completion certificates arrived!!!

[Beckie01]

Hey guys....ive woken up this morning to find the completion certificate for our full and final iva on the doorstep!!! We are so releived all this is over and cant thank clear debt enough for there help!

Could i ask if anyone knows how long we should give the creditors to update their records and mark our account as settled before checking our credit files as i know this costs to do.x

[Foggy]

Great News Beckie -- the official start of being debt free ..... Well done!

The Matrix is well up on this sort of thing, hopefully he will see this and respond.

[Shining]

that is a fab thing to get up to. Enjoy your debt freedom x

[TheMatrix]

Congratulations on getting the certificate, it's an amazing feeling getting hold of that piece of paper.

There is a template letter, that will help you sort your credit files out on the site here: http://iva.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31963

Of my creditors Max Recovery were the quickest to respond, so hopefully most of your debts were sold onto them. MBNA took 8 weeks but gave in in the end and did what they were supposed to do.

First Direct were a bit of a nightmare, equifax and call credit were updated fine. Experian, kept putting disputes on my file, associated with my current bank when I was not in dispute with them but first direct and did not request the dispute notice in the first place. The default dates kept going backwards and forwards no less than 9 times until it was sorted in the end.

But to answer your question they have 28 days from receiving the letter to act and update your files. If they fail to do so, you then need to follow up with a more strongly worded letter insisting they do so within the next 28 days or you'll make a formal complaint with the Financial Ombudsman / Information Commissioner.

At which point 8 weeks will have passed and you can take your case to the Financial Ombudsman. You can also write to the Information Commissioner, there is a complaint form on the ICO website.

[Beckie01]

Thanks guys....so the matrix....would you advise leaving it 28 days before checking my credit report?

[TheMatrix]

Get the £2 statutory report with Equifax and Experian and then sign up for noodle.co.uk it's a free credit check service by call credit.

You need a credit report to see what needs altering to start with.

Then regularly check noodle as it's free. Then once noodle has been updated hopefully the other 2 have been done at the same time.

Get another set of reports then from experian and equifax or sign up for their 30 day trial at that point.

Don't forget to cancel the subscription though or you will be charged.

Personally I've kept the monitoring service with Experian just to keep an eye on future searches/applications being made in my name. Afterall someone in a IVA is open to ID Theft following a IVA as all details were published on the Insolvency Register.

This experian service costs £1.99 a month, but is not advertised widely, you have to go through and cancel to get it, I did tell them though I'd be back in 12 months to check the files had been cleared though

[Shining]

The Matrix I'm sure your post has not only helped the original poster but also others including myself. Thank you for that and I'm sure if you don't mind I'll be calling on your assistance when my own IVA finally completes. Thank you x

[Beckie01]

Fantastic. Thank you the matrix! How do i get the £2 report? X

[TheMatrix]

Either write to them details here:

http://iva.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31985

or apply online to their websites

http://www.experian.co.uk
http://www.equifax.co.uk

[Skippy]

I would definitely keep an eye on Callcredit as their information can be unreliable to say the least. Luckily it's the least used of the 3 credit agencies, but it's the one that most of the free credit check companies use.

[TheMatrix]

That's why I say keep an eye on this one, it's also free to check via noodle.

However, if Call Credit gets updated, then the other two are likely to have been updated at the same time, especially if you have used the template letters.

I happen to know that Experian and Equifax were updated before Call Credit by Max Recovery / Eversheds

Personally with me, what was on Call Credit matched the other 2 agencies initially anyway.

[Grumple]

Congratulations on getting your certs Beckie01, we got ours yesterday and I have to say it's a great feeling isn't it![:D]

The posts that you have made the Matrix have been really informative and helpful - thank you!

[TheMatrix]

The posts that you have made the Matrix have been really informative and helpful - thank you!

They should make a sticky, as these questions come up quite a lot for anyone wanting to clear their files after they complete their IVA.

[Skippy]

Matrix, the information is different on mine! Callcredit have my BR starting and finishing on the same day (I'll be keeping quiet about that!) and Next don't even appear on Callcredit.

I've really got to write to Tesco as they are still defaulting me on all 3!

[TheMatrix]

Yes there are difference between all 3 agencies, and it would appear how they get the data. Not all accounts are reported with all 3 CRA's for example. The creditors are free to use whichever ones they choose to I guess.

It does seem that call credit are the 'alternative' to the main two CRA's. Though if information is incorrect it could be incorrect at any of the 3 agencies, two of them or all three.