Help Required A&L Charges Claim

[rob_rs2000]

Hi all, I started a claim with A&L to recover charges on my current account amounting to around £1500, this was about 2 years ago.

I stopped using the account but only realised last year that I had been £1 overdrawn and was contacted by A&L to tell me that I had accumulated £630 worth of charges. When I asked about progress on my claim they said that they were waiting for results of the test case and would freeze my account until there was some progress.

On applying for a loan today I have learned that this outstanding £630 is now showing on my credit file as 12 months overdue.

So I am after some advice on where to go from here,
has much changed with regards to making a claim since last year?
do I have any grounds for getting my credit file amended?

Thanks Rob.

[BankFodder]

what is the date that the default was placed on your credit file?

[rob_rs2000]

Thanks for your reply.
I don't know the exact date, I am still waiting for my credit file. The lender tells me that it shows 12 months outstanding payment.

I spoke to A&L today and they have said they will change the status to "account closed volenteraly". This will aparently make my credit score better in the long term. but i am not relly sure how this works.

[BankFodder]

if the bank has placed this matter on your credit fileJuly 2007 -- the date of the test case-- and if the information they have placed there is all related to bank charges, then the bank is in breach of contract, in breach of the data protection act, and in breach of the information Commissioner's guidelinesthe placing of disputed accounts on to the credit register.

Don't do any deals with the bank. you certainly shouldn't be speaking to them on the telephone without recording your calls.
When you expect to receive information about your credit file?who was it who suggested that the account should be closed?

You should be aware that the bank will be very pleased if they are unable to mark your account as "closed voluntarily". It says a lot a nuisance but then if you decide to challenge it.you should not agree to the account closure. Please give us more information about how thishas happened.

If the information which you receive on your credit file checks out then you will be able to takea very serious action to deal with it -- assumingthat you are in the mood to make trouble.

[rob_rs2000]

BankFodder,

Thanks for all the info so far, I will dig out all the paper work for my claim and other information regarding this account and then post some more detail.

In answer to your question, it was a&l customer services who suggested the account be closed as in their eyes this would make my credit file look better.

They did also acknowledge that disputed amounts should not be regestered with the credit ref agency, but these charges where put on the account after I had already made a claim for previous charges, and they cannot amend this as they say this is a new outstanding balance.

It seams very unfair that when I phoned to dispute the new charges they recommended that my account was frozen pending review but they still continue to register these outstanding charges with the credit ref agency.

[BankFodder]

Since July 2007, -- the date of the OFT test case-- all bank charges are in dispute. This automatically means that the placing of any charges related informationon the credit registeris not permitted.

This is why it is important to knowwhen your charges recordwas given to the CRA.

How long ago did they saythat they were closing your account?I think that you should complain about it and I think that you should tell them that you have been badly advised.

You should start understanding that the banks interests are not your interestsif the bank says do Y, then it is probably because you would be better off doing X.

[rob_rs2000]

I have just got a copy of my credit file and it shows that I am more than 2 months in arrears starting November '07.

So I guess they should not have registered this information.

Is there any easy way to get this removed / amended?

They said that they would change the account status to "volenteraly closed"
when I spoke to them on Monday.