Owe money to Lowell Financial? Read this before you pay or call back

If a letter or text from Lowell Financial has just landed and you don’t recognise the debt, you are not alone. Lowell is one of the largest debt purchasers in the UK — they don’t normally lend the money in the first place. They buy old, written-off accounts from banks, utility companies, mobile networks and short-term lenders, and pursue you for the balance.

This guide covers who Lowell are, what they are legally allowed to do under the FCA’s CONC rules, how to confirm the debt is genuinely yours, and the realistic options if you can’t pay it in full — including how an IVA can legally freeze Lowell action and write the debt off.

Who Lowell are, and how they got your details

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Lowell Financial Limited is part of the Lowell Group, headquartered in Leeds. The group purchases bulk portfolios of consumer-credit accounts that the original lender has already given up on as bad debt. Typical sellers include high-street banks, credit-card issuers, telecoms providers, water companies, mail-order catalogues, payday lenders and former store-card programmes.

When the original lender sells the account, your details — name, last known address, the agreement, the balance — are transferred to Lowell. They will then write to you, often months or years after you last heard from the original lender. Many people receive a Lowell letter for a debt they assumed had been written off. That’s a common situation, not an error.

Lowell is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and must follow the FCA’s Consumer Credit Sourcebook (CONC). They are also bound by the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and are members of the Credit Services Association, the trade body for the UK debt-collection industry.

What Lowell are legally allowed to do

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Lowell are a debt collector, not a bailiff. The difference matters. They can:

• Write to you, including by post, email and SMS
• Phone you on numbers you have provided to the original creditor
• Apply to a county court for a County Court Judgment (CCJ) if they believe you owe the debt and aren’t paying
• Once they have a CCJ, apply for an attachment of earnings, charging order on a property, or instruct a High Court Enforcement Officer
• Sell the debt on to another debt purchaser if they choose

What they cannot do without a court order:

• Force entry to your home
• Take goods, including from your driveway
• Threaten arrest — the debt is civil, not criminal
• Continue contacting you after a written request that they stop
• Add fees that aren’t agreed in the original credit agreement

If a Lowell representative ever turns up at your door, they are field agents — not bailiffs — and you have no legal obligation to speak to them, let them in, or sign anything. Politely ask them to leave and they must.

Step 1 — confirm the debt is actually yours

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Before paying anything to Lowell, the single most useful action is a CCA request. Under sections 77/78 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, you have the right to request a copy of the original signed credit agreement. Send this in writing, enclose the £1 statutory fee, and keep proof of postage:

Dear Lowell Financial,

Re: Account [reference], in the name of [your name]

Under sections 77/78 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 I formally request a true copy of the original credit agreement under which this debt arose, together with the statement of account showing the assignment of debt and the current balance.

I enclose the £1 statutory fee. The £1 fee is in respect of the request only and is not an admission of debt or an offer to pay any amount.

Lowell have 12 working days plus a further 30 calendar days to respond. While they are unable to comply, the debt is legally unenforceable — they cannot lawfully pursue or use court action. Many old or bulk-purchased debts cannot be backed by the original signed agreement, and a successful CCA request often ends the matter.

Step 2 — check whether the debt is statute-barred

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Most consumer debts in England and Wales become statute-barred under the Limitation Act 1980 once six years have passed since you last made a payment or acknowledged the debt in writing — provided Lowell hasn’t started court proceedings within that window. Statute-barred debt cannot be enforced through the courts, although it does still legally exist.

If the last payment or written acknowledgement was more than six years ago and there has been no CCJ, write to Lowell asking them to confirm the debt is statute-barred and to remove their contact. Do not pay anything — even a small “good-faith” amount — before checking the dates. A single payment resets the limitation clock.

In Scotland the rule is similar but the period is five years, and once the debt is “prescribed” it ceases to exist legally rather than just being unenforceable.

Step 3 — pay, partially pay, or use a formal solution

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If the debt is genuinely yours, recently incurred and within the limitation period, the question is what you can realistically afford. The honest options:

• Pay in full if you can. Lowell will sometimes accept a discount on the original balance for a one-off settlement — typical opening offers run 20–40% off, more on older portfolios, and counter-offers in writing usually move them.
• Set up an affordable payment plan directly with Lowell. They are obliged under CONC to consider what you can genuinely afford after essentials, not what they would prefer.
• Include the debt in a Debt Management Plan (DMP) — a single monthly payment to a DMP provider distributed across all unsecured debts. No write-off, but the chasing stops.
• Include the debt in an IVA if you owe £5,000 or more in total unsecured debt across two or more creditors. The IVA legally stops Lowell pursuing you and writes off the unpaid balance at the end of the term.
• Apply for a Debt Relief Order if your total debt is under £50,000 and your spare income is very low. A DRO writes the debt off entirely after 12 months.
• Bankruptcy if you have no realistic capacity to pay any of the unsecured debt, and you accept the consequences (asset risk, public register, 12-month restrictions).

Whichever route you choose, always confirm in writing any agreement reached with Lowell, and never give bank details over the phone unless you are confident the call is legitimate.

How Lowell tend to pursue accounts

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Lowell’s UK operation runs on portfolio efficiency. They contact in bulk, settle in bulk, and litigate the small minority of accounts where it’s cost-effective. In practice that means:

• Their first letters often offer a settlement discount of 20–40% off the balance for a one-off payment. Counter in writing — Lowell’s pricing model assumes negotiation.
• They issue a high volume of CCJ claims through the Northampton county court bulk centre. If a claim form arrives, respond before the deadline printed on it. Even a holding acknowledgement of service buys you time.
• After a CCJ, they typically pursue an attachment of earnings against employed debtors, or apply for a charging order on a homeowner’s property — rather than escalating to High Court Enforcement.
• Lowell will sometimes pass accounts to BW Legal, a Leeds-based solicitors firm, for the litigation step. A letter from BW Legal usually means a Lowell debt has moved one step closer to court.

Common Lowell pitfalls to avoid

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• Don’t ignore CCJ paperwork. A claim form sent to your address starts a court timer. If you don’t respond within 14 days, judgment is entered by default and Lowell win automatically.
• Don’t make a token “goodwill” payment before checking dates and validity. It can reset the statute-barred clock.
• Don’t ring the number on a Lowell text without checking the official Lowell number on a separate channel — phishing using Lowell’s brand is common.
• Don’t agree to a payment plan you can’t afford in the hope of stopping the calls. Lowell will increase pressure if you default.
• Don’t ignore BW Legal letters thinking they’re separate. BW Legal often act on Lowell’s behalf in court — a letter from them is the litigation stage of a Lowell debt.

Frequently asked questions

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Are Lowell bailiffs? No. Lowell are debt collectors and field agents. They can write, call and visit, but they cannot force entry or take goods without first obtaining a CCJ and then instructing High Court Enforcement Officers — a separate legal step.

Can Lowell take me to court? Yes. If they believe the debt is genuine, within the limitation period, and unpaid, they can apply for a CCJ. Most Lowell court actions succeed as uncontested defaults; responding to the claim form properly often changes the outcome.

Will an IVA include Lowell debt? Yes — Lowell debt is unsecured and goes into an IVA on the same basis as any other unsecured debt. Once the IVA is approved, Lowell must stop contacting you and cannot take legal action on the included balance.

How do I make Lowell stop calling? Send a written request — by email or post — that future contact is by post only. Under CONC, Lowell must comply. The debt does not go away, but the phone calls stop.

The debt isn’t mine — what now? Tell Lowell in writing that you do not acknowledge the debt and request proof of assignment, the original agreement, and statement of account under sections 77/78 of the CCA. Until they do, the debt is unenforceable. Identity-theft cases should also be reported to Action Fraud.

Related guides

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• BW Legal — Lowell’s litigation solicitors
• 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?