Owe money to Arrow Global or Capquest? Read this first

If you have just received correspondence from Arrow Global — sometimes signed Arrow Global Limited, Arrow Global Receivables Management or via one of its servicing brands — it usually means an old unsecured debt has been sold to them by the original lender. Arrow Global is one of the larger UK and European debt-purchasers, and the brand sits at the parent level of a number of UK collection businesses you may also have heard of.

This page sets out who Arrow Global are, what they are legally allowed to do, and how to decide whether to pay, dispute or settle the account formally — including via an IVA where you qualify.

Who Arrow Global are

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Arrow Global is a Manchester-headquartered specialist in non-performing consumer-credit assets. After being publicly listed for several years, the group was taken private in 2022 by TDR Capital, a London-based private-equity firm.

The group’s UK operations include several well-known brands:

• Capquest — historically the UK’s most visible Arrow brand for consumer-credit collection
• Mars Capital — primarily focused on secured/mortgage book servicing
• Arrow Global Receivables Management — the direct collection arm

A letter signed Capquest or Mars Capital is, for negotiating and dispute purposes, an Arrow Global letter.

Arrow Global is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for its UK consumer-credit collection activity, and operates within the FCA’s CONC framework. They are a member of the Credit Services Association.

What Arrow Global can and cannot legally do

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Arrow are debt collectors, not bailiffs. They can:

• Write to you and call you on numbers held by the original creditor
• Take you to county court for a CCJ if they believe the debt is enforceable
• Apply for an attachment of earnings, charging order on a property, or High Court enforcement once they have a CCJ
• Sell the debt on to another debt purchaser

They cannot force entry to your home, take goods, threaten arrest, or invent post-default interest or fees that were not part of the original credit agreement.

Run the two standard checks first

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Two letters are worth sending before you discuss any payment with Arrow Global:

1. Section 77/78 CCA request — written request for the original signed credit agreement, the notice or deed of assignment, and a current statement of account. Enclose the £1 statutory fee. Until Arrow supply this paperwork, they cannot enforce the debt.
2. Statute-barred check — six years in England and Wales (five in Scotland) since the last payment or written acknowledgement, with no CCJ during that window, means the debt is statute-barred and cannot be enforced through the courts.

Do not make a token payment to test goodwill — a single payment can reset the statute-barred clock.

How Arrow Global tend to engage

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Arrow Global is a portfolio buyer rather than a contingent collector. That makes their incentive structure essentially settlement-focused:

• Their initial contact often includes a settlement-discount offer (commonly 20–40% off, sometimes more on older portfolios). These offers can usually be negotiated downwards by counter-offering in writing.
• They issue a meaningful volume of CCJ claims through the Northampton bulk centre. The system runs on volume — most defaults are uncontested, and judgment can be entered automatically against a defendant who does not respond.
• Once a CCJ is in place they typically pursue an attachment of earnings against employed debtors, or a charging order against homeowner-debtors, rather than instructing High Court enforcement.

If you receive court paperwork, respond before the deadline printed on the claim form — even a holding acknowledgement of service buys you time and prevents a default judgment.

What happens if you ignore Arrow Global

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Arrow’s escalation pattern follows the standard UK debt-purchaser playbook:

1. Letters and calls with progressively stronger language and settlement offers
2. Pre-claim letter (Letter Before Action) — the formal warning of intent to issue proceedings
3. County-court claim form — issued through Northampton; you have 14 days to acknowledge service and 28 to file a defence
4. Default judgment (CCJ) — entered automatically if you don’t respond; sits on your credit file for six years
5. Enforcement — attachment of earnings, charging order, or (less commonly) High Court enforcement

The leverage you have is highest before a CCJ is entered. Once a default judgment is in place, setting it aside is technically possible but harder.

Routes out — pay, settle or formal solution

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• Lump-sum settlement at a negotiated discount, with a written “full and final settlement” clause.
• Affordable monthly arrangement based on the Standard Financial Statement.
• IVA to handle Arrow Global alongside every other unsecured debt over a 5–6 year term, with the unpaid balance written off at completion.
• Debt Management Plan for situations where total debt is small enough to clear within five years.
• Debt Relief Order if total debt is under £50,000 and your spare income is very low.
• Bankruptcy where no realistic monthly contribution is possible.

Pitfalls when dealing with Arrow Global

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• Don’t ignore Capquest or Mars Capital letters as separate — both are part of Arrow Global, and the underlying account is the same.
• Don’t ignore Northampton claim forms. A defended CCJ is treatable; a default is far harder to undo.
• Don’t accept the first settlement offer. Counter in writing — Arrow’s pricing model assumes negotiation.
• Don’t share bank details by phone without verifying the line through Arrow’s official website.

Frequently asked questions

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Is Capquest the same as Arrow Global? Effectively yes for any letter you receive — Capquest is part of Arrow Global, and the underlying debt-purchase activity sits at the Arrow level. Mars Capital is also part of the group.

Can Arrow Global enter my home? No. Arrow Global are debt collectors. Even with a CCJ, only court-instructed bailiffs (county or High Court) can attempt entry, and they cannot force entry to a private home for an unsecured consumer debt without specific legal grounds.

Will an IVA include Arrow Global debt? Yes. Arrow Global debt is unsecured consumer credit and goes into an IVA on the same basis as a credit-card or personal-loan balance. Once the IVA is approved Arrow must stop contact and cannot enforce the included balance.

Can Arrow take money straight from my wages? Only after a successful application for an attachment of earnings order, which itself requires a CCJ. Without that court process, they cannot deduct anything from your salary.

Related guides

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• Cabot Financial — another major debt purchaser
• Lowell Financial — another major debt purchaser
• Do debt collectors give up?
• How long can I be chased for a debt?
• Can debt be written off?
• How do I apply for an IVA?