Legal actions are bankruptcies, County Court Judgments (CCJs) and Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs). You can see any legal actions you're facing in the 'Personal' section of your credit report.
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a way for you to deal with debts you can't pay. You can read the guide to bankruptcy on the GOV.UK website.
County court judgments (CCJs)
A lender can apply for a judgement from the County Court if you don't repay the debt you owe, to get their money back.
This is quite common for parking/driving fines. If you pay the debt back within a month, this won't show in your report. But if you repay after a month, it'll show as 'Satisfied'.
If you don't pay a CCJ, it'll show as 'Unsatisfied' in your report. Learn more about county court judgments for debt on the GOV.UK website.
Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs)
An IVA is when a licensed legal professional sets up monthly payments for you to repay your credit. All extra charges and interest are frozen during an IVA, so your debt doesn't grow and you can repay it sooner.
At the end of the agreement, your remaining debt is written off – if you miss one of your repayments, the agreement will be cancelled. You can talk to your bank or lender if you want to arrange an IVA.
Debt relief order (DRO)
If you're struggling to make repayments to debts you owe, you can apply for a DRO through an approved debt adviser.
A DRO normally lasts 12 months if you're eligible and approved. Lenders linked to your debt relief order (DRO) will mark the affected accounts as defaulted. This signals that they’ve closed the account and are no longer chasing you for payments. This will show under Bankruptcy on your credit report.
To find out more about Debt relief order (DRO), check out the GOV.UK website.
How these affect your score
All of the above can indicate that you’re struggling to pay back the money you owe. Most of this information stays on your report for up to 6 years even after they've been paid off. The older they are, the less affect they have on your financial situation and credit score.
If you think the information be incorrect or out of date, contact the account provider. If you've already spoken to the provider and still need help please go through our messenger on the left hand-side of this page.