Should I declare my 'missing' IVA on my mortgage application

smatty

I have an unusual problem (or perhaps not as unusual as I think!)

My wife and I run our own business which ran into some financial trouble around 5 years ago just before the recession started to bite. We managed to keep the company going but there were some business debts for which we were personally liable which we were unable to pay. We entered an IVA in late 2008 and in 2010 we were able to negotiate a lump sum agreement with our creditors and we were issued a certificate of 'satisfactory completion'. The IVA will have been completed three years this December.

We want to move house next year, so I recently obtained our credit reports online to see how our credit ratings look and was surprised to note that the IVA is not mentioned anywhere, either on my or my wife's reports. I had a look at the Insolvency Register and there is no mention of the IVA there either. But all our creditors accepted the settlement and the debts are shown as resolved on our credit files. So I am now wondering whether if there is no record of the IVA anywhere, should we declare it when applying for a new mortgage?

Does anyone know if there is a hidden area on our credit files that only the mortgage company will see? Is there any other way they could find out about the IVA?

It seems strange that all record of the IVA has disappeared - has this happened to other people or it is an unusual case?

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Many thanks.

Foxy-Stoat_3

You sure it wasn't a CVA?

There will be a question on the application form, have you ever entered into a voluntary agreement with creditors...may be worded differently...You need to answer all questions truthfully.

If you still have your completion certificate it would be useful so you can get your information correct when you approach your lender/broker.