienced where you could only search one parameter, which also had to be the full paramter.

I have been working with databases since the mid 1980s. If you were on an old mainframe system it was almost always the case that you needed an account number to find the customer.

In theory it was possible to interrogate by other data but it was difficult. So if it is on a legacy system you would need somebody with the requisite knowledge to find it.

However, if such specialist knowledge is needed to trace it then it is not in a "relevant filing system" for the purposes of the Data Protection Act.

Of course it is possible that the data has been migrated and it is possible that the facility for a more in depth interrogation would be incorporated into that but it seems unlikely that a business would go to that expense for closed accounts.

alkebab

FOUND IT!

My Current Account bank came through will the full SAR info, and after spending hours trawling through thousands of sheets of transactions, I finally came across the info I needed.

The transaction history went back to late 2005, and in there I found the Black Horse account number which tied up with the last 4 digits from the Equifax report.

I am ever so pleased.

Thanks to everyone who has given advice in this thread. I appreciate you taking the time to contribute.

Al

johnny_english

Im also stuck with my Black Horse PPI right now, my HSBC records only go back to 2006 and i payed off the loan in 2005. I have also no paper records of the account number. Anybody have any ideas?????

alkebab

Yep, SAR HSBC at their Sheffield data controller address. I'll dig it out if you need it.

Mine went back to 2005, and in there was the full Black Horse account number.

Happy to help if you need further guidance as I've, as you can see, just gone through it

Al

Aceflyer7

I found my original paperwork for BH from back in 2001. I cleared the loan in 2004, had ppi and believe i was missold. I posted the ppi questionnaire last Monday and received a reply today saying they cannot find me on the system and need a valid agreement number.

Any ideas on what more I can do? The bank I made payments was Clydesdale, who I moved from some years ago so I don't think I can get details from them. Annoyingly I had a secured loan and have the original paperwork plus lawyers letters regarding the charge on my property as it was secured. I never defaulted once and paid in full some 8 years ago. It shows on an Equifax statement from 2010 but has no account number.

I know I was missold as they told me I had to take ppi to get approved and its worth around £2k at a time where the money would solve some problems.

All ideas welcome!