Help with CCJ

Pat2524

3 years ago I took the local County Council to court following an accident that I thought was caused by their negligence, through a 'no win, no fee' solicitor and had to take out ATE (After the event) insurance in case I did not win (quite a rarity I understand). I lost the case and assumed the insurance company would cover all the costs but they refused and I ended up paying approx £12k in costs - however I also ended up with a CCJ as I did not pay it within the 30 days (although I did pay shortly afterwards and its marked as 'satisfied' on my credit file) but I have been unable to get a credit card since and it has affected me in other ways. Is there any way I can get it removed or...........do I just have to sit the 6 years out? I am mortgage free in a house worth £300k, no debts, savings in the bank, but feel like a criminal!

Voyager2002

Stop feeling like a criminal... whether or not you are offered credit is a matter of convenience, but should not mean any more than that.

Standard advice is that you should apply for a 'poor credit' credit card such as Vanquis; use it responsibly and be sure to pay off the full balance every month and so avoid paying any of their high interest charges. A recent record of the responsible use of credit should make you more attractive to main-stream lenders.

Shocking that your insurance refused to pay out: did you use its complaints procedure and take the matter to the Ombudsman?